2007-08-21 11:10:02 | pauls writes:

Car was at auction in '05
www.motorbase.com/auctionlot/by-id/1692084015/

Auction info:
Exceptional Motor Cars, Christies (18th August 2005)
1964 AUSTIN-HEALEY 3000 MK III CONVERTIBLE
Healey blue with dark blue interior

This superbly well-restored example was sold new by Orange Motors of Miami to a local lady by the name of June E. Herath. A copy of the original sales invoice notes that she traded in her Triumph TR4 for this example and that a radio was thrown in at no extra charge by the dealer. It is reported that she had ordered the Healey in black thus when the blue car arrived she had it painted (albeit the original color was still prevalent in the trunk, engine bay and other areas not so easy for a bodyshop to access). After sixteen years in her custody, she sold the car in October 1980 to Jim Wicklein of Boca Raton (a short drive north of Miami) who kept the car for six years before it was bought by fellow Boca Raton resident Bob Dostal. Dostal, a Healey aficionado, spent the next three years carrying out a cosmetic and mechanical restoration and in the fall of 1992 he completely rebuilt the engine and drivetrain. After approximately 2,500 miles of use in the following three years, Dostal stripped the car once more for a freshen-up and later sold it to another local individual who maintained and lightly used the car. The last repaint, again to concours standards, was done in 2000.

The car today is described as being in concours condition and reportedly drives equally well. For nearly twenty years this fastidiously maintained Healey has commanded a huge amount of time and effort to ensure its standard never faltered and thus has to rank as one of the finest examples extant.
Lot Details
Auction Exceptional Motor Cars
Christies, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Type Car
Lot Number 59
Estimate $60000-$80000
Outcome SOLD
Hammer Price $52875
Hammer Price (inc premium) -
Year 1964
Condition rating
Registration number
Mileage -
Chassis number HBJ8L27357
Engine number 29K-RU-H2068