1954 AUSTIN HEALEY 100M LE MANS PRE TEST CAR

- Built in 1954 as special pre test car for the 100M Le Mans Works Kit
- Prepared for rallies under supervision of Donald Healey and Geoff Healey
- The first Austin Healey of Mister Healey, Bill Emerson. The famous writer of many Austin Healey in detail books!
- Restored by Bill Emerson with the involvement of Donald Healey to be sure that the 100M pre-production features were retained.

The Austin Healey 100-4 was introduced in 1952 at the Earls Court Motor Show. The name 100 was linked to fact that the Healey was able to brake the 100 mph barrier.
Donald Healey who introduced the car couldn’t expect that his car would survive for 15 years.
The Healey 100 cyclus can be best described with 3 different models starting with the Healey 100 which was followed up by the Healey 100-6 (6 cylinder), and after that the Healey 3000 was introduced with the 3000cc 6 cylinder engine.

Before the introduction of the Healey 100-6 and Healey 3000 Donald Healey wanted to offer owners and dealers a performance upgrade named the “Le Mans” modification kit.

ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE
This specific Austin Healey was taken off the factory plant and has been prepared with all special features by Donald and Geoff Healey for testing reasons, making this Healey a UNIQUE PRE-SERIES TEST CAR for the 100M Le Mans kit.

The Healey has for example a special engine, built by the BMC department, by Eddie Mayer. Eddie Mayer only allowed Donald and Geoff Healey to drive this car when the engine had a
special color, which was a bit dark red.

Other special features on this specific Pre-Series Austin Healey 100M Le Mans are:

 -  Dashboard with leather trimmed instead of aluminium (not in 
 later normal production M’s)

-  Special Lucas P700 Le Mans flame thrower

-  Very early plexiglas side windows without any foldable 
opening (not in later normal production M’s)

-  Special wooden steering wheel with aluminium spokes and a wooden rim

-  Special 4 speed gearbox specially made for high speed

-  Gold colored gearbox 

-  140 MPH tacho meter 

-  High duty Alfin drum brakes

-  Brake booster

-  High speed rear axle (ratio 3.66)

-  Special exhaust manifold

-  72 instead of 60 spoke wheels


For more information or an appointment, please call Rutger Houtkamp+31625098150 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone during evenings or in the weekend.

The Houtkamp Collection is centrally located near Amsterdam and only 10 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The Houtkamp Collection is not able to guarantee the correctness and/or the exhaustiveness of the information contained in this car description and can not accept any obligations from that.
Thank you for your cooperation.