[Healeys] get a load of this one..

Chris Dimmock austin.healey at gmail.com
Sat Feb 20 19:28:59 MST 2016


I think it's a bit more complicated. 
Austin and Morris internal rivalries eventually killed the BMC C series engine. The C series should have continued development along the Healey Westlake Rally path, alloy head etc (the path Datsun went down with the Z cars and sedan engines) Instead, BMC committed to the financial disaster that was the MGC 3 litre, and then distracted itself with the 4 litre RR engine.
See http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/cars/mg-cars/mgb/engines-c-series/ for a great overview. 
So the engine strategy was going down the toilet....
Meanwhile, Ralph Nader destroyed the body / chassis designs & aesthetics and effectively threatened sales into the largest single export market without a huge redesign. 
I think by the time the British Leyland Merger  came along, Austin was just all too hard.... 
Best
Chris 
Sent from my iPhone

> On 21 Feb 2016, at 12:25 PM, HealeyRick <healeyrik at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was nasty old BL that killed the Healey rather than the safety and emission requirements.  From what I've read, the Healey 4000 would have met the US requirements for 1968 (http://www.ewilkins.com/wilko/ah4000.htm) but it was the decision to badge engineer the MGC in favor of a new Healey that was the death knell.  MGBs managed to soldier on for several years after 1967 with the same chrome bumpers.  That's not to say the Healey that we know and love could've soldiered on forever in light of more stringent US standards, just that I don't think they were the immediate cause of death.
> 
> Happy Healeying,
> Rick Neville
> 
>> On Sat, Feb 20, 2016 at 1:43 AM, i erbs <eyera3000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> US smog and bumper height regulations.
>> 
>> Mr. Ira Erbs
>> Portland,OR
>> 
>>> On Feb 20, 2016 2:35 AM, "J. Armour" <sebring3000 at bigpond.com> wrote:
>>> Can someone remind me why Healeys were not able to be sold in the USA? Did this issue of 'safety regulation' ( obviously for our own good so we were not all killed ) not start out in California?
>>> Am I being politically incorrect or just stating history
>>> Joe
>>> 
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