MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
1953 Austin Healey
>100-4
>6 Cars were built and painted
>coronate creme.
>The cars were built for the coronation
>in 1954..
>Rich's car is the 4th to be documented.
This is all the information i have so far. Anyone know anythiing about them? It woulr be great to get a look at this thing...I'll try to get a picture..
A Healey 100-4 is the Only car I'd even consider replacing my Bea with. The first one I saw was on the cover of a sports car magizine I subscribed to when the 100-4 was introduced; I think it was Road & Track. Too bad I got side tracked off sports cars for a number of years or I'd have one today.
I had both a 54 100/4 and a 57 100/6. Both were fun, especially the 100/4 when you dropped the wndshield. Never was a better looking British roadster built, but, the exhaust pipe runs right next to the gas pedal! I can remember getting out after a long highway cruise and the sole of my right shoe was beginning to melt. They both handled really well but I don't think I could go back to the side curtains, no ventilation, etc. after having the B.
Those are great looking cars, next to the jag e type convertable, I like the AH 100/6. I just eyeballed a few on ebay, those have to be my favorite British cars. Oooh, pricey!
The 100-4's grille was gorgeous. Much better IMHO than the 3000, which is beautiful in its own right.
I wonder if those were all aluminum cars. I saw an early 100-4 on Dream Car Garage once that the owner had not painted. He simply polished the aluminum body and painted on a racing stripe. Now that is some serious bodywork. Can't have any bondo there.
I know the front surround is as I had to replace the one on my car. The fenders and doors were steel.
There is nothing quite like firing up a 100-4 early in the morning and going.
Unlike Tom, I would trade for side curtains in a hot second. And, they had o/d actuated by a toggle on the dash.
Have you ever come across an original AC Aceca? It is the hardtop version of the AC Ace. It had a straight six Ford engine with a three speed O/D gearbox. The odd thing was that, unlike a B, the O/D was always on and to turn it off there was a switch under the throttle pedal which shut of the ignition, and turned the O/D off - there was also a vacuum switch that turned it back on again. A friend in England had one - it was a hoot to drive - when passing somebody, if you needed a little extra ooomph, you pushed down the gas pedal - the car would downshift, and because of the ignition cutout, backfire! Then it would take off like a rocket leaving the poor passed driver wondering what the hell was going on!
I always wanted one of the 100s, but have never been able to find one when I had any money [which has never been often], so I settled for 3000s. They are nice, but the o/d never displays the dramatics that Eric was describing in that AC Aceca. Those were pretty cars, but I have never seen one except in photos. Side curtains aren't so bad. In the rain, if you leave them off, you still get about as wet as when they are on the car. I never use them! AL Bradley
Sold my 100-4 to a doctor in New York...think he runs all the NYC hospitals...he had it restored down here before it was transported north...never looked at it till it got there!
