1954 Austin Healey LeMans VIN BN1L152555

[BrettSutherland]

When I was a late teenager, low these MANY years ago, I, like many Nova Scotians "Went Down The Road" to TO. There I met a gentleman named Ken Armstrong, originally from Fergus, Ont.. We became room mates for a while. Ken was a fellow gearhead and he managed to pick up what was rumoured to be 1 of 4 1954 Healey LeMans that were imported into North America ... 2 cars had 3 speed trannies and the other 2 were 4 speeds with Electric Overdrive. This car was one of the 2 4 speeds and was rumored to have been Grant Clarke's Race car. The engine was shot ... smoking like a trooper so being young and foolish and living in an apartment building in the King and Dufferin area and having an underground garage, we decided to try to rebuild the motor ... had no hoist so ended up with 4 guys and chains and 2x4's and hauled that heavy sucker out ... later found out it was 27 lbs heavier than a Chevy Small Block .... OH MY ACHIN BACK !!! Needless to say as teenagers just getting started in our life's work ... money was not in good supply ... I think I was hauling in a princely sum of $60 a week ... anyway ... neither of us had the money to have the block looked after and as a result the poor Healey languished in the basement garage until Ken was given the ultimatum to get that piece of crap outta there or we will send it to the crusher .... Last time I remember seeing the car it was loaded on a flat bed heading for Fergus. For identifying marks someone had inset a pair of 56 Buick portholes on the top of the fender just ahead and over the carburetor filters so that suposedly the carbs got fresh aif from them ... the were mounted backwards to pick up air and duct it to the carbs. The louvered and leather strapped hood was missing ... but BMC actually had one in stock at that time in Toronto actually got to see it and get my hands on it ... but due to abject poverty could not purchase it at that time. A few years ago on one of the Peter Klute shows I saw him driving a 100-4 LeMans that the body had been stripped bare and the aluminum polished to a bright shine. I had a chance to stop in to Klute's new shop and he told me that it had been a 56. I am wondering if this car has ever surfaced and if anyone has any information about it. OR did I just start a mad Healey 100-4 Lemans stampede to Fergus ??

Brett