Engine Of The Day: BMC A

The BMC B engine was built for nearly 30 years, but its little brother remained in front-line service for close to 50 years. That's up there with the legendary Toyota R! More »

Joe Lucas, Prince Of Darkness, Continues To Haunt 20R Sprite Hell Project

Having owned British cars prior to taking on the '67 Sprite Hell Project, you'd think I'd have learned my lesson about Lucas Electrics: always remove every last trace of the Prince Of Darkness' evil works! More »

20R-Powered Sprite Wiring Hell Nearly Complete: It Lives!

Remember that Fiat tachometer I scored at Junkyard Half Price Day? Well, it and many other scavenged pieces have found their way into my Toyota-engined '67 Austin-Healey Sprite. More »

Fill Your Neighborhood With Affordable Rootes Group Machinery!

What do you call a collection of rusty Singers, Hillmans, Simcas, and Sunbeams, assembled as part of an "outdoor museum" in Waukesha, and all for sale cheap? Wisconsin Death Trip? More »

Super-Clean Miata Seats At The Junkyard... But There's A Catch

One of countless several reasons I can't drive my 20R-powered Austin-Healey Sprite on the street is the lack of seats. Junkyard, here I come! Thing is, it's tough to find good driver's seats. More »

Half Price Sale Day At The Junkyard Means It's Time To Stock Up On Hell Project Parts!

Now that the rain has finally stopped, I'm able to get some work done on the 20R Sprite Hell Project. The steering wheel problem is solved, but what about the wiring?
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Jaguar XJ12 Wheel Adds Touch Of Class To Sprite Hell Project, Keeps Budget Low

What do you do when you've got a project car that lacks good junkyard parts availability, yet you want to keep the budget within reach of 24 Hours Of LeMons qualification? Parts interchange! More »

Say Goodbye To Workplace Productivity: The 1965 Targa Florio Endurance Race

If you liked the vintage documentary about the 1958 Alpine Cup, you'll just have to blow off your job for the next 40 minutes or so to watch this '65 Targa Florio documentary. More »

PCH, Engines Not Found In Nature, Part II: Turbo Rotary Datsun 510 or V8 Austin-Healey Sprite?

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Let's return to Engines Not Found In Nature projects, shall we? More »

Warehouse Full Of Vintage Race Cars... And All But The XK140 Are For Sale!

Technically, this isn't a barn find; it's the collection of a lifelong racer in Southern California who is now retiring from the sport and plans to get down to just one car from his fairly extensive collection of race machines, classics, show cars, and projects. There's some painfully cool stuff in this dusty warehouse, including a couple of Alfas, a very clean '51 Ford, an Austin Healey 100-4, and more. Bring A Trailer has obtained some photos showing the details of a few of the cars, so check 'em out! [Bring A Trailer] More »

Austin-Healey 100 With Blown Jaguar V12 Has Almost Enough Engine Now

The Austin-Healey 100 is a true British sports car, all right, but there's something missing. What could it be? Yes, of course- a Vortec-supercharged 5.3 liter Jaguar V12, which is what Canadian lunatic Martin Jansen has installed in this '54. We don't get any horsepower figures for the engine (which seems odd, considering the engine builder goes by the moniker of "Dyno Dave"), but it's a safe assumption that it's much, much, much more than the 90 horsepower of the original A-H four-cylinder. The build quality here is just staggeringly good and the whole setup somehow fits neatly under the hood. We have no choice but to give this engine swap an extra heavy-duty Jalopnik Stamp-O-Approval™! [BritishV8.org] More »

Nanjing, Revival Firm Plotting Austin-Healey Return

Among the myriad plans to revive British sports car marques, the Austin Healey saga has been at the forefront. And considering two posts in the past two years equals the forefront, expectations are down at croc level. And while that's likely for the best, there's this: Trademark owners Nanjing Auto have signed on with Healey Automobile Consultants Ltd and HFI Automotive Ltd to develop new cars badged as Healey and Austin-Healey. Last year, HFI released the teaser above to attract interest in its cause, and reportedly started taking deposits. The interest likely filtered to the top of Nanjing, which is looking to leverage its MG-Rover assets to expand its fledgling British empire. Maybe more lads from Longbridge will be picking up their mothballed lunch pails sooner than we'd thought. – Mike Spinelli More »

Healey Marque Even Closer to Rebirth

The Anglo-American consortium that owns Healey Automobile Consultants Ltd. announced it's moving forward with new models inspired by the Healey 3000, in convertible and coupe versions. The company, HFI released a sketch and a partial image of the coupe, which shows a badge reminicent of the original Austin-Healey logo. The company will badge the cars as Healey, not Austin-Healey, which is a separate legal trademark owned by the Healey group and Nanjing Auto, the new owner of MG Rover. The company said it's taking deposits on the cars, of which 203 are scheduled to be built. At some point. More »

Healey Hullabaloo Simmers, Will it Boil?

HFI, an Anglo-American consortium, has purchased Healey Automotive Consultants from the family of Donald Healey, and they've apparently got one roadworthy prototype done and another in the hopper. But here's where the plot thickens Austin Healey fans may remember that a group called GB Sports was in negotiations with Nanjing, who bought the withered husk of MG last year. The wicket gets stickier after the jump. More »

New Day Rising for Austin-Healey?

Reader Neil put down his bag of lentils long enough to write in and let us know that Brit mag Autocar's running a bit on the controversy over the resurrection of Austin-Healey. Since Neil ain't got nothin' but long hair, soup and Vyvyan for a roommate, and we got no Autocar scrip either, we're left with the wonder of the Googles, which found us this: a group called GB Sports (not the Krish Bhaskar-headed, Monaco-based concern that we reported on earlier) is dealing with Nanjing Auto holders of the Rover bag to build Austin-Healeys at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham. Somehow, we've got a feeling this one's gonna flop big-time. More »

Project Tempest: A New Austin Healy

If one failed bidder for MG Rover has his way, we could see a revival of the famed Austin Healey sports car, along with several other lost marques of old. Monaco-based Krish Bhaskar, an industry analyst turned investor, is embarking on what he calls Project Tempest, the centerpiece of which is a concept sports car (pictured) based on the the Austin Healey 3000 from the 1960s. Bhaskar doesn't yet have ownership of the brand, but assumedly by publicizing his intentions will try to persuade the estate of Donald Healey to offer it for licensing. According to Top Gear, the "Tempest" would be limited to 155mph, but go from zero to 100 mph in under 12 seconds, likely rivaling the BMW Z4 and its ilk in the $45,000 (UK) range. Edmunds reports Bhaskar's plan could involve taking over Peugeot's Ryton plant in Coventry, England, if PSA closes it in 2008, where he would build new versions of other lost British cars. Triumph Mayflower, anyone? More »