Caton – A ‘New’ Healey Like No Other…

There is no getting away from it, restomod cars are big business. Whether it’s the always contentious offerings of companies seeking to electrify classics, or the more ‘traditional’ companies that bring old models kicking and screaming into the 21st century, there is no shortage of choice. And for most part, the choice is good. The technology behind building cars has moved on, and what was but a pipe dream in 1952 is now commonplace. And this isn’t exclusive to the big OEMs, there are smaller companies up and down the land that have technology in their small workshops that would make a full scale manufacturer of years gone by fall over in shock. And there is now a new player in this most agile of markets, and that player is Caton.

Heard of it? No, neither had we. But looking at the pictures of its first offering – a reimagined Healey 100 – we can’t help but feel that the current crop of resto-modders should be more than a little bit worried. This car is, make no mistake, exquisite. A triumph of considered design and tactful, tasteful changes, this is what a restomod of a classic car should be. The Healey on which it has been based around has not been lost, it has not been dragged down with needless modern tech. It has been enhanced, refined and given a modern completeness that would no doubt have pleased Donald greatly. It’s still delicate. It’s still, somewhat ironically, classic.

So who are Caton, and what makes this Healey so special? Well, Caton is a new company, based but a stone’s throw from where the Healey would have been built originally. The company is a coming together of engineers, designers and of course, investors, and is part of the wider Envisage Group. While the Healey 100 is the first offering, we’re to understand that if all goes well, it won’t be the last. As for what makes this car so special, well, there are myriad reasons. As Tim Strafford, CEO of Caton’s strategic vehicle building partner, Envisage Group, explains: “Caton will stand for the best in British coachbuilding, and is the vision of our [Envisage Group’s] investors. We decided that the first product by Caton had to be creative, stand-out in the marketplace, appeal to a global audience, and it was a natural step that we chose to put our Caton mark on a Healey 100.” 

Strafford continued: “The Healey by Caton is a car for those who appreciate beautiful objects and exquisite works of art. It is also for those who love the smell of petrol and the sound of a high-performance engine running on carburettors. The Healey by Caton deliberately exposes its occupants to the elements and places them right at the heart of a unique, highly visceral, life-affirming driving experience – none more so than the sound of the side-exit exhaust below the driver’s ear.

“With all mechanical components reconfigured as new, the Healey by Caton frees owners from any reservations they might have over purchasing a classic car. It delivers peace of mind, alluring beauty and breath-taking performance.”

This doesn’t seem to be, from what these fresh photos tell us, just excited marketing talk. Pore over the images and the details just keep spilling out. The Healey 100 by Caton isn’t one big change, it’s a thousand small changes that add up to something spectacular. The restraint shown when reworking a car so loved is evident. You look at it and you know that everyone who played a part in its creation was keen to keep the car’s soul intact.

The body, for example, has been de-seamed. This is evident in the new front aluminium fenders, which feature a more clamshell-like construction. Despite being built on an English Wheel, using traditional methods, they are entirely free of the beading that ran through the centre of the original items. A new air vent and a finisher have been integrated into the flanks, visually amplifying the diving line that runs along the side of the car. The car’s original quarter-length bumpers have been removed and the front remodelled to create a smoother, cleaner look. The front valance has also been elongated to hide the front of the chassis’ legs, creating a more premium feel. Subtle remodelling of the headlights has achieved a similar effect and created superior illumination with the integration of LED and daylight running lamps.

“To remain true to the car’s D.N.A., we asked ourselves ‘What would Healey have done when building a car in the Fifties if they had the tools and manufacturing techniques that we are in the unique position to have at our disposal today?’” Explains Design Director, Darryl Scriven. “Donald Healey got so much right when he designed the car originally. We wanted to pay homage to the original vehicle while making it more comfortable to live with, more fun to drive and even more dynamic and beautiful to look at.”

The exterior isn’t the only thing to be reworked, either. The interior is just as spectacular. High quality Bridge of Weir leather can be found in swathes, with a fit and finish to rival the most premium of brands. There are hidden modern touches though, like USB connectivity and, door pockets designed to hold bottles, while more comfortable seats and a new pedal box ensure that unlike the original, taller drivers can find comfort.

The car’s beating heart is a 185 bhp 195 ft/lbs of torque 2954cc four-cylinder engine, endowed with performance to take the car well beyond the 100mph top speed it was named for. Based on an original Austin-Healey block, the engine is completely stripped down, fully lightened, balanced, and then refurbished to zero miles. It is further enhanced with a full steel crank shaft, upgraded bearing shells, high compression pistons, a race camshaft with more aggressive lobes and roller rockers. Larger Twin H8 carburettors and gas flow inlets provide excellent throttle response. A race side-exit exhaust system adds further to the car’s considerable aural appeal.

The engine, and most of the car’s mechanical components, are the work of the world’s leading Healey specialists J.M.E. Healeys (J.M.E.), who has strong historical links with the original Healey company. Jonathan Everard, who founded J.M.E., and his father Harold, worked for the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick. Today, the company is run by Jonathan’s sons, Chris and Dan and is based in The Cape Works in Warwick, the original home of the Healey company.

In closing, this Healey 100 by Canton seems to be a remarkable machine, one that still holds heart and purity in relation to the car on which it’s base, but one that also offers something new and truly unique, as no doubt each of the 25 built will be thanks to the myriad options of paint and trim. It still has a ‘proper’ engine with carbs and mechanical bits that move to force action on other bits. It’s still a Healey. It’s not been robbed of what made it special in the first place. It has instead been smoothed and refined and tightened up in ways simply not possible when the car was new. That’s why we love it.

“It will be our privilege…” says Tim Strafford,  “…to collaborate with Caton’s customers to specify their car to their exact requirements, whether they choose to visit in person or liaise from anywhere across the globe. No two examples of the Healey by Caton will be the same, but each will be of exceptional beauty and built to the highest possible OEM levels of quality. Each will represent a true reincarnation of the iconic Austin-Healey 100 sports car utterly fitting for the modern age. Our aim is to deliver an unrivalled, immersive, intoxicating and highly emotional driving experience.”

Hand-built production of the Healey by Caton will commence in Q2 2022. It will make its global public debut at Salon Privé London from 21 April to 23 April inclusive and attend the upcoming Bicester Heritage Scramble! on 24 April. And when we are able, Car & Classic will be going along for a closer look at this incredible machine. Until then, you can drool over it here, or register your interest via the Caton website.