This wonderful story (for me at least) came about through chance contacts that were made here and in Australia, and eventually led to me solving an 8-year-old 'mystery' after coming across a BN1 Healey on a highway near Invercargill in 2013.

After being in contact with Head Stud Developments, in Melbourne for some time, while they built the new aluminium head for the engine in the A90 Atlantic we are restoring here, Dennis Nisbet, a member of the NZ Healey Club, happened to phone Head Stud Developments enquiring into their aluminium heads, which fit both the 4-cylinder Healey and Atlantic engines.

After giving Dennis all the details about these aluminium heads, Head Stud Developments suggested to Dennis that he phone me, to see what we thought of our new head for the Atlantic, and our experience with Head Stud Developments in general.

After getting my details off HSD, Dennis rang me and we had a long conversation about aluminium heads, the current projects we were both involved in, Austins in general and the club scene concerning the various marques of the brand.

I thoroughly enjoyed my contact with Dennis, and we continued our conversation through subsequent emails. It was during these email conversations, that I told Dennis about my encounter with a very quick BN1 Healey, while returning from Gore to Invercargill in my '79 Holden Torana. Dennis was so intrigued with the story, he asked me if he could send it for possible inclusion in their club magazine. Of course, I obliged and things snow-balled from there, and with the wonderful, additional information added by Frank Karl, the current owner of the Healey in the story, I was able to solve my puzzlement of why this little Healey was so quick.

Isn't it amazing what can come from a single phone call that someone initially makes about an only slightly related topic.

I saw this Healey (photos below) again a couple of months later at the 2013 Otautau (Southland) Car Show. The bonnet wasn't up and the owner didn't seem to be close by, so I hung around for some time hoping he would return. This didn't happen, so I took a couple of photos and left.

These are the specs for the running gear in the BN1 Healey I was chasing in my Holden Torana (photos below), on that day in 2013. I have since found out this information through contact with the NZ Healey Club.

1954 AUSTIN HEALEY BN1 (Reg. No. ECY486)

This NZ Healey runs a Nissan 2.0 Litre SR 20 DET (S13, ‘Red Valve Covers’) longitudinal engine, from a RWD Nissan Silvia 1989 - 1994.

This engine is DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder, running a Garrett T-25G turbo, developing 205hp.

Murray Streeter, from Invercargill, owned this Healey from 1971, and extensively modified it. He passed away in August, 2020. Car is now owned by Frank Karl in Auckland, after purchasing it in January, 2021.

This is an image of the same type of set-up that was in the Healey (photo below)....no wonder I was struggling! The sight of it just oozes power.

I was so pleased the Healey Club also added a comprehensive story of Murray Streeter's long life with this car, here and in Australia.

Although I now know Murray lived somewhere in Invercargill, I never got to meet him before he passed away a year or so ago. Obviously a clever man, he had made many modifications to his Healey over the years, and would have certainly been interesting to talk to.