Lot 23: 1967 AUSTIN-HEALEY 3000 MK III PHASE 2 CONVERTIBLE

Red with gray leather interior and gray soft top

Engine: six cylinder, in-line, pushrod overhead valves, twin SU carburetors, 2,912cc, 148bhp at 5,350rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual with overdrive; Suspension: front, independent by wishbones and coil springs, rear, live axle with transverse control arm or radius rods, semi-elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: four wheel power assisted hydraulically operated drum to the rear and disk to the front. Left hand drive.

The new Austin-Healey went into production in 1953 and was immediately popular in the US. The cars were well-styled, inexpensive, tough and above all easy to drive, both for the sports car enthusiast who maybe fancied some light competition or for tooling down to the shops. The early four cylinder cars were superseded by a six cylinder model in 1956, appropriately named the 100/6 and these stayed in production until 1959 when the engine was considerably enlarged to 2,912cc, hence the name Healey 3000. These were altogether more powerful and faster, equipped with disc brakes and soon gave rise to the legend of the Big Healey.

Shortly thereafter, in 1964 came the 3000 Mk III, generally considered to be the finest Healey variant of them all. It was more convertible than the roadster with its wind-up windows, excellent hood and two plus two seating. In the cockpit there was a varnished timber dashboard with the traditional sports car array of instruments, a central console between the comfortable bucket seats and well-fitted carpets.

This Big Healey was restored to a fastidious level with the prime intent of being a concours winner and true to plan the car has garnished much success over the last nine years. Attention to detail is astounding, right down to the correct Lucas battery and even factory advisory tags in order not to miss out on any points in a concours. The spotless exterior is finished in red, whilst the interior and hood color appear to be stone (despite their gray designation per Healey specification), rarely so, this car features a leather upgrade kit (which was a factory option) in preference to the standard vinyl and the red wool carpets complete the stylish effect.

From 1997 to 2004 the car has competed at concours level numerous times and notable firsts include the 1997 AACA National Fall Meet Senior Award, 1998 Stowe British Invasion concours division, 1998 Austin-Healey Sports & Touring Club, 1999 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, 2002 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance and 2004 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. In addition to this it featured in Car Collector Magazine and was used on the cover of the 2006 British Car Calendar.
Reassuringly so, the vendor insists that the car drives as well as it looks and notes that the engine and transmission have less than 1,000 miles on them since they were completely rebuilt, as such he describes the car as a 'showcar driver'. Included in the sale are an additional set of painted wire wheels (for show), jack, toolkit and owner's manual as well as an extensive restoration file.