1954 Austin Healey 100/4

It’s incredibly rare to have such a detailed provenance of a vehicle, but ownership of this car has been held within the same group of friends since 1972. ‘I’ve had it for 30 years alone,’ says owner Nigel. ‘Prior to that it was in the care of my good friend Paul Bennett, and then another friend AJ Pope who I bought it from.’

Pope intended to restore the car but with his Triumph TR4 taking up all of his time, it would be Nigel who took up the reins. ‘He’d only started work on the steering and front suspension by that point, but I moved it to a large barn adjacent to my house and work started.’

The comprehensive bare-metal restoration process took quite some time as life got in the way, but it was eventually completed in the late Nineties. ‘By this time we had a holiday home in South West France and it’s lived there since, where we have perfect weather and roads for the car.’

There are a huge number of invoices in the history file (please see photo gallery), both from the time of the restoration itself and of subsequent work that Nigel has carried out. He’s been good enough to compile a summary list of all parts fitted. Restoration work apart, most recent big bills include: a new windscreen frame (£600); a fresh petrol tank (£274.95); carburetor refurbishment (£337.52); and fitment of a full stainless steel exhaust system (£263.94)

‘I’ve always brought the car back to Britain on a trailer for any work or maintenance required,’ explains Nigel. ‘But I’m in my Seventies now, with a touch of arthritis in my leg, so it’s now time for it to go to a new home.’ The Healey has always been UK registered.

He says that it still drives superbly. ‘The engine is absolutely fabulous and the gears shift very nicely, with overdrive coming in and out smoothly. It has a full stainless steel exhaust system and I think the note is just right. Radial tyres, while not period, help with the road-holding and it’s still such a beautiful car.’  

There’s a tiny split in the paint by the nearside bonnet aperture, but that’s all we can find and the paint finish is truly excellent – impressive if the restoration was 18 months old, let alone over 20 years. Panel fit is equally good, and there’s no sag present in either door. The Blue over Cream colour scheme looks even better in the flesh than it does in the pictures and suits the Healey’s sweeping outline perfectly.

Bright work is of a very high quality. Again, the only small imperfection we can find is a touch of surface rust on the nearside chrome headlight surround. That’s an easy fix, or, like us, you could be of the opinion that it adds a touch of patina to the car’s overall presentation. The bumpers, windscreen surround and chrome wire wheels are all very smart.

Overall, it’s a truly captivating example.

The bucket seats were rebuilt during restoration and still feel fully supportive. Overall condition of the leather and carpets is excellent. The interior bezels weren’t restored, so still have some pitting on them and the steering wheel looks original with a bit of paint chipping here and there, but that’s as bad as it gets.

The fuel gauge doesn’t work (show me a Healey’s that does), but there’s a carefully calibrated stick. And Nigel’s fitted a modern windscreen washer, so there’s an extra push button – a lovely job. Even underneath the dashboard is very neat and tidy, with smart paintwork. A natty tonneau cover is included.

The boot’s back wall has been adapted with a small cut out that allows the spare wheel to push through slightly. It sits in a carpeted sock and the upshot is that this is a 100 that actually has the ability to carry some luggage, huzzah!

The engine has had a few upgrades to improve starting and driveability. These include the fitting of a High-Reduction starter motor, a Mallory twin-spark ignition coil (although not original its Red top ensures that it looks so) and the carburettors have just had new throats fitted to better deal with modern fuels (and ethanol additives).

It’s not a concours engine bay. There’s a bit of discolouration here and there, and some light surface corrosion on metal caps, screws and nuts. The engine block also has a little coating of road dust. It would respond well to some detailing, but in reality is appealing as it is – and personally that’s how we’d leave it.

Have look underneath and you’ll find it to be almost spotless. The chassis looks well protected and to be lovely and straight, while floors and sills are in very good condition, as are the suspension components. Pride of place goes to that fairly recent stainless steel exhaust system.

The car left a little engine oil on the floor, but nothing drastic and to be expected.

There’s an impressive and nicely organised history file included within which you’ll find: photographs of the bare metal restoration; the original Buff logbook; a whole ‘paper storm’ of restoration and maintenance invoices; and a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Factory Record Certificate detailing colours, build numbers and original destination dealer.

The Healey has always been British registered and as such, the V5 document is also included. Also included is an original Austin Parts List booklet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and a many other bits of paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and then maintained to the very highest standard.

It’s still in absolutely spot-on condition and presents in such a charming fashion. Nigel did such a gorgeous job on the original restoration, and it’s only done a couple of thousand miles since completion. With his careful maintenance it still looks as if it’s been freshly done.

With the amount of cars that pass through The Market, we’re the first to admit that we can, on occasion, be a touch hard-hearted when it comes to assessing them. This one though has melted our hearts – its condition really is that nice. Overall, tangibly and intangibly, it’s one of the best cars we have had in. Full Stop.

Of course that’s nothing if it doesn’t drive similarly well, and we’re in the position to confirm all of Nigel’s opinions. The high-reduction starter sees it fire instantly first time, every time and the engine immediately settles into a lovely idle. On the road it’s utterly superb, and has an engine note that’s to die for.

With three careful owners since 1972, it’s time for this car to finally go out-with Nigel’s friendship group. We think the next owner definitely won’t be disappointed, and will be buying one of the best ‘real-world’ examples out there. As such, we expect it to sell for between £33,000 and £40,000.

Remember viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located here at The Market’s Abingdon HQ; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.