Austin-Healey 3000 MkI BN7

Big, butch and beautiful, the Austin-Healey 3000 is to many the quintessential classic British sportscar. Launched in March 1959, it quickly earned a reputation as a formidable rally machine, thundering to spectacular success on many international events of the 1960s. 

A development of the already successful 100/6, it used a simple but torsionally strong ladder frame chassis with Austin A90 independent coil spring/wishbone front suspension and a live leaf sprung rear axle located by Panhard rod. It was fitted with the more powerful 2,912cc BMC C-Series engine which produced 124bhp and 167lb/ft of torque. Mated to a four-speed gearbox with optional overdrive, this endowed the car with a top speed of almost 120mph and a 0-60 time of just 11.4 seconds.

Other improvements included front disc brakes and a choice of either two-seater (BN7) or 2+2 (BT7) body styles. Out of a total production run of 13,650 MkI models, only 2,825 were built as two-seaters before it was supplanted by the MkII in 1961.

Dating from 1960, this desirable BN7 two-seater comes in classic Old English White. Purchased by the current keeper (recently deceased) in 1994, the car was used for weekend enjoyment until the owner fell ill in 2002, whereupon she was placed in dry storage until last month.

Since then, she has been the subject of a full recommissioning, service/checkover and lengthy roadtest to ensure that everything is operating correctly. We are informed that a recent ramp inspection showed the chassis to be straight and true with no evidence of any accident repairs. An overdrive model, she is said to drive well with no mechanical issues and comes freshly MOT tested until November 2013.