[Healeys] 100M on ebay?

[John Harper]

Josef

Let me wade in here but before I do you need to know that I have a BN1 
Le Mans that has almost everything that was available from the Donald 
Healey Motor Company very early on. My provenance is estimated at around 
90% due to both Donald and Bic confirming that they knew the original 
owner well but on the other hand I do not have a receipt for the 
original work because there might not have been one. It does however 
have a Healey badge on the boot not Austin-Healey or Austin of England. 
This was claimed to have been fitted at Donald Healey Motor Company.

Regarding Warwick kits there were not I understand any such things. Most 
kits were marketed by BMC under a BMC part number. The Warwick parts 
were not numbered using BMC notation but Healey's own starting with 'H'.

'H' parts could be bought as required and maybe some came naturally 
together and therefore could I suppose be considered a kit.

However I can agree with you up to point that a BN2M or cars modified to 
this level are a bit of a hype because all we are talking about is the 
engine modifications that were just a subset of what was originally 
available for the BN1.

The point that is being missed here is that early owners were keen to 
bring their cars up to the same specification as those that did so well 
in the Le Mans race. Donald saw a marketing opportunity here and offered 
all and perhaps more items to early BN1 owners. These were much more 
than just the engine modifications and included such things as different 
rear axle and overdrive ratios, larger fuel tanks, modified suspension 
etc.

Owners often sent their car to Warwick to have these changes carried and 
a strong racing group resulted.

Incidentally a louvered bonnet was not offered in the early days. The Le 
Mans race cars did not have these. All they had as Roger told me, was a 
block of wood to keep the bonnet a bit open at the rear.

Obviously I have to disagree with your view. A car that had received the 
personal attention of Donald must be of more interest than a BN2 that 
has been modified in recent years.

Regards

>Btw. I never understood/understand the hype about these Warwick kit
>modified Healey 100s.

-- 
John Harper