Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII BJ8 Phase 2

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It is a sad fact of life that many of the old cars you see at auction have spent large chunks of their lives either sat idle in storage for years on end or being trundled from one restorer to another, never bringing much joy to their owners but either gathering dust or accumulating repair bills. Which makes this gorgeous Big Healey a refreshing change.

For the past 30 years it has been proudly owned by our vendor and his wife and has given them more enjoyment than half the cars in this catalogue combined. A one-time professional painter and car restorer, our vendor first spotted the car way back in 1989 on a visit to Alan Bunn Cars of Stevenage. There among a row of recent American imports, one car immediately jumped out – the straightest, most original Healey he had ever seen.

A deal was quickly struck and the Healey was soon on its way back to his workshop in furthest West Wales where it was carefully dismantled, rust-proofed, repainted in its original Ice Blue, converted to RHD and put back together again. Apart from sections of the floor pan, every single panel on this car is original, as is the chassis which still retains much of its original paint. And boy does it show – restored cars are all very well but when you see one as straight as this, you realise that those guys at the Cape Works in Warwick really did know what they were doing when they first assembled these cars 60 years ago.

Over the next 30 years the Healey has always been in regular use, old MOTs showing that it has clocked up 46,500 miles in the current ownership, not that you would know to look at it. Impeccably maintained and serviced annually, it had a full engine rebuild in 1992. Other works of note include: new set of 72-spoke wire wheels and tyres in 1993; front suspension rebuilt with new rubber bushes and king-pins in 1994; new brake servo in 1998; new water pump in 2000; carburettors overhauled in 2002; a second repaint in 2006 along with new leather seat covers and a high capacity radiator; steering column overhauled in 2008; new clutch and slave cylinder and new front wheel bearings in 2009; new shock absorbers front and rear in 2011; new hood in 2012; new high performance front discs and Aeroquip front brake hoses in 2013; new windscreen in 2015.

In 2016 a new Denis Welch gas-flowed, blue-printed, unleaded cylinder head was fitted which cost £3,500 and is significantly lighter and cooler-running than the original, the cylinder head compressions reading a very healthy 175psi. A 6-branch Denis Welch manifold was also fitted which gives an extra 18bhp. New electronic fuel pump, heater pipes and radiator hoses were fitted in 2017; new front suspension bushes, spin-off oil filter and oil pressure pipe in 2018; new front exhaust silencers, prop shaft reconditioned and balanced, brake fluid changed and full service shortly before the auction.

Documentation includes a V5C, Heritage Certificate, US Certificate of Title, many old MOTs, sundry invoices, period sales brochure and an MOT to April 2020 with no advisories recorded. The original bumpers are also included if desired, although these will need rechroming. Oh, and the overdrive works perfectly, in case you were wondering, and the tyres have recently been renewed.

Due to be driven over 100 miles to the sale, this gorgeous and beautifully kept Healey now only needs an enthusiastic new owner who can continue to enjoy and cherish it as our vendors have these past 30 years. What a cracking car!