HOMEMADE SIDE CURTAINS

And as yet another example of the strange and often inexplicable things we’ve found with the RHD BN2, the previous owner with his apparently boundless energy and imagination also decided to make his own side curtains.  The original side curtains for this generation of the Healey 100 were not, admittedly, a high point of automotive design, but you really shouldn’t be driving your Healey 100 in weather conditions that would call for side curtains in the first place.

At first I was contemptuous of the whole idea of homemade side curtains, but unwrapping these and giving them a close look I have to admit that I see a lot of merit there.  The passenger-side item, above – and recall that it’s a RHD car – is very reminiscent of the first generation Healey 100 side curtains that very much were a high point of automotive design in their simple, graceful elegance.  And note the horizontal alignment of the slots in the screws along the bottom edge.  The plastic is cracked in the front corner, but otherwise it’s in excellent condition.

The driver’s side item is perhaps even more impressive with its articulated “fly window” design, and once again, the screws along the bottom edge are each aligned horizontally, or nearly so.

So was the previous owner a frustrated automotive designer, a manic handicraft type, someone with skills that needed exercise, or a candidate for shop teacher of the year?  I’d say, yes, all of the above.