The practice of shoehorning a V8 into the engine bay of a classic British Sports Car gave the world the Shelby Cobra and Sunbeam Tiger. Both cars delivered mind-blowing performance that makes each more desirable today than when new. Somebody decided to apply the same formula to this 1955 Austin-Healey 100. Its engine bay now houses a Chevrolet small-block, making it a potent beast once the buyer returns it to active service. The seller has listed this British classic here on eBay in North East, Pennsylvania. They set their BIN at $15,000 OBO.
Introduced in 1953, the Austin-Healey 100 remained on sale until 1956. Austin built these vehicles at its iconic Longbridge plant, utilizing fully trimmed body and chassis packages produced by Jensen Motors in West Bromwich. Sales results were very respectable for a niche model, with 14,634 cars finding homes before production ended. Our featured car emerged in 1955, finished in Old English White. The louvered hood suggests it may have been the more potent 100M variant, although since that is a bolt-on panel and the seller doesn’t supply a VIN, we can only speculate. The body looks pretty tidy, with no significant bumps or bruises. The seller confirms that the frame is structurally sound, and if there is no rust, performing a cosmetic restoration would be relatively easy. Given how easily these classics come apart, this could be the ideal opportunity for a color change if the existing White doesn’t tick the boxes for the buyer. It appears that there is no soft-top, but the deal includes a tonneau.
I would describe this classic’s interior as serviceable, although it won’t win the buyer many show trophies. Trimmed in what appears to be Tan leather, the upholstered surfaces show no significant wear or physical damage. Therefore, deep cleaning and conditioning might produce positive results, reducing restoration costs considerably. However, the dash looks generally tired, and the gauge deterioration is obvious. Considering the mechanical modifications, the new owner could adopt a bespoke approach, refinishing the dash in their preferred material and adding a retro-style gauge package. There is a pushbutton radio, but if the buyer revives the beast hiding under the hood, they will probably prefer to enjoy its bass bellow, rather than the noise emerging from the radio’s speaker.
The Austin-Healey 100 left the factory equipped with a 2,660cc four-cylinder engine sourced from the A90 Atlantic. It delivered 90hp and 150 ft/lbs of torque. However, if this car is, in fact, a 100M, the power figure jumps to 110hp. That is now largely academic, because the original motor, like Elvis, left the building years ago. The seller says the V8 hiding under the hood is a Chevrolet small-block, though its capacity and specifications are unclear. What is undeniable is that even if this Austin-Healey is a 100M, the small-block would provide a significant performance gain that is impossible to ignore. A few unknowns remain. The car has a manual transmission, although, like the engine, the type isn’t specified. The car doesn’t run or drive, and with the brakes locked after years of inactivity, it won’t roll. I think any potential buyers should factor the cost of at least a partial mechanical refurbishment into their budget, because it is better to have the money and not need it than to need it and not have it.
This 1955 Austin-Healey 100 could be a wild beast once revived, and its relatively low curb weight means the driver might need to be delicate with their right foot if they don’t want the tires to turn into smoke. Of course, the biggest question hanging over cars of this type is the conversion’s engineering quality. Bolting a bigger engine into almost any car is possible, but the creator must adopt a sensible approach to maximize reliability and safety. This Healey raises those types of questions, making an in-person inspection almost imperative. If everything seems okay, is this a classic you would consider restoring?
Have owned 2 ’55s and loved them. Also drove friend’s ’55 with and Olds engine and it did go down the road. It was stated that the chassis was simple and easy to work on. That is not the case as they are complicated and there is limited room for drive train or exhausts past the fire wall. That said, this is a nice car and if it is one of the M cars they cut up $200K worth of rare car.
For the fact that the car has a Small Block Chevy Engine, of some kind, instead of a 2,660cc four-cylinder engine, like the original A90 Atlantic, probably keeps the price down significantly. A car like this should have been kept original, if at all possible.
Agree with Timothy, and due to the fact the car is non-operational along with being deteriorated in many ways, makes the price very optimistic for the seller. If the unit still had the original drive train, the cost would be more reasonable.
This engine swap was done decades ago, likely in the 1960’s. A V8 swap was popular even in the late-50’s, nobody back then cared about “originality” nor should they have. They were having a good time doing what hot Rodders have always done.
The former track manager of my local drag strip and her husband had been racing V8 converted Healeys since the late-1950’s, the husband was still racing his as of last year.
I have a collection of an obscure weekly news paper covering much of California racing in the late-1950’s giving a list of winners from most drag strips, most had a sports car class, Healeys won nearly every event, ET wasn’t listed, but MPH was, winners were typically 100mph+, which wouldn’t have been the original drivetrain.
Steve R