FEATURE: 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.Old barns have long proved to be reliable locations for auto enthusiasts looking to find their next project vehicle. Few things are as exciting as walking across a farmyard, swinging open a massive door and discovering a dusty relic that’s been shielded from the elements for decades.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

Tom & AJ Soerens

Tom Soerens experienced a similar encounter with his 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6. However, he did not find his British tourer among tractors and hay bales out in the country, but rather stored away near airplanes and jet fuel.

“I stumbled upon the vehicle in a secluded hangar at the Erie Airpark in March 2008,” Soerens said, referring to a small airport near Moline and the Iowa border.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

The vehicle was a faded and worn yellow when Tom found it. He chose to return it to its factory Healey Blue and ivory white paint scheme.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

Being an aviation aficionado, Tom used the license plate to poke fun at the car’s runway-bound past. A ‘hangar queen’ is an airplane that has been sitting for a while or requires constant maintenance.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

The factory inline 161-cubic-inch, six-cylinder engine is underhood and looks showroom fresh.

This fully restored 1959 Austin Healey Model 100-6 was found hidden away in a rural airplane hangar.

A regal blue interior with white piping adds nicely to the sporty nature of the convertible.