[Healeys] Healey/Morris connection?

[Patrick & Caroline Quinn]

Hello

 

The horizontal grille was a BMC corporate requirement to be fitted to as many models from around 1956.

 

As to the additional tractor seats, I’m afraid it had nothing to do with a Jensen design, although they did modify the first car to see if it would work. That vehicle has the standard AH 100 wheelbase and after it was realised that only legless dwarves would fit, was the decision made to stretch the production 100/6 by two inches.

 

That car now sits in my garage. Our 100 BN3 besides being a six-cylinder prototype was also the first Austin-Healey to be fitted with the extra seats. The attached photo might be of interest as it shows the rough and ready way this was done.

 

Hoo Roo

 

Patrick Quinn

Blue Mountains, Australia

 

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Henry G Leach via Healeys
Sent: Friday, 2 October 2020 4:05 AM
To: 'Michael Salter'
Cc: 'healeys'
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Healey/Morris connection?

 


Ah, the wavy grille.  This was designed by Eric Neele, engineer at Jensen, to be used on the first 100-6 body produced by Jensen. The powers to be wanted a departure from the 100 vertical bars and Neele came up with this look, and the tractor seats, to be installed in the 4-place Healey BN4 (a misnomer as the "N" stands for two seat roadster). (photo)

 

As you know over the years the vertical treatment came back to represent the original Healey look. As Michael indicates, the parts bins had lots of those grilles, and they got used as standard equipment on many models from BMC. Hank

-----------------------------------------

From: "Michael Salter via Healeys" 
To: pdzwig at summaventures.com
Cc: "healeys"
Sent: Thursday October 1 2020 10:49:58AM
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Healey/Morris connection?

Hi Peter, as I understand it the "wavey" grill bars were part of a "rationalization" drive initiated under Len Lord's management. 

All sorts of parts were redesigned to allow for the use of component parts to be used across many models.

 

M



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