Austin Healey

Gerry Coker was a designer for the Donald Healey Motor Company, he was responsible for the design of the Austin-Healey 100 and Sprite, later joining Chrysler and the Ford Motor Company, where he invented the 3-postion tailgate. Gerry will be inducted into the Britsh Sports Car Hall of Fame on June 2, 2017.

A 1967 Austin Healey 3000 MK III, the very last series production car that rolled off the line at the Abingdon factory, will be auctioned as part of CCA’s two-day mega sale at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show on Sunday 2nd April. Chassis Number HBJ843025 was produced on the 21st December 1967 and first registered to the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick with the registration number OAC 656.

Something a bit different this week for our video. This time round we are featuring “HBTV: Depth of Speed – British Mania”. The series “Depth of Speed” … ‘was born from a desire of story, travel and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I’m amazed at the depth, passion and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that – an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy.‘ This episode, British […]

Our video this week represents a comparison of classic British six-cylinder roadsters – the ‘big’ Austin Healey 100/6 versus the Triumph TR6. My only wish is that the MGC were included in this matchup. Yes, there were other six-packs out there, most notable may be the Jaguar E-Type. But, it was always in a different league than the common-man roadsters of Healey, Triumph, and MG. This video, coming by way of AutoWeek, features European spec cars which were a bit different, especially in fuel delivery, than their US shipped counterparts. Oh, and yes, the video starts off in non-English, but most of it is actually in English. So stick with it. Plus the visuals are beautiful.

Call them ‘frog eye’ or ‘bug eye’ either way, this is the first version of the venerable Austin Healey Sprite. Our video this week is from when the car was still brand new to the roads in 1958. This old British Motor Corporation publicity video shows the still wet behind the ears, and tires in this case, Sprite driven at Silverstone by famed English racing driver Roy Salvadori. The Austin Healey Sprite, here in the guise that would become known as the Mk I, was a marvel in its day. Cheap, quick (not fast), and easy to maintain. What it didn’t have in speed, power, or creature comforts it made up for in charm and smiles per gallon. These were, and still are, simply fun cars.  These days though they are becoming much more scarce in solid, unmolested condition, and the […]

Our video this week comes by way of the Suncoast British Car Club and featured Gerry Coker. Gerry was born “Gerald Charles Coker” June 24, 1922 in Northamptonshire, England.  He is known in the Healey world for his body design of the Healey Hundred introduced in 1952. He joined the Donald Healey Motor Company as Healey’s body engineer in 1950.  His first job was to look after the Nash Healeys as they came from Panelcraft, the Nash Healey body makers. Early on at the DHMC, Healey challenged Gerry to show him a sports car design, and in late 1950, he created the body design for what would become the Austin-Healey 100.  This timelessly beautiful sports car stole the show in October, 1952 when it debuted as the Healey Hundred at the London Motor Show at Earls Court. Gerry also styled the Austin-Healey […]

A 1953 Austin Healey that raced in the New Zealand Grand Prix will make its show debut at Race Retro on 26thto 28th February, the first time it has been on public display anywhere in the world. The Healey 100/4 BN1, chassis no 145426, will be on display at Stoneleigh Park as one of three works cars that were sent to take part in the inaugural New Zealand Grand Prix on 9th January 1954.

Video of the Week is for fans of old school seat-of-the-pants sports cars in the form of a TopGear challenge between an Austin Healey Sprite and Peugeot 306. At this time – We can call this challenge – Old School vs. New Generation car culture. Richard Hammond and James May argue about the state of modern-day driving, which sparked a time trial showdown at Prescott Hill Climb Course, pitting a Austin-Healey Sprite representing a mostly middle-aged classic car owners club, versus a modified Peugeot 306 backed by a more youthful group. The Stig takes the two around, with the Sprite, on a serious race-focussed diet, defeating the showy and stereo-laden 306 by one second.

This week let’s look at an all-time favorite, one of the big Healeys, the Austin-Healey 3000. This video is from the good folks are Hagerty Insurance and Wayne Carini of “Chasing Classic Cars“.  In the video buyer’s guide, Carini tells you what to look for when buying an Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII and tells you how to spot potential issues — such as rust — that can plague these cars. A bit about Wayne Carini – With a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resume that includes body and paint work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman, tennis great Ivan Lendl and the DuPont family. He’s been featured in the New York Times as well as numerous automobile magazines, and starred in two one-hour television specials. The Austin-Healey […]