If you were to cover your car in gold today, many might think you’re a Saudi prince with questionable taste. A few decades ago in Great Britain, a 1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 got just such a treatment, but the story is far more interesting.
The golden Austin Healey was as ostentatious as it could get with a solid ivory steering wheel, mink-finished seats and gold plating everywhere you’d normally see bright metal. Even the disc brakes and wire wheels were gold plated.
Funny thing is, the Healey doesn’t look half bad. While certainly not as cool as the gold plating in the engine bay of the McLaren F1, this is something we can look back on and enjoy.
With the whole "Brexit" thing going on in Britain, we don’t expect to see many gold-plated cars coming out of that country anytime soon (although we wouldn’t put it past you, Rolls).
John Matras takes us on the journey of this golden Healey 30 years ago to the day. He thinks it’s special, and we would be lying if we said it didn’t pique our interest, too.
