1956 Austin-Healey 100/4 BN2

In 1954, two Austin-Healey 100/4s were selected and kept under tight AAA control on their 1,000-mile drive from California to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. These bone-stock cars averaged 104 mph for 30 hours, and a modified 100/4 managed a two-way average top speed of 142.6 mph. With this, Donald Healey put the 100/4 on the map as a serious sports car, breaking more than 100 Class-D records.

This 1956 example was delivered new to the US, born Reno Red and Black Duotone with a red interior and black top. At one time, perhaps very early on, bonnet louvers were added and the color was changed to black with white coves.

The car was recently discovered in a garage in Maine, where, the consignor believes, it had been off the road since 1962. Woodstock, the Cold War, and the birth of the Internet all came to pass during its slumber. It is now an artifact displaying the passage of time and the effects of natural forces on its surfaces. Its white coves have become finely cracked, and it has taken on a beautifully muted color palette as a layer of dust wraps its pocked and faded paint. As one would expect, it will need considerable work to be roadworthy, and corrosion is evident in the typical areas.

This 100/4 is a fascinating example, wearing its story on its skin, with an intricate and irreplaceable patina.