Austin-Healey 100 BN2 (1955–1956) Price Guide

The BN2 is the refined Austin-Healey 100, the same 2,660cc four-cylinder engine and Jensen-built body as the BN1, but with a proper four-speed gearbox, a stronger rear axle, and the two-tone paintwork combinations that would become the defining visual identity of the entire Big Healey range.

The Car

Introduced in 1955, the BN2 addressed the BN1’s most practical shortcoming by replacing the unusual three-speed overdrive gearbox with a four-speed unit. Synchromesh was still absent on first gear, this is normal and the driver is expected to make a clutchless change into first when stationary. The stronger five-stud rear axle replaced the BN1’s four-stud unit and was also fitted to the final late-production BN1s. A swage line was added behind the rear wheel arches to accommodate the newly available two-tone paint combinations; the first car to leave the factory in two colours was actually a Blue and White BN1, but the BN2 made the look standard. The engine specification and semi-unitary chassis construction carried over unchanged from the BN1. 3,924 BN2s were built before the model was replaced by the six-cylinder 100-Six.

The 100M

The 100M based on the BN2 is the most complete expression of the four-cylinder Healey as a driver’s car. The louvred bonnet with leather strap, revised pistons, camshaft, twin carburettors, and cold air box raised output to 110bhp in a car that weighed under 1,000kg. Around 640 cars were built or converted to 100M specification. The Donald Healey Motor Company offered the P280 kit for both BN1 and BN2 owners to convert their own cars, and approximately 500 kits were sold. Authentication of 100M cars requires specialist verification.

What Goes Wrong

The same concerns as all early Healeys apply: structural rust in the sills, floor, and chassis; lever-arm damper wear; and drum brakes that reward upgrading to discs on cars used regularly. The BN2’s steel body panels do not carry the BN1’s electrolysis risk at the aluminium-to-steel joints, which simplifies one aspect of the inspection. The four-speed gearbox is the more intuitive unit to drive, though first gear synchromesh remains absent.

Buying

The BN2 is the more usable daily-drive Healey 100 as the four-speed gearbox makes it more accessible to drivers unfamiliar with the BN1’s three-speed arrangement. Values sit close to the BN1, with the lighter early-aluminium BN1s commanding a premium at the top of the market. The 100M specification is the performance pick; a genuine, documented 100M BN2 commands substantially more than a standard car. The BN2 was the last four-cylinder Healey. The 100-Six that replaced it used the Austin C-series straight-six and was a heavier, more refined but less focused machine. The Austin-Healey Club’s register and specialist restorers are the essential resources before any purchase.