Saleofcar.com :Austin

Austin Healey 100 BN2 (1956)
for sale

Price: US $16,500.00

Description:

This 1956 Austin Healey 100 BN2 was modified in the early 1980s with a high performance Chevrolet drive train. (The Chevy drivetrain was installed before I purchased the car, so unfortunately I don't have any original drivetrain components.) A British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate showing it was built on October 6, 1955 was recently ordered and received, and is included. Matching body numbers on all passenger area aluminum trim pieces and the boot (trunk) lid bracket show this is a complete original body. The traces of blue paint also match the original blue paint documented on the Heritage Certificate. The Le Mans/100M bonnet (hood) indicates it was at least a partial 100M conversion before the prior owner changed to the high performance Chevrolet drivetrain.
I've owned this Healey since 1983. It was purchased in southern California, trailered from California to Maryland in 1987, and then driven to Virginia in 1998 when we moved there. The last restoration and repainting was completed in 1984, and it now needs light re-restoration. Because the frame and body are solid, with only minor surface oxidation in places, it is also a great candidate for a return to an original drivetrain. If you have checked values for the Austin Healey 100, the BN2 is the most desirable of these early Austin Healeys. A restored BN2 can sell for $70, 000; a BN2 with a Le Mans conversion can sell for around $120, 000; and a factory 100M (which this Healey IS NOT) can sell for around $200, 000.
This Healey was last driven in the summer of 1998 during our move to Virginia. The body and frame are solid with only surface oxidation in some areas. The picture with the passenger area carpet pulled back shows the strong sheet metal (and original Healey Blue color), and the roll bar bracket in the passenger footwell. Pictures show the windshield both up and folded. The first image has two nicer pictures from around 1987 after the last restoration, and before the move to Maryland. The other pictures show its current condition, and lots of dust. We did not anticipate selling the Healey, so these are the only pictures available until my next California trip.
It has a crate Chevrolet LT1 350 cubic inch V8 motor, with an estimated 430 horsepower (Holley carb, performance intake, headers, MSD ignition). It has a 4 speed Muncie transmission and narrowed 10 bolt Chevy banjo rear in a 4.11 ratio (a quick change center section with lower gear ratios is included). It has front disc brakes. It has an Austin Healey Le Mans/100M louvered hood (with the correct gap for a leather strap). It has a roll bar system with a passenger floorboard mounting point (the current roll bar is only behind the driver). It has traction bars, a 1/4 steel scattershield, side louvers, and oil filter relocated to the fender well. The Holley 4-barrel carburetor (I believe it is a dual feed 650 CFM) was rebuilt but not reinstalled (still boxed). It has a Weiand aluminum intake manifold, headers, and MSD dual-point distributor. The bumpers and bumper brackets have been rechromed, but never remounted. It has a solid wood dash. 2 extra front wheels are included.
My original plan was to restore the Healey again after our move to California was completed at the end of 2016. I planned to reduce the rear fender flares and look for an original drivetrain to bring it back to original specifications. It was moved to storage in central California (near Salinas) in an enclosed car trailer. After we recently found out that our next home will not have room for the Healey, this ad was put up to try and coordinate the sale with my next trip to California. Please contact me at 703-822-1831 if you are interested in the Healey to discuss schedules, pickup/delivery, and other coordination/logistics.
My next round trip to California will be in mid-March to early April. If you purchase this Healey you can either pick it up in central California in March or early April (when I am in California), or call to discuss delivery on the return from California in an enclosed car trailer along routes 10, 20, 30, 40 and 81 to the mid-Atlantic area (through Phoenix, Dallas, Little Rock, Nashville, Richmond, etc., or to the docks in Baltimore for shipping to Europe. A picture of the car trailer is included to show how the Healey was moved to California, and how it can be moved if you are near (or can meet near) the line of travel above. Before or after the sale I can meet with you or a contact in the Washington, DC area, or discuss by phone, scheduling pickup and/or possible delivery options.
Payment: There will be 4 to 5 weeks between the close of the auction and when the car would be picked up. A deposit of $2, 000 must be received by mail within five days of the close of the auction by U.S. Postal Service money order (which will be cashed at a post office), or by check if discussed beforehand. When the car is picked up we can meet at a Wells Fargo Bank where the balance due must be paid in cash, and the title can be signed over to the new owner.
_{update: 2016-02-14}