Lot 758: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII Phase 2 BJ8 Roadster

The Austin-Healey 3000 offered here, a MkIII BJ8 in the most popular and luxurious Phase 2 form and therefore with the benefit of the revised rear suspension set-up, still appears to be very much to the standard specification that such a 2+2 sports with 121mph top speed potential would have been when it first left the BMC factory 27 July 1966 costing £1107.

Paperwork with the car indicates that it appears to have resided in Cheshire until 15 October 1975 when first purchased by Gordon Leslie and Thomas Steven Black of Peter Black (Keighley) Ltd. It then appears to have been acquired again by the Keighley firm 19 March 1990, ownership being transferred to Gordon Leslie Black of Ilkley 20 December 1996 and to Sara Louise Black 11 March 1998. As part of the Black’s Yorkshire Car Collection where it was prominently displayed as well as being successfully exercised on the Paris Rallye a couple of seasons ago, KYP 723D was certainly still registered in the same family member’s name until March of this year when sold at our dispersal auction of part of that Collection in March.

When catalogued for this sale, the bodywork presented well, appearing to have been repainted in the correct Colorado Red in the recent past, while mohair hood and frame are both brand new. Front and rear bumpers were replaced 3 July of this year when a new aluminium fuel tank was also fitted by Rawles, the same marque specialists having already refurbished the exhaust manifolding earlier in the summer. Both transverse silencer box and twin tail-pipes at the rear have also been renewed at some time and the front seats refurbished even more recently.

Apart from those receipts charting recent work carried out, other documentation includes Yorkshire Collection display cards, a buff log-book for 1973-1975, a current V5C confirming chassis, engine and registration numbers, and a run of seven old MOTs for 1990/91 to 1996/7, the latest MOT Certificate valid until 17 May 2008. Being eligible for a Historic Vehicle Road Fund Licence, we are also advised that a new tax disc is likely to be in place on this most attractively guide priced Big Healey by sale day.