Now, I do occasionally get accused of being a bit too enthusiastic about old cars.
“Dave,” my friends say, “you do go on about leaf springs and gearbox ratios as if they were sacred.” Well yes, I do. Because in many cases, they are. And if there’s one car that demonstrates how simplicity, charm, and a spot of engineering pragmatism can still set your trousers on fire, it’s this: a 1958 Austin Healey 100/6, currently up for auction via Bonhams.
Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: this car is, in many ways, spectacular. Not in the shouty, Italian, V12 sense. No, this is a more measured, very British kind of spectacle —like a Lancaster flypast or a perfectly executed pub roast.
This particular 100/6 started life at the BMC plant in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, back when men wore ties to the factory and everything smelled faintly of Castrol. On the 26th of September, 1958, it was bolted together, packed into a crate, and dispatched to Cape Town, South Africa, where it was assembled and promptly got on with its life. That life, it turns out, has been rather more interesting than most.
According to the current custodian, who acquired the car in late 2023, this Healey was part of the final batch of five BN6s sent to South Africa. It may even be the last one of the lot, which makes it, as far as I’m concerned, a bit like the last biscuit in the tin — arguably the best one. What’s more, it competed in the Cape 1000 rally in 2022 and came first in class. That’s not just pottering around the lanes; that’s proper, hard-charging, don’t-spill-your-tea motoring.
Under the bonnet there’s a 2.6-litre straight-six, producing a smidge over 100 horsepower. Yes, it’ll do a genuine 100 mph, which is quite enough, thank you. It’s also got servo-assisted drum brakes, which — brace yourself—actually work, according to the owner. I must say, I admire the optimism of someone relying on six-decade-old drum brakes, servo or otherwise.
The car was recommissioned by Bridge Classic Cars when it arrived in Blighty and has had some gentle fettling since: a bit of electrical sorting, a nod to the fuel gauge, and a tweak or two to the overdrive and cooling system. But nothing to suggest that this car is anything other than tip-top and ready for action.
Inside, it’s lovely. Black leather seats with white piping, charming little Smiths dials that haven’t yellowed, and everything where it should be. There’s even a small tear in the driver’s seat, which is rather reassuring — it proves someone actually used it, instead of keeping it hermetically sealed in a garage next to a pile of dry-cleaned Auto Express back issues.
The red paintwork is holding up beautifully, and while the original wire wheels are long gone, the current steel wheels with AH-stamped hubcaps are actually rather smart. It’s like turning up to a formal dinner in a well-cut tweed suit instead of a tuxedo. Still stylish, still serious, just slightly less obvious.
And then there’s the soft top. Still waterproof, apparently, although the owner admits he’s never tested that. Which, frankly, is the right approach. Healeys are for dry days, sunshine, and the kind of driving that involves elbow-out, grinning-like-an-idiot motoring.
There’s not a vast history file, but there is a Heritage Certificate, V5C, some odds and ends in the paperwork department, and — crucially — the sense that this car has been loved. And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Bonhams’ estimate that it’ll fetch between £22,000 and £30,000 at its 20 March 2025 auction was pretty spot on: it actually sold for £27,371 which for a lovely Healey with a history sounds about right.