2022-08-11 13:38:13 | pauls writes:

Car at auction 8/22

themarket.bonhams.com/en/listings/austin-healey/mk-2/a5d7f610-4a85-495e-a479-4c1 ..._source=Market+Users&utm_campaign=a6e711216d-TM_UK_EMAIL_STS_26_5_20 ...

Auction description:

Seller Repco

Location: The Market HQ, Abingdon, United Kingdom

Seller Type: Private

Odometer Reading: 63000

Engine: 3000

Gearbox: manual

Steering position: RHD

Colour: Burgundy Red

Interior: Black Leather

Estimated Price: £35,000 - £40,000

Presented in Burgundy Red with a black hide interior, this Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII looks stunning – and not just because it’s such a gorgeous shape. The paintwork gleams and the chromework glistens – and it’s almost certainly better finished now than it was when it was new.

Sitting on iconic wire wheels, the combination of swooping curves and summer sun makes this a classic that would be as at home wafting down to Le Mans as it would be pootling to your local pub.

In the care of its owner since 2009, this delightful slice of English motoring heritage is being offered with a sensible reserve, making this your chance to get your hands on the Big Healey you’ve always promised yourself.

On the Outside

As we mentioned in the introduction, this is an Austin-Healey whose fit ‘n’ finish is way better than the factory would have achieved in period. Some of that is due to improvements in paint technology of course, but a lot is because it’s clearly had an awful lot of time invested to get everything to fit so well.

It’s also partly due to a refresh of the paintwork by in June 2018 by Kennington Motors of Oxford. Finished in Burgundy Red, it looks absolutely stunning.

The chromework is good. There is some tarnishing, most noticeably around the windscreen (i.e. #73), but it’s very good overall and only the most fastidious of owners would feel the need to do anything about it other than keep it polished.

The roof furls neatly and sits under a beautifully made mohair cover. Raised, the hood fits tightly and, as you can see, is free of damage bar two small areas of wear on its leading edge. Neither is visible with the roof up, so sorting it out is, again, entirely dependent on how fussy you are.

Speaking of which, there is also a grubby but good tonneau cover and once it’s been cleaned up it will provide a decent amount of weather protection for those chilly but bright days when you don’t want to put the roof up but do want to keep as much of the heat in the cockpit as possible.

The 15-inch chromed, centrelock wire wheels run straight and true. They look great and are fitted with a matching set of Fulda tyres.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Faults? Apart from the inevitable stonechips and marks, there are small cracks in the paint on the bonnet and boot.

On the Inside

The black hide interior is nothing short of stunning. With only the gentlest of creasing to the driver’s seat, the rest is pretty much as it was when it was first installed; one of the advantages of a car whose value has risen is that folk aren’t afraid to spend the right money to get things done properly - and this looks to have been done very well indeed.

The vintage-style steering wheel is both huge and upright, making it the focal point of your interaction with the car. That’s fine though because you want your classic sportscar to drive like a classic sportscar, don’t you?

To this end you also get hip-hugging bucket seats up front, although two rear seats and a pair of lap belts mean you can share the fun with a couple of children.

Other sporting cues include an array of ivory-faced Smiths dials, a resolutely mechanical gearchange, and a view that includes that iconic bonnet bulge.

The boot is pretty good and includes a tool kit and a hidden ignition cut-off switch, which would do double duty as both an anti-theft device and a way to stop the battery draining when the car’s not being used.

An auxiliary oil temperature gauge has been fitted and that its black face contrasts with the ivory faces of the rest is the worst thing we can find to say about the cockpit speaks volumes as to its condition.

In fact, it took some close inspection to find an area of wear on the nearside edge of the dashboard (#69) that might need attention in addition to the nearside window, which is currently propped tight with a bit of cardboard as it rattles.

Underneath

As you can see, the inline-six engine bursts into life at the touch of a button. It also shows good oil pressure, revs cleanly and makes the sort of noise that means you’ll be blipping the throttle at every opportunity.

The engine bay is beautiful. Reminiscent of the sort of ship’s engine that tended by a chap in a brown lab coat, only the odd rusty fastener spoils its good looks but then if you’ve an interest in automotive engineering, the Healey’s analogue nature means you can fiddle and fettle to your heart’s content without recourse to anything more electronically sophisticated than a test lamp.

That said, we do think that Mallory electronic ignition is a worthwhile upgrade, as is the Kenlowe fan. Small things maybe, but these two make a disproportionate difference to life with a classic car and we applaud their fitment.

The four-speed gearbox was rebuilt by Denis Welch, the well-known Austin-Healey engineer, in April 2021, at which point it was also given a new 9.5” heavy duty clutch and a service. The final bill came to £5,136.

The underside looks to be strong and solid. There is, however, some overspray and cracking underseal, so we can see the new owner would probably want to tidy things up under there given how good the rest of the car is.

History Highlights

Built on the 15th and 16th of May 1963, it was delivered to H. A. Saunders Limited of Finchley on the 21st of May. We are told that it also spent a part of its life in Germany, which is where the owner bought it in 2009; this is why the V5 says no previous keepers

Complete with a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust factory record sheet, the 3000 also comes with a Driver’s Handbook and a stack of old invoices and bills, so when you come to see it (and you really should because it’s gorgeous) please do set aside some time to flip through the paperwork while you’re here.

The 3000 doesn’t have a current MOT certificate and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MOT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…