2011-07-18 19:01:40 | pauls writes:

Car was at auction 6/11
www.classic-auctions.com/Auctions/08-06-2011-ThePavilionGardens-1290/1966Austin- ...

Auction description:
Lot Number: 26
1966 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII
Sold For £52,800

Reg Number: VLO 53
Chassis Number: HBJ8-37142
Engine Number: 689277RS42443
Cc: 3020
Body Colour: Green
Trim Colour: Green
MOT ExpiryDate: April 2012

Formerly the property of Victor Gauntlett

Restored by Nigel Dawes

The beautifully presented MKIII Phase 2 example being offered was first registered on November 4th 1966. It is finished in Green with a Green leather interior. The vendor, the seventh keeper, acquired the Healey from renowned Aston Martin specialist Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd in December 2002, at which time the odometer apparently registered 19,500 miles - it now shows 21,840. The previous owner was the late Victor Gauntlett, the founder of Pace Petroleum and one time chairman and shareholder of Aston Martin Lagonda.

As one would imagine, this is no ordinary 'Big' Healey, but a very special fast road example restored and subtly uprated by Nigel Dawes and well known among the surviving members of the Healey family, and such marque specialists as John Chatham and Steve Norton; both of whom have recent knowledge of 'VLO 53'. The salient items of the car's impressive specification reportedly include:

Engine/Gearbox/Fuel system: 3020cc. Lightened/individually balanced, crank/rods/pistons/flywheel/SFI crank damper. Notched block, fully worked cast iron cylinder head. Triple 45DCOE Webers (with period, correct length 16 degree upsweep inlet manifolds), operated by DW twin throttle cable assembly and custom linkage. DWR8 profile cam with short bucket cam followers and long tubular push rods. DW alloy sump, remote oil filter and cooler assembly. All Aeroquip lines. Twin-contact Mallory and MSD6AL ignition system, 8mm spiral core HT leads. DW competition high torque starter and alternator kit. DW 8000 rpm (non-wobbly!) rev counter. Tubular exhaust manifolds and twin side-exit exhaust system, plus spare 104 db legal DW race silencer. AH Spares alloy radiator and silicone hoses. Cape two-speed heater box assembly. AHS standard capacity alloy fuel tank. Correct three-synchro gearbox and competition overdrive unit, with gearlever switch. All new clutch hydraulics.

Running Gear: Denis Welch tandem master cylinder with twin servo front/rear disc hydraulics with balance adjustable via Wilwood apportioning valve in rear circuit. New calliper seals, copper lines and Aeroquip hoses. New springs, Torrington needle roller king pin swivels, Cape adjustable camber pins. Denis Welsh 1-inch rose-jointed, quick change anti-roll bar kit, plus lowering kit and bump stop spacers. New rear top links plus DW rose-jointed anti-tramp kit. Adjustable Armstrong levers plus DW rose-joint link kit. Joints full polybushed. Hardy Engineering 3.5:1 final drive. New front/rear wheel bearings/seals. Cape collapsible column assembly plus DW constant clearance steering worm assembly and quick release Moto-Lita wheel.

External: steel wings. 6.5 and 7.5-inch special lace Borrani wheels. Long/short tonneau covers. Soft top in black, piped green. White hard top plus vent.

Spares: Good (quiet) 3.9:1 final drive plus Quaife LSD assembly. Bendix starter, dynamo etc. Good, permanent set -50 mm rear springs.

Misc: Arsenal of bills from Cape, Denis Welch, AH Spares etc. totalling circa £15,000 for parts only. All cycle parts listed fitted within last 1000 miles.

Taxed until the end of June and MOT'd into April next year, 'VLO 53' is surely one of the most desirable road-going 'Big' Healeys of all and its sale represents a unique opportunity for marque enthusiasts the world over.

2017-07-09 13:45:42 | Steve Byers - BJ8 Registry writes:

Engine serial number 689277RS42443 indicates a factory-replacement engine, but the correct number would be 68G277RS42443 (a G after the 68, not 9).