Subject: [Healeys] BN.3s

From: Joe and Lenore Armour <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:08:57 +1000

As a long time Healey person who has had the pleasure of seeing BOTH 
BN.3s I can tell you we are talking chalk and cheese.

Not only are there two different cars, but a result of two completely 
different strategies.

The car found in Canada has a very vague history . It is now in the 
Dutch Healey Museum.       The Pat & Caroline Quinn car in Australia has 
a very well documented history showing regular ( for a Healey with 
colourfull history ) use by several owners.

The Canada car is a non-Healey chassis that has a sedan car front 
cross-member and suspension resulting in a wider track and caused the 
wheels to be just covered by packing out the bottom of the front fender.
 According to the Healey books it was also tried with a De-Dion rear 
suspension but there is very little sign of how this may have been 
attached and it was not fitted when I viewed the car.  This car when I 
saw it in UK unrestored had definite signs of having been on the road. 
ie. choke cable and a crude soft top.  Without its body panels it would 
be almost unrecognisable as a Healey 100.  To me it was an engineering 
exercise to see the impact of several requests from I think Austin to 
cut costs and/or inrease appeal????
The extra length to accomodate the 2 + 2  was covered in the body panels 
by increasing the distance between the rear of the door opening and the 
rear wheel opening.

Pat and Caroline's car is basically a pre-production car based on a 
completed 100 car modified to show a 2 + 2 configuration with six 
cylinder engine and gearbox.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Me,  I have a BJ.8 with phase 1 alloy panels, dropped down chassis, no 
production grille, a flat alloy dash black vinyl covered and alloy doors 
fitted with sliding side screens. No grille or bumpers were fitted. No 
door linings or creature comfort. Almost permanently fitted with a 
'works' hardtop. All factory fitted and verified by Geoff Healey
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