The Austin Healey Mk1 was the second in a line of great little British sports cars that not only took both sides of the pond by storm, but influenced how British sports cars would perform and look like for decades. This was all due to the influences of Donald Healey, the designer and engineer of the Donald Healey Car Company.
Donald knew that for a car to gain wide acceptance, it has to be inexpensive but fun to drive. In 1958, the first Mark 1 that followed this premise came. It was affectionately called the bug-eye car because of its appearance with the headlights and the front grill. This car was presented to the world at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix in 1958 and was officially named the Sprite.
The car itself was made at the British Motor Company factory in Abingdon. This is the same plant where MG cars were produced before the war. Healey’s design and genius was so respected that it heavily influenced the MG line of cars, which then spawned the MG midget that closely resembled the Mark II Sprite.
The Mark 1 was produced until 1961 when it was revised, changing the way it looked. Gone were the bug-eye features forever.
Watch this video of a 3000 MK1 to get your heart pounding.
In 1959, there was a second Mark 1 created by Austin Healey. While the Sprite was highly successful, it was also underpowered. With the ending of the Austin Healey 100 line of cars, came the “Big Healey” or the Austin Healey 3000 Mark 1. It was produced from 1959 until 1961.
It was named a 3000 because the engine was nearly 3000 cc (2912cc). This is the one that really took off and made the Austin Healey a production race car for enthusiasts.
With both Austin Healey Mk1 cars in production, there was one for both the budget minded car lover and for those that wanted more performance.
