This actually looks
fairly serious, folks. The Daily Telegraphreported Saturday
that HFI, the British-American consortium that purchased the rights to the Healey name, may launch a new “Healey
3000″ at this year’s London Motor Show. Is that the new Healey above? Read on to find out why we think it might
be…
Meanwhile, icWales (via the Western Mail) revealed
that HFI is considering a site near Cardiff “for production of an updated Austin Healey 3000.” Warwick,
England, is also being considered for the facility, which will employ up to 400. According to icWales, HFI
paid in the neighborhood of $1.8 million to the Healey family for the rights to use the Healey name for the new car.
So, what will it look like? HFI managing director Paul Fenna is reported to have said that the new design
would be instantly recognizable as a Healey, in the same way that BMW’s MINI recalls the original.
We’re
wondering if HFI’s Healey 3000 is based on the “Project Tempest” concept (pictured) of Prof. Krish Bhaskar,
who led a failed bid for MG Rover, before the company was ultimately acquired by Nanjing Automobile. Professor Bashkar
is the founder of the Motor Industry Research Unit, an automotive industry forecasting firm.
When
information on Project Tempest was released in September 2005, Bashkar indicated that design of the car was “in an
advanced stage” and that he was “currently in discussions with a number of potential partners, to re-establish
a well-known brand from the heydey of the British motor industry.”
Sounds to us like Project Tempest
has found a home.