Chassis No. BN2-L/230740
Chassis No. BN2-L/230740
Engine No. 1B/230740-M
Body No. 12244

Austin-Healey would shock the sports car world in 1953 when their two largely factory specification cars finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2nd and 3rd in their class, coming home in 12th and 14th place overall, outpacing and outlasting many purpose-built competitors. Following the race, customers naturally wanted to increase their car's performance to the specification of those Le Mans entrants, which resulted in the creation of the factory-approved “Le Mans Engine Modification Kit.” During the 1955 Earls Court Motor Show, Austin-Healey would launch the 100 M, a production model equipped to bring performance more in line with their racing brethren. These cars received a louvered hood secured with a leather strap, high-compression pistons, larger sway bars, and uniquely valved shock absorbers. Sold alongside the standard Austin-Healey 100, only 640 genuine factory-built 100 Ms would be produced, with many being upgraded later.

This genuine 100 M, chassis number 230740, finished production in February 1956, originally finished in two-tone Ivory over Black, with Black upholstery and matching soft top. Completed as a left-hand drive example for the US market, the car was reportedly dispatched to Cincinnati, Ohio, where it was sold new. The striking low-slung sports car with its louvered hood and raked windshield would have been a striking car to see when new, especially amongst the full-sized American iron roaming The Queen City.

Decades later, Britannic Motors of Avon, Massachusetts, was commissioned to perform a complete restoration on the 100 M in 2009. The bodywork was stripped and repaired before it was refinished in the factory correct shade of Black and Reno Red from DuPont. With great attention to detail, a template was used to recreate the original split line of the two-tone paint, courtesy of the Worldwide 100 M Le Mans Registry. The red interior was restored with the same level of detail as the exterior, using only factory-correct materials from Heritage Upholstery. The mechanics of the car were restored, with many parts sourced directly from the United Kingdom.

This 100 M is well documented, with copies of its British Motor Heritage Trust Certificate as well as its 100 M Le Mans Registry documentation on file. It is additionally accompanied by an original tool kit, jack, knockoff hammer, as well as weather equipment, including the soft top and side curtains. Genuine, factory built 100 M Le Mans models are few and far between; here is a “no excuses” example well regarded among Austin Healey experts and ready for another lifetime of top-down adventures.