Article updated: 10/8/2012 7:52 AM

Grounded 1959 Austin Healey flies again

Buy this photo Buy this photo
next prev 2 of 6
   

1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6

Photos Courtesy of Prestige MotorCar Photography

Gallery Image

Daughter AJ was one of the first passengers to board Tom Soerens' rebuilt 1959 Austin Healey.

By the time of its purchase by Tom Soerens and his wife, JoEllen, in 2008, the Austin Healy had been stored in an airplane hangar for years.

The car was restored to its original Healy blue and ivory color.

The factory inline 161-cubic-inch, six-cylinder engine is mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

If you look closely, aircraft seat belts pay tribute to the Austin Healy's past.

About this Article

Old barns have long proved to be a reliable location for auto enthusiasts looking to find their next project. However, Tom Soerens of St. Charles did not find his 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 in a barn, but rather stored in a hangar. “In aviation terms, a hangar queen is an aircraft that spends its life in a hangar and never flies, or one that requires a lot of maintenance,” he said. “After 28 years in a hangar, this Healey seemed to fit both definitions.”