Austin-Healey was founded in 1952 as a joint venture between the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company, with the intention of producing the Austin-Healey 100 in large series. In 1958, the small Sprite was added to the large series, which in the meantime had developed from a four-cylinder to a six-cylinder sports car. The parent company BMC merged with Jaguar in 1966 and merged with Leyland and Rover in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation. Co-founder Donald Healey left the company in 1968. Production of the classic 3000 and Sprite models ended in 1967 and 1970/71 respectively. Since then, there have been repeated attempts to revive the brand, which is now Chinese-owned.