Is a BN4 a 100 six?

[Johnny]

Sometimes "I just don't get it". Is a BN4 model really a 100 six? If it is, then does BN4 mean only two seats, or four? If it's four then why are BN6 and BN7 models only two seats???

 

[GregW]

Waaaaay too much thinking for that early in the morning. A BN4 is simply a modified BN3.

 

[longbridgehealey]

My BN4 s a 100-6 four seater.

 

[higgins]

Ok let's see if I can clear this up.

BN4 means:



"B": All Big Healeys start with the letter "B" meaning basically that it's an engine between 2000cc and 2999cc. :cooler:

"N": actually denotes a two-seat tourer. With the BN4 being a 2+2 model (or 4 seater) the correct code should have been B"T"4, so this model was actually miscoded

"4": denotes the model number in the series

So after BN1 and BN2 logically comes the BN4 model as a BN3 model was never offered. :crazy:

The BN6 is a 100/6 two seater model, the sixth version after the BN4 Longbridge model (Number 4) followed by the BN4 Abingdon model (Number 5). :cooler:

At least that's how I understand it.

 

[Johnny]

:thumbsup: Great, now I understand, LOL.

This is what we do at car shows, stand around and ask questions like that...

 

[Johnny]

If you have a BN4, four seater, do you have a original Hardtop?
I'm asking because the "spigot" pins on the hardtop drop onto a socket that's in a different position on BN4's vs say BT7's which are closer to the doors.

 

[Keoke]

So after BN1 and BN2 logically comes the BN4 model as a BN3 model was never offered.

Nope COZ they were afraid people would say:

"Tee HEE See he Got a BN3"---Honest---Keoke- :laugh:

 

[GregW]

So after BN1 and BN2 logically comes the BN4 model as a BN3 model was never offered. :crazy:

But at least one exists to this day. Pat's BN3

 

[Johnny]

Taken from the website:

As you would know the title BN generally meant two seater. The BN1 and 2 had two seats, BN6 and BN7 also only had two seats, but somehow I suspect that the use of the BN title such as this didn’t really commence until the 100/6 BN6. After all the BN4 was a four seater. Avid readers of the Austin-Healey publications that abound these days would have realised that there were also a BN3 and BN5. There was one BN5, a 4 seater used as a mule by the Donald Healey Motor Company (DHMC) for the 1957 Mille Miglia with disc wheels and detuned engine and was eventually converted to BN4 specifications and sold. There were also at least two BN3s built by the DHMC as experimental prototype vehicles to test the new six cylinder in the Austin-Healey chassis. One of these, BN3/4 which still exists in terrible condition was a very different car being nine inches longer then standard, special chassis that sweeps up into the engine bay and quarter elliptics at the rear. The other vehicle is the BN3/1 and is the car I bought over a quarter of a century ago.

 

[Johnny]

And yet another website including the BN3 and BN5:

https://www.healeysix.net/

 

[dougie]

I have a 1957 BN4 100-SIX MM with factory hardtop, brackets in place and fit tight and solid.

Dougie