Austin-Healey 100 M 'Le Mans' 1956 - World Of Classic Cars -

Austin-Healey 100 M 'Le Mans' 1956

The 100 M traces its roots directly back to the 1953 Le Mans 24-hour race where two lightly modified examples of the new Austin-Healey 100 stunned the motoring world by finishing 12th and 14th overall in a field composed of purpose-built racecars. Subsequent customer enthusiasm for performance upgrades for their standard cars resulted in marketing the “Le Mans Engine Modification Kit” that incorporated the modifications made to those two Le Mans entries.
Such was the demand for these upgrades that in 1955 the Donald Healey Motor Company and the British Motor Corporation partnered to produce a new model that incorporated those upgrades plus high-compression pistons, a louvered bonnet and bonnet strap, a larger anti-sway bar, and special-setting shock absorbers. The new model was designated the 100 M and was introduced at the 1955 London Motor Show at Earls Court. Sold concurrent with the standard Austin-Healey 100, series BN2, a total of just 640 100 Ms were produced, representing just 14 percent of production.

Austin-Healey 100 M 'Le Mans' 1956

The example presented here is finished in what many consider to be the most striking and exciting color combination of black over Reno Red. Coupled with a red interior of the finest leather, vinyl, and carpet by Heritage Upholstery, this 100 M simply commands attention and admiration wherever it is driven or shown. Completed in February 1956, this left-hand-drive export model is equipped with its matching-numbers engine, a laminated windscreen, wire wheels, a speedometer in mph, a heater, and of course the 100 M trademark louvered bonnet. It was sold new in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1956, and the ownership succession is known back to 1958 when it was purchased from the original owner.

Austin-Healey 100 M 'Le Mans' 1956

A nut-and-bolt restoration was completed in 2009 by Brian Nicholson at Britannic Motors in Avon, Massachusetts. Body panel fit and gaps are outstanding, and the paint was applied by Bob Lundell of Hanson, Massachusetts, using DuPont black and correct Reno Red from R&R Paint Supply of Long Beach, California. The highest level of attention to detail is exemplified by the curved break between the black and red behind the front wheel opening; it was made using a template provided by the Worldwide 100 M Le Mans Registry. All mechanical work was done to the highest standard using original specification parts from the UK.