This 1955 Austin Healey 100-4 is a former track car that is a long way from returning to competitive use. The body is a patchwork quilt of different cars and the interior is gutted save for a solitary racing bucket. The drivetrain has been refreshed with a rebuilt head and it comes with two transmissions, but there’s still much work to be done if you see a track day in your future. The seller is correct, though, that it’s a great project for a Healey enthusiast. It’s listed here on eBay with bids to $3,250 and the reserve unmet.
Austin Healeys seemingly always had a life at the track. When new, they were turnkey track day warriors, and they seamlessly migrated to regular use at vintage racing events. Any road course with a historical racing association, from Lime Rock to Sebring, will have at least a handful of Austin Healeys in attendance. It would be great to uncover the past of this example and where it raced. Was it tackling road courses every weekend, or knocking down cones at the local autocross? There’s a badge on the dash that may offer some clues; more on that in a minute. It’s hard to discern how rusty it is from these photos.
The racing bucket is as good an indication as any that this Austin Healey 1oo-4 was a dedicated track toy for a previous owner. However, it seems like in recent years it began offering up parts for other projects, or simply lost them as the track car was used less frequently and left to sit. To me, that’s how a part like the windshield goes missing – the owner harvested it for another car that could be driven daily without twisting your back into and out of a race car with no sound deadening material. The gauge cluster is included, but that’s about it besides the seat.
You can see the remnants of a badge indicating the region in which this Austin Healey once raced – in this case, Oklahoma, as part of the Ponca City Grand Prix. Google that race title if you want a real treat, as it’s clear there were many racers who attended and supported this major SCCA-sanctioned event. It seems to have dissolved in recent years, but looks like it was great fun back in the day when cars like this were all the rage – and cheap. I’d love to find archival footage of this Healey and restore it back to as-raced colors – what would you do with it?
Maybe this Healy can remain a toy rather than becoming an INVESTMENT, YES, THEY’RE WORTH LOTS when restored to original but they were built to offer FUN at a reasonable price and easily maintained by the owners. Lots of these wound up with a chebby drive train, Their shape is beautiful!
Had two of these as street machines and as Michael says, they are a beautiful car. Living in Oklahoma City for 14 years and finding old SCCA race cars to rebuild we got familiar with the Ponca City track. It was actually a park with a winding road through it that got used as a race track. In ’84 we found another Ponca City veteran in form of a ’60 Porsche roadster race car that had been built in 1966. Lots of pictures from the the original builders which featured the Healeys, Porsches, Triumphs, etc. of the late ’50s through the early ’80s. Took 4 years to rebuild it but the fun part was all the history behind it.Would loved to have found the Healey.
Took Jeff’s hint and looked up the Ponca City Gran Prix. A video of one entrant’s Porsche 911 also contained a slew of different race cars like Alfas, MGBs, TR6s, etc. but no Healeys…. BUT… coming out of a right hand corner with a bunch of other cars is our red ’60 roadster driven by Ed Mayo, one of the builders. Had lots of still pictures but no video. Recognized the dent in the nose. It was full of Bondo when we got it. Neat stuff! Thanks Jeff.
@Jeff Lavery
“The racing bucket is as good an indication as any that this Austin Healey 1oo-4 was a dedicated track toy for a previous owner.” dedicated??? really???
That seat is no indication of early racing…it is a relatively new seat… So is the roll bar, which is not designed to meet the rules, or accepted safety standards ( lack of proper braces )
Dash plaques are no evidence of competition..they were given to all the workers, and corner also had an opportunity to drive the course.
A comparison to any actual race car from the 1968 Period leaves no resemblance that this car ever raced in 1968….. that said, it is worth more than the current bid.
I would have to see some REAL evidence of racing, before I would agree with your analysis on this one..
Maybe the next big thing in fake race cars, after the Gasser craze dies down, will be fake road race cars.
Steve R
I was going to say that roll bar would never have passed an scca tech inspection.
Reminds me of the PVGP…great venue.
Cool little car, would be a lot of fun running. I don’t see any evidence of it being a vintage competition car either. A nice coat of satin black bolt it back together and get it running. nah on restoration, just go have fun!
Expand the picture out and you see brand new roll bar tubing and recent welds. As for the seat, and the roll bars for that matter, the fifties and sixties roll bars are scary looking compared what we have now and the seats were usually buckets out of the plastic chairs of the day. Lot of pros and amateurs died in those days.
@bobhess
I was referring to the new tubing, etc, and that whoever added the roll bar obviously has no clue as to the rules concerning roll bar design and fabrication, either in 1968, or today for Vintage race cars.
I don’t believe it would pass any Tech Scrutineer who follows the Rules that nearly every club/organization follow, and others who know have also said the same.
That roll bar design is false security and an actual danger to the driver. For me, that kind of amateur construction is a red flag as to ANYTHING that has been done to the car, when I am expected to approach turn one at 100+mph with a bunch of other cars…. And I am not a sissy, I have raced door to door in several Vintage race cars that had NO rollbar above my head.
I’m not 100% certain — I owned a BN2 “Hundred” many, many years ago, and later a BT7 3000 — but the shape and plated instrument surround make me think the instrument panel was taken from a later six-cylinder Healey. Maybe it’s just my tired old eyes….
I’m sure someone could restore this if they wanted to shell out the loot, but it won’t be easy. One has to wonder what is missing or broken or simply worn out. In any case, replacement parts, while generally available, will have to be hunted down and paid for. Nothing I see here could be used as-is.
For me, a generalized statement that a car was “raced” doesn’t mean much. Need a specific history going farther than a single dash plaque. I can think of a couple of ex-racer Healeys that would make my wish list. This isn’t one of them.
With you on that Dave. Roll bar would not even get you into a low budget Vintage race. We are rebuilding a Bugeye tub that was raced in the early ’70s. It had one hoop across the back bolted to the floor with two bolts on each end and no rear supports. Scary stuff if this car was done the same way… then.
Just my (absolutely worthless) opinion, but this looks less like an old race car and more like an amalgamation of parts someone was imagining building a vintage track toy out of.