One of the sensations of the 1952 Motor Show was a two-seat sports
car built by Donald Healey at a small factory in Warwick in the
English Midlands. Before the show was over Leonard Lord, head of
the British Motor Corporation (BMC) had struck a deal with Healey
to mass produce the car, and the Austin-Healey was born.
This car, the 100, took both the British and US markets by storm. A
beautiful, brutish car, it was what many sporting motorists had
been waiting for, and its use of many standard BMC components made
it relatively affordable.
In 1956 the four-cylinder engine of the 100 was replaced with the
Austin C-series six-cylinder unit, creating the 100-6, and in 1959
this car was developed into the most famous Healey of them all -
the 3000, that was as successful on the rally stage as it was loved
on the open road.
Collectively the 100 and 3000 have become known as the Big Healeys,
but as this name suggests, there was a corresponding 'small'
Healey, and this car, the Sprite, was launched in Monte Carlo in
1958. Designed around the major mechanical components of the Austin
A35, the Sprite set out to recreate the market for the cheap
'everyman's' sports car that hadn't existed since the 1930s.
Distinguished by the headlights that protruded from the bonnet, the
Sprite was soon nicknamed the Frogeye in Britain, or the Bugeye in
the US. It was a big success, and remained in production until
1971, albeit in more conventionally styled form from the Mark 2
onwards.
Written by one of the foremost historians of the British motor
industry, this book presents a concise history of Austin Healey,
and the marque's success on road and track. Illustrated throughout,
it will appeal to all lovers of this, the quintessential British
sports car manufacturer.
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