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Hello, new to the forum and new to Austin Healey.

RichardK

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Hello Everyone,

Been reading through the forum the last few days and have read and learned a lot of new facts about these beautiful automobiles. While I have always admired them from afar, I finally had the opportunity to jump into one "feet first" as they say and took the plunge purchased one at auction.

I am excited to learn more about all the details and intricacies of these machines and you seem like the most knowledgeable group in my research. I understand that most of you have owned these cars for years and most likely grew up around them and I don't really fall into that category. I hope you all will accept a rather newbie like me. On my part, I can tell you that my interest to learn and possibly contribute here in the future is sincere.

Thanks for listening and cheers!
 
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RichardK

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Here are a few pics of my new baby.

Screen Shot 2016-02-05 at 4.52.48 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2016-02-05 at 4.53.49 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2016-02-05 at 4.54.30 PM.jpg
 

BigGreen

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Welcome,

Nice car !
 

GregW

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Welcome aboard Richard. I must say, I like the unique use of the red and black on your car.
 

mk31755

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What history do you have on the car? Do you know what you bought? Could you post a nice engine shot. From what I can see you have a registry badge on the dash that implies this car has been registered with Bill Meade's 100m registry, as either an original 100M or some type of M modification. The louvered hood would also imply some type of m conversion. Let's open up the package and see what's hidden under the bonnet.
 

DerekJ

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Welcome to the world of Healeys. Looks like a very nice car. Would be great to see some engine and underbody shots and a bit of history of the car. Colour is personal, but I would paint the wheels black. That would make it look really nice and mean!
 
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RichardK

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What history do you have on the car? Do you know what you bought? Could you post a nice engine shot. From what I can see you have a registry badge on the dash that implies this car has been registered with Bill Meade's 100m registry, as either an original 100M or some type of M modification. The louvered hood would also imply some type of m conversion. Let's open up the package and see what's hidden under the bonnet.

Yes, the car is suppose to be a factory 100m. I really don't know much about the history of the car yet or who the former owners are as I purchased the car 2 days ago and is still clearing customs as it is a US car. I do know it is suppose to be an original engine and colors as well.


Screen Shot 2016-02-05 at 10.05.50 PM.jpg
 
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RichardK

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Welcome aboard Richard. I must say, I like the unique use of the red and black on your car.

Thank you very much, I assumed this color scheme was original to the car when it originally left the factory. Do you think this is not correct or a custom job? I have searched on google and seen the same color scheme, reno red and black but inverted.
 
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RichardK

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Welcome to the world of Healeys. Looks like a very nice car. Would be great to see some engine and underbody shots and a bit of history of the car. Colour is personal, but I would paint the wheels black. That would make it look really nice and mean!

Thanks for the welcome Derek. Again, call me ignorant but is black more of an original color? It's important for me to stick to factory specs as much as I can. Anything you can share here would be greatly appreciated.
 

HealeyRick

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Congratulations, Richard. It's a beautiful car. Here is the auction listing that will be of interest to inquiring minds: https://www.rmsothebys.com/pa16/paris/lots/1956-austin-healey-100-m-le-mans/1078437 From the looks of the listing, you have a factory 100M. Having said that, there are a few things that stand out as not being original from the factory. The BMHIT certificate you received will show the original factory colors (black over red is an original combination) as well as the chassis and motor number. Originally, the wire wheels were painted silver. The seat cover pattern of red with black inserts is not original and wold look more like this from the factory:

100M6.jpg
 

mk31755

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There are quite a few gentlemen on this site who are factory M experts. Mr. Hicks, Mr. Lewis and Mr Trummel, just to name a few. There is an article a the top of the forum listings under Austin Healey's written by Mr. Trummel that explains just what and what is not an original factory M. Tom and Kaye Kovach's at Forintune have written a few articles as well that you might want to read. Roger Moment wrote a restoration guide that is quite useful.

The car has been beautifully restored BUT not to factory specs. You should get yourself a heritage certificate that will give you the exact color combination that was original to your car and many other historically correct details about your car. These ideas would be a good starting point in educating yourself about exactly what you bought.

You might also want to contact Bill Meade. He is the guardian of the 100M registry. He keeps track of all the mos pertinent information on the remaining original factory cars.
 
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RichardK

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Yes, that's the one. Thank you for showing me this example. Interior and wheels are probably the easiest things to get right/fix. I should have the BMHIT in my hands by tuesday at the latest. Quite honestly, another reason for my research, was that the car was listed and estimated to sell at much higher than what I paid. I was quite surprised when my bid managed to go through at what it did as I was expecting to pay much more. I guess I am trying to find the faults as I can't believe my luck(if you want to call what I paid lucky). I do consider myself fortunate from what I have seen so far. In any case, I am in this for the long haul as I purchased the car for pleasure and not as an investment.
 
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RichardK

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There are quite a few gentlemen on this site who are factory M experts. Mr. Hicks, Mr. Lewis and Mr Trummel, just to name a few. There is an article a the top of the forum listings under Austin Healey's written by Mr. Trummel that explains just what and what is not an original factory M. Tom and Kaye Kovach's at Forintune have written a few articles as well that you might want to read. Roger Moment wrote a restoration guide that is quite useful.

The car has been beautifully restored BUT not to factory specs. You should get yourself a heritage certificate that will give you the exact color combination that was original to your car and many other historically correct details about your car. These ideas would be a good starting point in educating yourself about exactly what you bought.

