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This Austin-Healey 100M BN2 Is Gobsmackingly Beautiful

The first of the so-called Big Healeys, the 100 series ran from 1953 to 1956. Produced in very limited numbers, the lightweight British sports car was offered in three variants: the BN1, the revised BN2, and the 100S.
1956 Austin-Healey 100M BN2 24 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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The BN2 we’re covering today is an original 100M, one of 640 examples produced in less than a year. It remained with the first owner until 1991 according to Bring a Trailer, which also notes a cosmetic refurbishment in 1999. Acquired by the current owner in 2004, this super pretty blast from the past is currently rocking a high bid of $50,000 with six days left to go.

Offered on dealer consignment with Carmine Red paintwork over black leather upholstery, the 100M BN2 is equipped with a louvered hood and leather tie-downs, chrome bumpers with overriders, a folding windshield, as well as a canvas top. Fitted with 15-inch wired wheels featuring two-eared knockoffs, the Big Healey further boasts drum brakes at all corners.

Presented with a plethora of service records, a 100M Registry Certificate of Membership, a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate, and a clean title in the seller’s name, this quirky machine is gifted with a dash-mounted rearview mirror, rubber floor mats, red piping on the seats and center tunnel pad, and a heater. Originally delivered in Carmine Red, the BN2 before your eyes retailed at $3,190, including license and tax, in 1955.

That’s $33,770 adjusted for inflation, and if you were curious, the first-generation Corvette from that era used to be $2,774 or $29,370 in today’s money with the base straight-six engine. The 100M BN2 was originally rated at 110 ponies. The numbers-matching engine is running twin carburetors, a high-lift camshaft, and a cold-air box. Serviced with fresh oil a few months ago, the four-cylinder mill puts the power down with the help of a four-speed stick shift that was professionally overhauled back in 2007.

On that note, have a wild guess what kind of money an Austin-Healey 100M BN2 goes for in this day and age. Last year, for example, the Bonhams auction house sold chassis number BN2L233087 for $179k.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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