@Gramos 911......Spot-on comment! I often despair at the musical 'tastes' of people when they choose ear-shattering dross like this.

the music is perfectly adequate, a theme from the early sixties, it could have been from the fifties, but it is cool

emansnas........You are correct that only 50 production 100S's were made - but there were also 5 'works' cars produced. [they were all hand-built at Healey's miniscule 'Cape' factory in Warwick and used for testing, race development and speed trials]. So in total, there were actually 55 100S's originally in existence. The majority of these cars were painted in the iconic colour-way of 'Old English White' over 'Lobelia Blue' - although a number were painted in British Racing Green, Black and Red. [actor and passionate Healey fan Jackie Cooper had 2 100S's - both painted in his preferred colour of 'Spruce Green'] One 100S 'Special Test Car' [or '100S prototype'] was used by the Austin-Healey ''unrestored works racing team'' as early as 1953 by factory drivers Lance Macklin, Gordon Wilkins and Marcel Becquart. Indeed, this was the very same car that was involved in the tragic crash at Le Mans in 1955 [still the worst accident ever in motor racing history]. It resulted in the deaths of Mercedes Benz driver Pierre Levegh, 84 spectators and injured 120 others. It also resulted in radical changes in motor racing safety procedures thereafter. [I hope you don't mind the rest of my comment - it's quite long, but well worth the read!] In the 1980's I owned a 1954 100/4 BN1 and went to register it with the '100 owners club' secretary, John Wheatley - who literally lived just down the road from me in Fernhill Heath, Worcester. [John owns one of the very first 100/4's produced - the beautiful OOM 552]. After John had taken down the details of my car, we got chatting and he got out several photo albums of Healey 100's from all over the world to show me. One black and white [but very high quality] picture instantly caught my attention. It showed a car that seemed to have been attacked by a bunch of workmen with sledgehammers! It had deep gashes and dents all over its bodywork but especially to the rear shroud and wings - which were practically destroyed. When I asked John about this - he simply smiled and said, 'That's Lance Macklin's Le Mans car' [race car no 26 - NOJ 393]. He then proceeded to tell me about the car's history and the events of the 1955 Le Mans race. [he was told this by Geoffrey Healey himself, who was the works racing team manager that fateful day]. Healey said that immediately after the crash, Macklin's car was impounded by the French police. [Macklin had actually careered across the start/finish straight to avoid colliding with Mike Hawthorn's Jaguar D-type and had ploughed into a group of bystanders injuring several - and killing a police officer]. Geoffrey Healey quickly realised that this was an extremely serious situation and was very concerned about what the French authorities would do once they learned of the death toll and the full extent of the carnage. He instantly instructed his pit crew to gather up all the spares, equipment, tools etc they could muster, get in the remaining cars and 'get the hell out of here before the French find out'! In fact, the Healey racing team were back in the UK before the race had even finished! Macklin's car was eventually released after spending a year in a police impound before being repaired and sold to a private individual for just US$135. It then changed hands a number of times before being bought by a very wealthy and well-known collector of Healey 100S's in Australia more than 50 years ago. [According to John Wheatley the Australian owner had more than EIGHT 100S's including NOJ 393 - and that Macklin's car 'never turn a wheel' from the day he bought it! It was garaged, had the engine regularly turned over and the car put on blocks so the brakes didn't seize etc - but was never once driven!] On 1 December 2011 NOJ 393 was sold at auction for £843,000, or over $1.3 million. The new owner then had a full restoration carried out [by Steve Pike of Marsh Restoration in Australia] which took the total cost to the new owner of over £1 million! [in 2011/12 prices]. The original racing colours of NOJ 393 were midnight-blue over gold [although when the car was first produced it was painted in Healey's 'standard' colour-way of 'ice blue']. However, it was resprayed in British Racing Green during its restoration in 2011/12 and handed over to its new owner at the international Healey week event - which by luck was being held near the new owner's home in Scotland. The car is absolutely stunning to look at and it's probably the most 'infamous' and valuable Healey ever produced? It would almost certainly fetch considerably more than its 2011 price tag if were to be sold today. The car is this video [EVV 106] IS a genuine 100S - it was owned and raced by David Shale and achieved at least 13 podium finishes, coming 1st in 4 of those races. The car was eventually sold for £673,500 at the Bonham's Goodwood Festival of Speed auction on 27 June 2014. Finally - many of the total of 55 cars originally [hand-made] produced by the Healey's at their Warwick factory, were destroyed in crashes or suffered damage, corrosion etc beyond repair. [I understand that NOJ 393 is the only remaining 'works car' in existence]. But arguably, there are less than 20-25 of these absolutely gorgeous [and extremely powerful!] little cars left. If I had all the money in the world - I would definitely buy one if I could!