You might also want to contact Bill Meade. He is the guardian of the 100M registry. He keeps track of all the mos pertinent information on the remaining original factory cars.

Thank you very much for the list of resources. I did check out Bill Meade's website but it looked dated and sparsely updated so I wasn't sure if he was still keeping tabs. I also tried to locate this car in the gallery but could not discern any of them to be an exact match. I definitely will try and reach out to him.

I did manage to read Mr. Trummel's article but quite frankly, I am not too familiar with how these engines are suppose to look. I also collect vintage porsches so I certainly know what to look for when I see an engine bay in one, particularly when there have been modifications. Quite honestly, my exposure to healey engines is limited to one. :smile:

Does something you see in the engine picture I posted jump out to you as out of place? I can see I have a lot to learn but I am ready to go all in. Thanks for your help and comments. Certainly appreciated.
 

HealeyRick

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RichardK

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Richard,

Take a look at this website: https://www.healeydata.com/cars/detail/?car=BN2L233008&slides=all there are some references to its past history. Of particular note is this link which describes some possible issues with the verification of the car as a factory 100M: https://www.healeydata.com/cars/detail/?car=BN2L233008&slides=all I suspect Mr. Meade and Mr. Trummel might know quite a bit about this car once you get in touch with them.


Thanks, this is great info. From what I see there, this car was part of the Andrews Collection https://www.rmsothebys.com/media/release.cfm?id=1117 .

I am assuming that since the car was given 100m registry membership and verified status, it passed Bill Meade's standards that apply there.

There are a lot of leads here and discovery is part of the fun. Thanks again
 

drambuie

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Congrats Richard, for your first Healey you really made a beautiful choice, most Healey aficionados would kill to have such a beautiful example. My advice, just enjoy your beautiful Healey and don't let too many folks nit pick about this and that! I am very sure many people in this forum would be more then happy to help you with any technical questions along the way when needed. The best thing to do is get yourself a complete detailed manual and study the various systems of the car. Actually, these are very simple sport cars to maintain and work on. When properly sorted out these cars will give you years of enjoyment. Oh yes, be prepared to get attention and make new friends along the way...people will flock around you at gas stations and where ever you happend to be. By the way, I really like the. red painted wire wheels. Enjoy and welcome to the club! Pictured is a 100 I viewed at a local car show years ago and always liked the matching painted wire wheels.image.jpg
 

Editor_Reid

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Richard,

Bill Meade - Founder and Registrar of the "Worldwide 100M Le Mans Registry" - will likely have some good data on this car. (I believe that you'll find that the car is merely "registered" with Bill; not verified in any way.)

If it is the car I believe it to be, I first became aware of it maybe about seven or so years ago when it sold at an auction in Texas. I believe that RM (now merged with Sotheby's) was the auction company. It was part of a collection of a Texan whose cars were mostly done in red and black or black and red. It sold for the then-breathtaking sum of $231,000 (I'm pretty sure of that figure). Even with the increase in prices for genuine 100M cars in recent years, that is still a very strong price. Apparently a couple of deep-pocket guys got into a bidding duel and drove the price up above reasonability - the winning bidder way overpaid.

I saw the car offered at auction again a couple of years later in Arizona. Again, I think it was an RM auction because I remember seeing it in the preview area (parking lot) of the hotel they used for their auction site. As I recall, it sold for less than half of the $231,000, making it the record Healey sale ... record loss, that is. I remember thinking that over $100,000 disappeared (or perhaps more accurately, failed to reappear) in that single sale.

I have three specific recollections of the car:

1. It had the bent cross brace in front of the radiator indicating that it was a genuine 100M. Of course that telltale can be faked, but it's surprising how many people do not know about that clue, so it's definitely a good sign that the car has it.

2. My impression of the restoration was that it had been what I would term, "merciless." I guess you could say that it was the opposite of a "sympathetic" restoration. NO trace of patina survived, no original surface was left un-redone, etc. It's a bit hard to describe, but I'd characterize the restoration as heavy-handed, industrial strength. (Sorry to be vague, but it's difficult to put into words.)

3. The non-original choices - the red-painted wire wheels and two-tone seats, for two examples - were not what I would have done, but they were done well and are not especially difficult to undo. The incorrect color break just behind the front wheel arches indicated, to me, a not-very-knowledgable-about-Healeys restorer.

If the car were mine <unsolicited advice follows; please deposit 25 cents, refundable/>, I'd get the break line between the red and black paint corrected, lose the white pinstripe between the red and black paint, get the correct knob for the wipers, straighten the trafficator, and probably leave the interior otherwise as-is - it's dramatic, different, very well done, and after all, as a sports car it's supposed to be showy. ENJOY it on those French back roads, and welcome to the forum. If you want a great Healey contact in France and contact with their club, let me know and I'll help you faire leur connaissance. Bon chance.
 

DerekJ

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Reid has covered all the main points. I personally don't worry much about originality, my car has a completely different engine and gearbox to original. It appears your car is a genuine 100M and as such you may want it to look more original. On the other hand you may want to enjoy it as it is, only a Healey connoisseur is going to know it isn't exactly correct. The Black over Red colour is a correct combination but the seats should be red. The wheels should be silver. I said it would look nice with black wheels only because I happen to like dark painted wires, plus I think it would nicely contrast with the red sides. It looks like a beautiful car, enjoy it and prepare for endless debates about whether 100Ms should really be worth as much as they selling for.
 
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