Desirable Austin-Healeys

BMC's boss saw the Healey 100 prototype on the opening morning of the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show — and offered to buy it and put it into production before the show had even closed.

The "Big Healey" Legacy

A nickname that's outlived the model itself by decades says everything about its lasting reputation. Donald Healey had already won the Monte Carlo Rally outright in 1931 and served as technical director at Triumph before setting up his own small car company, but it was the prototype "Healey Hundred," built to hit a genuine 100mph on a modest budget, that made his name permanently. BMC chief Leonard Lord spotted the car on the show floor at Earls Court and struck a deal with Healey almost immediately, renaming it Austin-Healey on the spot — a genuinely rapid path from prototype to production deal that's rare in any era of the industry.

Healey's own competitive streak never really faded either, recording a two-way average of over 203mph at Bonneville in a car of his own design at the age of 58. That same appetite for genuine, no-nonsense performance is exactly what earned the 3000 its enduring "Big Healey" nickname. Below is the model we've covered so far.

• Austin-Healey 3000 Overview — Classic Icon