1955 Austin Healey 100S

1955 Austin-Healey 100S
Sold For $1,012,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Chassis No.AHS-3504
Engine No.1B222705
Gearbox No.1013
Body No.32
The first chassis of just fifty built of this special alloy-bodied racing model
The fourth car to be finished; custom-ordered for actor Jackie Cooper
Delivered to Cooper at the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring race
Driven by Cooper, with co-driver Roy Jackson-Moore
The only 100S delivered in Spruce Green
132 bhp, 2,660 cc pushrod inline four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, front independent coil springs, rear semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel Dunlop hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 90 in.
The story of Donald Healey and his motor company, which was founded in the English Midlands town of Warwick immediately following World War II, is well-known. It was an era when a small group of dedicated and talented people could create great automobiles, and Healey’s tiny company did just that, even during an era of post-war shortages and an economy still struggling to recover.
In 1952, Healey had struck a deal with Austin for them to assemble his “Healey Hundred” in far greater quantity than his tiny Warwick-based company ever could have. As part of that arrangement, Healey continued development of the car and embarked upon a competition and record-setting program to garner publicity to boost sales. The key element of that effort was the development and creation of the 100S, a car conceived not to make a profit but rather to advance the marque’s sporting image by its appearance on race tracks around the world.
The 100S was developed throughout 1953 and 1954, and what emerged was a car that looked very similar to the standard 100 but was, in fact, built by hand at the Healey Works in Warwick, where scores of improvements and modifications were incorporated to make it more competitive in racing. As with any race car, weight was always a principal concern, and to lighten the 100S, an all-alloy body was used, along with an alloy substructure. To further contribute to weight savings, the standard car’s bumpers were shed, as was the large glass windscreen and the “weather equipment,” which included the top and side curtains. The result was a curb weight of just 1,876 pounds. The 100S was a purpose-built racing car from the beginning.
The engine was also highly modified, resulting in a power increase from 90 to 132 brake horsepower. This was achieved by dozens of modifications, with the most apparent being a specially designed aluminum Weslake cylinder head that required the intake and exhaust manifolds to be on opposite sides from those of the production cars. Although ostensibly still an “Austin” engine, they were actually built at the Morris engine plant in Coventry.
Among other notable features of the 100S are the brakes. Dunlop hydraulic disc brakes at all four corners were cutting edge in the mid-1950s. The early Dunlop systems used a Plessey mechanical pump to energize the braking system. However, with advances in disc brake design, the pump was believed to be unnecessary, and Healey and Dunlop installed a new design in the Cooper 100S chassis. Through trial and error, the final set-up was determined and used on the subsequent 100S Healeys.
THE JACKIE COOPER 100S: CHASSIS AHS 3504
While this was going on in Warwick, American actor Jackie Cooper was racing his standard Austin-Healey 100, which was painted Spruce Green. At this point, he had already become a huge fan of the marque and was also a great friend and supporter of Donald Healey. Cooper had begun his acting career as a child star in the 1920s, and at age 9, he became the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination. He joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, and afterwards, he returned to acting. He remained involved with the Navy as a line officer and jet co-pilot, which lead to a distinguished career and him eventually achieving the rank of captain. Cooper’s dedication to the Austin-Healey marque was such that he traveled with the Donald Healey Motor Company to the Bonneville Salt Flats for the record attempts in 1954. Cooper even narrated the British Motor Corporation’s publicity film of the venture, concluding it by stating that Donald Healey was the “Wizard of Warwick”!
Thus, when the 100S was announced, Cooper was a ready customer. The car offered here is the one he ordered, which was produced in the first batch. It is the first production chassis and the fourth 100S completed. It was used as a test-bed for the new upgraded Dunlop disc brake system, and various brake system components are uniquely stamped, with some even being hand-engraved with numbers to help with the initial layout of the braking system.
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Robert Myrick Photography