Estimate: £28,000 - £33,000
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When Donald Healey conceived the first mock-up of his Healey Hundred with his son Geoff in his attic nobody could have predicted the impact they would have on the sports car market in the years to come. Making a first appearance at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1952 the Healey Hundred gained enormous attention and a deal was done with Leonard Lord of BMC to establish the Austin Healey marque and get the car into mass production. Donald had the single ambition to dominate the North American market and he certainly achieved that in the following 15 years with over 73,000 cars sold and 80% of them being shipped to North America.
The first car from the partnership was the Austin-Healey 100/4 and production of the first ‘BN1’ series started in 1953. Originally supplied with a four-cylinder 2660cc Austin A90 engine producing 90 BHP, the adoption of a six-cylinder BMC C-Series engine for all production cars happened in 1956 with the 100/6 BN4 being the first to take this new 117 BHP engine.
When the Austin Healey 3000 was launched in March 1959 as a replacement to the 100/6, it was offered in two body styles – 2 seater roadster and a 2+2 roadster. Both models shared the same 2912cc engine producing 124 BHP at 4600 RPM and 162lb/ft torque at 2700 RPM on twin SU HD6 carburettors, which endowed the car with a top speed of around 115mph. Braking was by front discs and rear drums rather than the all round drum brakes of the 100 models. Although there were few visual differences between the 100/6 and the 3000, a lot of investment had gone into improving the running gear.
All of this made the Austin Healey 3000 amongst the fastest cars in its class while occupying the middle ground in terms of price at £1,064 – just above that of an MGB, Sunbeam Alpine or TR4 but cheaper than European rivals such as the Alfa Giulia Spider and the Fiat 1600S Cabriolet as well as the all British Daimler SP250.
With fantastic publicity gained from Austin Healey’s participation in motorsports, sales of the new 3000 model were brisk and it would have been a great relief to Donald Healey that demand for the 2+2 far outstripped the 2 seater cars as he had somewhat reluctantly re-introduced the 2 seater configuration at the end of the 100/6 production run with the BN6 model; he always believed that customers wanted the 2+2 configuration. In fact customer demand was so high that the 2+2 accounted for 85% of sales in 1960 and a whopping 93% of sales in 1961 conclusively proving that The Boss is always right!
Registration Number: 645 YUW
Chassis Number: HBT7L/5998
Engine Number: TBC
Imported from France in 2013, this left-hand drive 1960 Austin Healey 3000 BT7 sports a fiery red exterior with contrasting black interior and red piping to all four seats. The overall condition of the interior is good with seating, carpets and other internal details in very nice condition. The Healey is supplied with a black hood and frame as well as side screens. It also has an original Smith’s Heater option installed for those chilly early mornings.
Supplied with the popular overdrive option on 3rd and 4th gears, it sits on correct painted wire-spoke wheels with chrome spinners. Since being brought into the UK and registered with a new V5C, the car has had over £11,000 spent on it with an Oxfordshire based specialist to bring the car up to scratch; the receipt is on file for inspection. This work included extensive attention to the engine which was stripped down for inspection. Parts were replaced as required plus and the cylinder head was overhauled. Some bodywork was also replaced with new sections welded in where there had been damage or evidence of previous poor repairs. Rear brake cylinders were replaced and a new high torque starter motor was fitted.
The panel gaps and the all-important swage line are good asis the chrome-work with all the indications being that the car has been well looked after both in France and since arriving in the UK.
For an enthusiast looking for a good quality car that has had significant money spent on it in 2016, this would make a great investment and be a real head-turner both on the road or just down at the local village pub. With the recent decline in Sterling, importing cars has suddenly become a lot more expensive so this is an opportunity to acquire a thoroughbread classic that has already had any necessary work done and is ready to go, at an attractive price.
