Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/634989
BRITISH CLASSIC BILL MCMAHON'S AUSTIN HEALEY LOOKS LIKE A WELL-KEPT CLASSIC BRITISH SPORTS CAR — BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRETT BECKER W hen you see NASA Northeast racer Bill McMahon's 1967 Austin Healey at a NASA weekend, it stands out, largely because of the car's age. Nearly 50 years old, the car is a bit like a raisin in a box of popcorn. It's easy to spot. When you hear it, however, it really stands out. Gone is wail of the 2.9-liter inline six-cylinder. In its place is the raucous of a 347-cubic-inch Ford stroker- crank engine packing 450 horsepower. How's that for a power upgrade? Then you get up close to it and see that there are precious few stock components left on the car, including everything in and under it. McMahon built the tube-frame chassis for the car in his garage during 2008. By 2009, he had it on track, turning laps and heads, and photographer lenses. "I've had Healeys with different V8s in them, and I was doing hillclimb racing, and I wrecked pretty badly up at Mount Okemo in Vermont," McMahon said with a deep New England brogue. "So I took some time off and decided to build a chassis with a Healey body on it, and I built this 76