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1958 Rudd Speed Austin Healey 100-6

1958 Rudd Speed Austin Healey 100-6 – $44,500
SOLD

After the birth of the Austin Healey marque, the Austin Healey 100-6 gained fame as the finest expression of the line, a true sports car and a “stunt plane for the road.”

History

Some have called the Austin-Healey a “stunt plane for the road” inasmuch as its designer ,Donald Healey, was a successful automobile racer and a veteran WWI RAF pilot as well as an employee of the Sopwith Aviation Company, famed for its Sopwith Camel airplane. When first debuted in London at the 1952 Earls Court Show, Healey’s new car concept, the Healey Hundred, was a major hit. It happened to be powered by an Austin A90 four-cylinder engine.

Healey approached the already well established Austin Motor Company with his new design as Austin was seeking a car to penetrate the lucrative U.S. market. Austin had been building cars since 1905 and, in 1912, had success with the Austin 7, a small, inexpensive vehicle that appealed to a mass market. In 1952, Austin merged with the parent company of Morris to form the British Motor Corporation with Leonard Lord in charge. Having seen and been impressed by the car at the Earls Court Show, Lord chose Donald Healey’s concept for a new sports car and a new marque was born, the Austin-Healey.

The first Austin-Healey, the 100-4, utilized the existing plentiful supply of Austin four-cylinder A90 engines, while the next generation, the 100-6, was powered by a 2,634 cc ohv six-cylinder. The 100-6 would gain status as the finest expression of the line, a true sports car. Donald Healey would add to the luster of the Austin Healey when he recorded a speed of 142.6 mph at the Bonneville Flats while in the process of setting several records in a streamlined version of the car. As of 1957, the street model’s performance benefited from a new six-port cylinder head and aluminum intake manifold.

Seen here dressed in red with red leather seated, trimmed in black piping, is a stunning 1958 Austin Healey 100-6 with a Rudd Speed conversion. This car has been meticulously maintained and well cared for. It is a rare two-seater BN6 model. It is slightly shorter and lighter, as it does not have the jump seats behind the driver and passenger seats.

Making it even rarer is the Rudd Speed conversion. This modification adds a polished head with enlarged ports, special cam and three 1-3/4-inch SU carburetors on specially made aluminum manifolds, upping the engine output to about 170 H.P. Also, a “works” exhaust has been added. All of the bright work is in good condition. Included with the car is a tonneau cover, side curtains and top,as well as a rare hard top. This example runs and drives as it should. It is real treat.

Specifications

Chassis: BN6L/1385
Engine: Rudd Speed Conversion – 2,639 cc inline-six
Transmission: 4 speed with overdrive
Brakes: Front disc/rear drum
Color: Red/Black
Price: $44,500