The music is totally inappropriate and crap, the Healy sounds way better and is what most of us want hear.

@@thesoultwins72 Thanks for all the great info. Wasn't aware of the five works cars nor that Macklin's car had been restored. Have to wonder how much of that car's price tag is due to its 'infamy' (not that the car can be blamed of course). Not sure I much like that aspect. Yes, quite aware of the circumstance/impact of the '55 Le Mans. In addition Mercedes voluntarily paid arguably unnecessary/unwarranted dues and it's been good to see them racing again. For me the two Healeys I owned were pretty much a means to an end. Though American I've always preferred smaller better handling cars and spent many a Saturday running the hell out of them with consequent close calls on my favorite twisty bit back roads on .21 cent per gallon gasoline (ah, those were indeed the days:) Moved on to a number of different sports car makes and some racing over the years but there'll always be a special place in my heart for those fun great looking Healeys. Would I enjoy driving (I mean really driving as opposed to posing) one today? Maybe a 100S but given today's prices it's a moot point. Anyway I lost my lead hammer and to some degree my lead foot some time ago and that's okay, I've great memories.

@@emansnas .....Thank you for your reply. I hope you don't mind my correcting you on the actual number of 100S's - it seems to be a common error that only 50 were ever produced, when in actuality there were 55. Now, I have a confession to make. I too wasn't aware that the infamous Macklin car [NOJ 393] had been restored either! When Healey 100 owner's club secretary John Wheatley told me about the events of the 1955 Le Mans race and showed me the iconic photograph of the car - he didn't know that following its 'release' from impoundment by the French Police [in 1956] the car had been repaired and sold. In fact, he was very obviously under the impression that the wealthy Australian collector had bought the car in its 'post-crash condition'. [as per the photograph]. Indeed, I clearly remember us discussing how macabre it was that the Australian collector had bought the car in such a state - never had it repaired or touched in any way and kept it exactly as it was immediately following the crash. I also distinctly recollect asking John how much he thought the car would be worth if it were sold. John instantly replied, 'Priceless'! Now I have to say this [and I know you may not agree] but I believe the car should have been kept in its original 'post-crash condition'. Furthermore, that it should not have been repaired in any way. Not from a financial gain perspective - but because this is an extremely historic car. [Levagh's Mercedes Benz totally disintegrated, so there is nothing left of that]. Macklin's Healey is the only enduring remnant of the worst motor racing accident ever. When I conducted my research into the history of NOJ 393, I have to admit to being a little 'uneasy' with what I learned. Whilst the car's current owner bought the car in good faith, has had it restored to an exceptionally high standard and is determined to use and show NOJ 393 as much as possible, I feel it is not the car's proper destiny. Of course, many would argue [and John Wheatley himself was a fervent believer of this sentiment] that these cars are meant to be used. They should not be stored away in mothballs in some temperature-controlled garage and only rolled out once or twice a year etc. Ordinarily I would agree. But I am not sure this applies to NOJ 393? Thanks for your reminiscences - I really loved my 100/4 also. [although they are very 'tail-happy' and took a lot of skill to master!] Sadly, I was in the process of having it fully restored and had disassembled the car before depositing with a well-known Healey restoration specialist. He promptly became an alcoholic after finding out his wife was having an affair with a friend and the chassis simply rusted away. I nearly bought a very nice original fixed-head 3.8 E-Type Jaguar - but instead went for a rare MGBGT with automatic transmission. [only 2700 were ever made].

@@thesoultwins72 I'm very sorry you lost your Healey, especially that way. That's just sooo wrong... thinking that would eat at me for a long time. Yes we disagree on fate of NOJ 393. My thinking is that such car's entire history should be taken into account, not just a brief moment in a tragic episode. Don't much like the thought of it sitting all beat up and lonely in a roped off display area like some tragic whipping boy. What good would it do... there are plenty of other reminders of that tragic event. If I actually owned the car and had the resources, pretty sure I'd want to restore it to its original race condition and possibly even campaign it. That's what the car was built for, and seems more in the spirit of those feeling hands that built her, cared for her, and drove her. Cars may be inanimate objects, but we tend to transfer some of who we are into them, and that gives them a kind of life for us. It's the same with aircraft... that's why we feel the way we do about Spitfires and Mustangs and even Lancasters and B-17s. They attain a kind of glory - which is really us. Maybe that's all just me and some others would laugh. For them I would feel sorry.

not's a Sam Cooke song, is ERNIE K DOE's song, i think