1954 Austin Healey 100

This car took part in the HSCC Pre '60 Historic Sports Car Championship  race at the HSCC Spring Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

It's Andrew Usher's 1954 Austin Healey 100. Two versions of the Austin Healey 100 were produced from 1953 to 1956, the BN1 from 1953 to 1955 and the BN2 from 1955 to 1956, the main difference being that the BN2 had a four-speed gearbox instead of the three-speed of the BN1. Both the BN1 and BN2 were powered by the 2,660cc 4-cylinder inline engine of the unsuccessful Austin A90 Atlantic. Logically Andrew Usher's car should be a BN1 model, but the two-tone paintwork was only introduced with the BN2.

Austin Healey 100

I photographed this car at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in June 1982.

It's a 1956 Austin Healey 100 with the 2,660cc 4-cylinder inline engine that had been used for the earlier Austin A90. Two versions of the Austin Healey 100 were produced, the BN1 from 1953 to 1955 and the BN2 from 1955 to 1956, the main difference being that the BN2 had a 4-speed gearbox instead of the 3-speed one of the earlier model. The car is chassis number 231197 and still exists, but it's now a metallic blue colour.

Austin Healey 100

This car took part in the Park Place Thoroughbred Sports Championship race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

It's Andrew Usher's 1954 Austin Healey 100 pictured going into Old Hall Corner at the end of the start/finish straight. Two versions of the Austin Healey 100 were produced from 1953 to 1956, the BN1 from 1953 to 1955 and the BN2 from 1955 to 1956, the main difference being that the BN2 had a four-speed gearbox instead of the three-speed of the BN1. Both the BN1 and BN2 were powered by the 2,660cc 4-cylinder inline engine of the unsuccessful Austin A90 Atlantic. Logically Andrew Usher's car should be a BN1 model, but the two-tone paintwork was only introduced with the BN2, and the car also has the louvered bonnet of the 100M that was a high-performance version of the BN2. The programme of the event gives the registration number of this car as VFM 580, but it's much more likely to be UFM 580, a car that I featured on 25 June 2015.

Austin Healey 100

These two cars competed in the Richardson Hosken Classic Sports Car Championship race at the HSCC's Summer Race meeting at Oulton Park in July 1995.

This is the 1954 Austin Healey 100 of Robert Mills, listed in the Austin Healey 100 Register as a BN1 L. The BN1 is the first series car with the 4-cylinder 2,660cc engine from the Austin A90 and a three-speed gearbox with overdrive on the second and top gears. The BN1 was produced from 1953 and was replaced by the BN2 model in 1955. The 'L' indicated that the car was left-hand drive, although by 1995 it had obviously been converted to right-hand drive. It also has the louvred bonnet that normally indicates a 100M model, but the programme of the event doesn't show it to be an 'M', and in any case the 100M wasn't introduced till 1955.

This car, seen entering Lodge Corner during the race, is Peter Korner's car and is also shown in the programme of the event as just a 1954 Austin Healey 100. As a 1954 car it will be a BN1 and also isn't the 100M that its louvred bonnet appears to suggest.

Austin Healey 100

I remember when this car was introduced in the early 1950s and, together with the Triumph TR2 and a little later the MGA, it was an object of desire for a soon-to-be teenager.

It's a 1954 Austin Healey 100 and is pictured here at Oulton Park in July 1995 at the HSCC Summer Race Meeting where it was driven by Tim Hassell in the Richardson Hosken Classic Sports Car Championship race. This car appeared at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the NEC in March this year.