New Austin Healey? Maybe!

Source: http://www.jalopnik.com

David

Project Tempest: A New Austin Healy
TAGS: Gossip, austin healey, industry news, new cars



If one failed bidder for MG Rover has his way, we could see a revival of the famed Austin Healey sports car, along with several other lost marques of old. Monaco-based Krish Bhaskar, an industry analyst turned investor, is embarking on what he calls Project Tempest, the centerpiece of which is a concept sports car (pictured) based on the the Austin Healey 3000 from the 1960s. Bhaskar doesn’t yet have ownership of the brand, but assumedly by publicizing his intentions will try to persuade the estate of Donald Healey to offer it for licensing. According to Top Gear, the “Tempest” would be limited to 155mph, but go from zero to 100 mph in under 12 seconds, likely rivaling the BMW Z4 and its ilk in the $45,000 (UK) range. Edmunds reports Bhaskar’s plan could involve taking over Peugeot’s Ryton plant in Coventry, England, if PSA closes it in 2008, where he would build new versions of other lost British cars. Triumph Mayflower, anyone?

That is a horrible chop of the Solstice. Yuck.

That is a very cool looking Austin Healy brought up to modern times....I hope it comes to be. There is much strength in that name. Thanks Diognes for posting that....great find.

I'd much rather see Nash-Healey return.

That's even better, Nash-Healy:

not sure how I feel about this ? I hope is a little more creative than the pictured car which does look like a sky/Solstice chop. As for the Nash, I dont think a retro of that would get anymore attention that a retro Metropolitian.

It looks like s Solstice chop because the Solstice was designed in the same vein as British sports cars like the original Austin-Healey. The Tempest is a ver good interpretation of a modern Austin-Healey 3000 (the Big Healey, as opposed to the smaller "bug-eyed" Sprite). Unfortunately for project Tempest, the Austin name will be controlled by Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corp., while the Healey name is controlled by the family. BMW also designed a modern "Big Healey" concept (BMW controls the British Motor Heritage Trust which provides spares and support for classic British cars), but again could not use either the Austin or Healey name at the time, although they may have been working on a Z8-based big-Healey some years earlier. As for a modern Triumph, BMW does retain ownership of Triumph (although due to some shifty shenanigans at MG Rover it is not the original company). GB Sports Cars is working with Nanjing on a new line of MGs, and there has been some confusion between this and the Tempest project.

I know what the Brit roadsters looked like and this looks like a Solstice/sky chop. Are we assuming this is a photo of an actual car ?

That thing is gorgeous.

It is not a chop that I know of.

Project Tempest

More Info

Even more info

David

I am almost 100% sure that is a Solstice chop.

Either way it's not a well done Retro car.

BMW Project Warwick

Edited September 29, 200520 yr by thegriffon

I am almost 100% sure that is a Solstice chop.

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*UPDATE*

In al fairness, and others that have read the articles posted can verify, none of the articles say anything about it being an "artistic rendering" or photochop of what the car may look like.

Now that I have been able to look through the "Project Tempest" website, and was unable to locate the picture, I agree. Also, I found this ARTICLE on a MG-Rover enthusiast website, in which Professor Bhaskar says:

“I would dearly like to a see a 21st. century Healey,” says Professor Bhaskar “Who wouldn’t? Since the performance and engineering specification of the vehicle was signed off a few weeks ago, we’ve been busy finalising body design and have drawn inspiration from the heyday of the British motor industry. The attached image provides an indication of how a spiritual successor to a ‘Big Healey’ could look.”

Hope this clears everything up.

David