Austin-Healey - A celebration of the fabulous 'Big Healey' - Haynes Great Cars

A celeberation of the fabulous 'Big' Healey, Author, Bill Piggott, Hardbound, Pages: 160, ISBN: 9781859608500, Reprinted 2007

- yet another British classic in the Haynes Great Cars Series :

That the 'Big'Healey deserves the accolade 'Great Car' is beyond doubt. In all its variations the Austin-Healey possessed the classic ingredients of a great car: style, beauty, speed, practicality, durability, major competition success and a devoted following of enthusiasts all over the world.

The Austin-Healey had an impeccable heritage. It was conceived by a man who was a trained engineer, a famous international rally driver and a gifted salesman. Donald Healey knew whata sports car should be, knew how to achieve that goal and, above all, knew his market. In 1952, he devised the brilliant marriage of a stunningly attractive body, a soundly engineered chassis and proven Austin mechanical components, the whole adding up to the brilliant Healey

Hundred. Shown to the public at the 1952 London Motor Show, the new Healey
was immediately adopted by Leonard Lord of Austin, and a mutually beneficial arrangement evolved which would allow sufficient numbers of the new car to
be produced.
The Austin-Healey was produced in three basic variants: the four-cylinder 100 models, the 2.6-litre 100-Six six-cylinder cars and finally the three-litre 3000 versions. Over the years 72,000 cars were built, and the 'Big' Healey was modified and upgraded until by the mid-1960s the 3000 Mark III was verging on being a luxury cabriolet.
This book leads the reader through the year-by-year history and development of the Austin-Healey, including the
100S racing cars and all the major competition successes. Production and performance figures are provided, as are press comments and many anecdotes. The text is illustrated with a sumptuous collection of mainly colour photographs, both specially commissioned and from the archives.
Although a lawyer by profession, Bill Piggott has been writing for many years on classic car subjects. Principally known for his books on Triumph's TR series, he has owned a succession of 'Big' Healeys over the past 30 years and has always been a great devotee of the marque, particularly the four-cylinder cars.