The Austin Healey was a British brand of sports car that was last
produced in the year 1972. The company was established through a joint
venture set up in 1952 by Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the
British Motor Corporation (BMC) and
Donald Healey, a renowned
designer and automotive engineer. In 1968, the joint venture came to an
end after their 20 year agreement expired. Donald Healey left the
company in 1968 when British Motor Holdings merged into British Leyland.
Healey eventually joined Jensen Motors in 1952 and became their chairman
in 1972. And in a nutshell, this marked the end of a great run of a
sports car.
The
Austin Healey, however brief this merger proved to be,
managed to have three models built between 1953 to 1971. The models that
were built on 1953 to 1959 were named
Austin Healey 100. It was
given that name due to the fact it was one of the few cars of that era
which could maintain a speed of 100 mph or 160 km/h.
1962 Austin Healey Engine
Donald Healey
