AUSTIN-HEALEY

100-6

A total of 14,436 AUSTIN-HEALEY 100-6 have been produced on earth in United Kingdom between 1956 and 1959. The Austin-Healey 100-6 is the bridge between the four-cylinder 100 and the definitive 3000, and it is the most misunderstood of the Big Healeys. Announced in late September 1956, the Austin-Healey 100-6 swapped the old Austin A90 four for the 2,639 cc BMC C-series straight-six, stretched the wheelbase by two inches to create occasional rear seats, and adopted a fixed windscreen and a bonnet scoop in place of the 100's fold-flat screen. The first cars made 102 bhp — barely more than the outgoing 100M, and with more weight to haul — and the press said so. BMC responded quickly: from late 1957 a revised six-port cylinder head and new manifolds lifted the Austin-Healey 100-6 to 117 bhp, and the car finally had the performance its looks promised. Two body designations were sold: the 2+2 BN4, launched in October 1956 with 10,286 built, and the pure two-seater BN6, introduced in March 1958 with 4,150 built — 14,436 Austin-Healey 100-6 in total. Assembly began at Austin's Longbridge plant and moved to Abingdon, home of MG, in December 1957. The 100-6 gave the Big Healey the six-cylinder character that made it a rally weapon in the 1960s, and the whole recipe carried straight over into the Austin-Healey 3000 of 1959. Because the 100-6 has always been valued below both the 100 and the 3000, it remains the cheapest way into Big Healey ownership — a gap the market has started to close. Upgrades & evolutions during the Austin-Healey 100-6 production: AUSTIN-HEALEY - 100-6 BN4 (2+2, 10,286 built) : 1956 - 1959 AUSTIN-HEALEY - 100-6 BN6 (two-seater, 4,150 built) : 1958 - 1959 AUSTIN-HEALEY - 100-6 six-port head (117 bhp) : 1957 - 1959 Average quotation for the Austin-Healey 100-6: cheapest US$25,000, average US$48,000, most expensive US$198,500 (listings and auction results, 2021-2026). Well-kept BN4 2+2 cars trade US$35,000-55,000 and the scarcer BN6 two-seaters US$45,000-75,000 (2025 specialist and auction data). Highest recorded sale US$198,500 for a 1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 (27 May 2025).