It's back on E-bay again! "100S"

[bradal]

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...844725&rd=1

Who was it who was going to have a look at this alleged 100S and what did you see? AL Bradley

 

[Michael Oritt]

[ QUOTE ]
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...844725&rd=1

Who was it who was going to have a look at this alleged 100S and what did you see? AL Bradley

[/ QUOTE ]

Al--

That would be me. I was in the Charlottesville area last weekend and had spoken to a lady who replied to my email and stated that it was her husband's car and that I could make arrangements with the mechanic, at whose home it was stored, to see it on Sunday. However the mechanic had not gotten the word and when I called him he had made plans for the day. I will, if possible, see it when next in that area--maybe even next week.

I asked the mechanic a few questions, feigning no knowledge about the car. He told me outright that it was NOT a 100S but a replica, that it had an OD transmission but that it had a 100S head and other equipment. We didn't go too far beyond that and I did not inquire as to asking price, etc.

BTW, the engine number given on ebay appears to have been assigned to AHS 3610, but what the Body Number "5039 AHR/S/51" means I do not understand. I have searched through Ken Freese's 100S database and see no body numbers like that--all cars are "AHS" for the 50 S's. There is reference to one replica but no body number.

I'll post any further info if I get it. This is most certainly the same car that has been kicking around on ebay for the last year or so, though the representations seem to be different this time.

 

[aeronca65t]

I was at the Lime Rock Vintage event last month and there was *five* 100Ss in attendance. Four were in a display in the paddock and BMW brought a fifth for their auto-history display. The owner of one of the cars (a Mr. Prevost) indicated to me that they were all real. I wonder if this a record for number of 100Ss in one place? (in modern times)

More pictures of the Lime Rock Vintage here:

https://npmccabe.tripod.com/limerockvintage04/

 

[Bruce Bowker]

[ QUOTE ]
He told me outright that it was NOT a 100S but a replica

[/ QUOTE ]

That certainly is interesting. Last time it was eBay it was near or over $70,000 but I can't remember exactly how much. Then the auction was pulled for no given reason.

Bruce

 

[Barefoot]

I wonder where you go to get a "Jenson" body # for a replica?

 

[Michael Oritt]

Further information--I was referred to the following website for more info on the car:

https://pwp.lbl.bm/~markcooke/austin

A visit to it shows the pages that were displayed in the older ebay auctions as opposed to the current one--the website specifically states that the car is #AHS3610 whereas the present auction does not. In any case, the owners listed on both the website and auction do NOT conform to the history of 3610 as documented by Ken Freese in his exhaustinve 100S database.

I'm still hoping to go see the car prior to the auction's conclusion-- but who knows what is the real deal here.

 

[Michael Oritt]

[ QUOTE ]
Further information--I was referred to the following website for more info on the car:

https://pwp.lbl.bm/~markcooke/austin

Correction--The proper URL is:

https://pwp.ibl.bm/~markcooke/austin/Healey/healey.htm

If you go to "home" you'also see some other interesting cars.

 

[Geo Hahn]

This begins to sounds a bit like Cobras... of the 1,003 built only 4,000 have survived.

 

[catfood]

Nial,

I would like to nominate the UK AH50 festival in 2002 as possibly having the most 100S 's in one place. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif If memory serves the organisors managed to pull together eleven, five or six of which were seen doing demonstration laps. None unfortunately were actually racing.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif

AH50 in 2002

 

[greyman]

Now this is interesting , the description of the car on Ebay makes no claim to it being a true original 100S and is very careful to describe it as though the S refers to "special" rather than "Sebring" which I understand to be the true meaning of S when added to the model description , therefore you could say that the Ebay descrition is as accurate as far as it goes . However go to the website given further up this thread and a slightly more detailed description of the car is given actually quoting chassis, engine and body numbers as AHS 3610 , 222721C and 5039AHR/S/51 ,
These match the numbers quoted for the 100S cars in in Geoffrey Healeys book "The Story of The Big Healey " . According to this book a 100S bearing these numbers ,although the body number is only given as 51 , was despatched to the British Motor Car Distrib.,San Fransico,USA on 22.3.55 .
Either there is a genuine 100s for sale out there , or some one is being rather crafty with there Ebay description . Surely the history of all the surving and deceased 100s cars must be well documented by now as they only made 50 of them , and I would have thought the remaining cars changed hands through word of mouth or very reputable dealers rather than Ebay .

 

[Michael Oritt]

[ QUOTE ]
the description of the car on Ebay makes no claim to it being a true original 100S and is very careful to describe it as though the S refers to "special" rather than "Sebring" which I understand to be the true meaning of S when added to the model description , therefore you could say that the Ebay descrition is as accurate as far as it goes . However go to the website given further up this thread and a slightly more detailed description of the car is given actually quoting chassis, engine and body numbers as AHS 3610 , 222721C and 5039AHR/S/51...Either there is a genuine 100s for sale out there , or some one is being rather crafty with there Ebay description . Surely the history of all the surving and deceased 100s cars must be well documented by now as they only made 50 of them , and I would have thought the remaining cars changed hands through word of mouth or very reputable dealers rather than Ebay .

[/ QUOTE ]

I spoke briefly with the seller, Mark Cooke, on Thursday. He says the statement that the mechanic made was INCORRECT and that he was confused by the word "replica" that appears on the brass dashplate, and that YES this car IS #3610. That said, he did admit to some knowledge regarding another car bearing the same number, but because I was getting on a plane we did not have time to discuss the many fine points (brakes, shroud, etc) that we all wonder about. He reiterated the car's history much as it appears on the ebay site and maybe claims to have a spare head and/or transmission--I can't be sure as we had a poor cell connection just before terminating the conversation.

Ken Freese has an exhaustive database regarding the S cars with the known ownership chain for each and nothing in the background of the 3610 that he documents matches what is claimed here. According to Ken the line on 3610 appears to run out in 1966 when it was owned by Mark Felson of Denver, perhaps making it one of the five "missing" cars.

I had hoped to be able to see the car but had to go out of town this week and will again be in Florida next. It sure is intriguing but given all the questions and past cancelled auctions involving it, I guess the operative phrase is "caveat emptor". Seems to me that the last time it came up for auction the high bid was around $70K and the car did not sell, so who knows what will happen?

 

[RobertVarga]

Dear all,

I have just subscribed to the forum, and wanted to let you know that I was the ebay-er who has placed the highest bid on the car.
I flew extra from Austria to Virginia/ Cherlottesville to see what I would buy and indeed I can assure to anybody we talk about an replica.
The chassis is clearly from an 100/4 and only the wheel arches were replaced in aluminum.
To many parts are wrong and and the car looks much prettier on the pictures as in real. Some rust on the lower frame and a hardly maintaned engine.
The only value I have seen is the Dennis Welch converted engine and the nice grille.
After the US and swiss healey club presidents have begged not to buy the car I rejected from the deal.

Best wishes,
Robert Varga

 

[bighly]

It sold for 55