1955 Austin Healey 100/4

This right-hand-drive Austin-Healey BN1 100/4 is understood to have been first registered in Germany in July 1955 to a Herr Schroeder, with whom it then remained for many years, homologated for use as a ‘tour’ car for racing and regularity rally events in Category 4 (Series Production Sports Cars).

Fast forward to the new millennium and the Austin-Healey was restored and upgraded over a ten year period, having gone from BN1 to BN2 and then to 100M specification, as well as being fitted with all manner of equipment in preparation for classic racing and rallying.

Since being imported back to the UK in 2010, the car was owned and maintained by a well-known historic racer. He entered the car into a number of tours and events both in the UK and in Europe. In fact a photo of the car on the 2017 Ennstal Classic made it onto the cover of an official report into the Classic Car movement in Austria.

More recently the engine has been fully rebuilt to a highly tuned specification by Brunswick Motorsport of Cambridgeshire. The car also had a full suspension rebuild and new tyres all round prior to the current owner taking possession of the car. Since he acquired the Austin-Healey, the current owner has undertaken a number of long distance trips within the UK to various events.

Our vendor has been restoring and repairing classic cars for many years and has a small collection of fifties and sixties Alfa Romeos. His original intention for buying the Austin-Healey was to enter it into historic motoring events - with a bit more work it could be eligible for the likes of the Le Mans Classic. Moving to Portugal with the family and setting up a classic car driving holiday business has brought about a change of plans.

The Austin-Healey is finished in a silver over black two-tone colour scheme with a red pinstripe separating the two shades. Long associated with the big Healeys, the curving two-tone finish first became an option on the BN2 after this car was built - and this combination wasn’t one of the official choices. A glance in the engine bay suggests that this car may originally have been Carmine Red.

That said, silver and black clearly suits the car. Along with the mechanical modifications that the car has undergone, it is perhaps fitting that the exterior colour should have received an update too. The off-white roundels on the doors sit ready to receive the car’s next race number.

The paintwork is in reasonably good condition and looks good from a few yards away. Up close, there are the inevitable age-related marks such as chips on the leading edge of the bonnet, a few scratches here and there and some micro blistering most evident on the nearside rear wing.

The bonnet is secured with a leather strap as per the Le Mans upgrade kit and is louvred too just like the competition cars were. The bumpers, overriders and other brightwork look generally very good, there’s a slight patina in places but no obvious damage or pitting and it polishes up well.

Behind the open cabin a chromed rollover safety bar has been fitted - essential for modern competition use. This prevents a folding roof being fitted but the car does come with a centre-zip waterproof tonneau in black with red edging. This cover allows the car interior to stay dry if caught in unpredictable weather but the driver still gets wet unless going fast enough to push the rain over the top! The tonneau looks in good condition, although one of the stud fasteners is partially detached.

The Austin-Healey sits on 15-inch grey-painted wire wheels, which present in good condition with just occasional light scuffing on the outer rims. The knock-off spinners are finished in chrome. All four corners are fitted with Avon ZZ radial tyres dating from 2016-17 and showing good tread depth.

Despite a few upgrades and restoration work, the interior of the car looks quite period authentic. The functional dashboard is painted black with an engine-turned aluminium instrument panel and a mount for rally timers. The steering wheel is a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita, with the indicator switch in the central boss.

The bucket seats look original and are trimmed in black leather with red piping. The seat facings are creased, with a little wear on the edges but no tears or splits that we can see. The seat backs are slightly damaged - dented and scuffed presumably by items stowed behind the seats.

Also behind the seats is a floor panel that can be removed to gain access to the battery and the drive shaft to differential U-joint.

The seats are fitted with Willans safety harnesses. Only lap-straps currently remain but there are eye bolt strong points behind the seats for shoulder straps, should a four-point harness be desired.

In terms of flooring and other trim - the transmission tunnel is insulated with a quilted cover, fitting around the gear shift. The rubber gaiter around the base of the gear lever is splitting slightly but still functional.

Underfoot, the black carpeting looks in reasonably good condition, covered by red edge-trimmed floor mats. Underneath the carpets, the floor pans appear in good condition on both sides.

We don’t know the full details of the recent engine rebuild work carried out by renowned classic engine builders Brunswick Motorsport - their specification is something of a closely guarded trade secret, but they’d no doubt be willing to discuss the build and any future requirements with the new owner.

What we can see are twin SU carburettors, Denis Welch rocker covers, a desirable Weslake cylinder head and a Setrab ProLine racing oil cooler mounted ahead of the radiator.

Underneath the car, there is a stainless steel side-exit exhaust that seems to extend quite low, although it doesn’t appear to have suffered any damage. The running gear and mechanicals are pretty clean and still showing the paint from restoration. There is no obvious rust on the chassis but it does have a few dents here and there.

The boot is almost completely filled by a 100-litre competition fuel tank and its associated pump, filter and regulator - which may go some way to explaining the need to stow luggage or gear behind the seats. There’s also a scissor jack and wheel brace, although no spare wheel.

The Healey’s last MOT expired in 2013, but of course as an historic vehicle it is exempt from annual testing, provided the owner maintains its roadworthiness - and presumably can prove it - which is where a current MOT could come in handy.

The car comes with a sizeable history file - and one which will test your memory of high school German - or keep you busy with Google Translate!

Included are its German registration documents, copies of period correspondence with the RAC about homologation, detailed notes on the restoration works, an appraisal document from 2009 and numerous invoices for parts and for work done by British sports car specialists like DES-Tuning & Classic and Denis Welch.

In the past, the Austin-Healey was fully race/rally prepared, featuring a long-range competition fuel tank, four-speed gearbox with overdrive, disc brakes, driver/co-driver intercom and a Denis Welch cylinder head - Denis Welch are also known as BigHealey.co.uk.

Big Healeys are a stalwart of historic racing and rallying, having earned their spurs in period at endurance events like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Sebring and Le Mans - and the four-cylinder BN1 started it all off.

This particular example was used competitively from the off and after an extensive restoration has been toured and campaigned again in recent years. We think it will sell for between £36,000 and £46,000.

Even at the higher figure, there’s still enough headroom to complete the work required for this racing car to secure its eligibility for historic competitions.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.