Healey 100 Part Eight

Even at low speeds it moves around on its narrow tyres – Dunlop Road Speed RS5 5.60-15sas opposed to 5.90s on the later car. Old crossplies give almost no grip, but allow the Μ to display delicious and easily controllable oversteer even on a moderate throttle at low speeds, just as Donald Healey planned when he set out his parameters for the ideal sports car in ‘45. Thanks to engineers who combined vision with expediency, the Healey 100 made it through translation unscathed. They were led by Donald Healey himself – ‘DMH’ – with chief engineer his son, Geoffrey Healey, whose legacy was not just in the cars, but four books tracing the company history from making specials to the ignomy of the Jensen-Healey of the ’70s, and eventual closure.