Auction Pick of the Week: 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8 Mk III
Wire wheels, a convertible top, a six-cylinder engine, sharp styling, and even sharper handling. During the golden era of British sports cars, Austin-Healey combined those ingredients to create an instant classic.
If you have a hankering for top-down British motoring, check out our Hagerty Marketplace auction pick of the week, this 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8 Mk III.
The 3000’s story began at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1952. Designer Donald Healey unveiled the Healey 100, denoting the car’s top speed of 100 mph. It was a hit, and Healey had to partner with BMC, the owners of Austin, to keep up with orders.
Austin-Healey dropped in a six-cylinder engine in 1956 to make the 100/6. The displacement increased to 2902 cc in 1959, and the 3000 was born. Known as the Big Healey to differentiate it from the smaller Sprite, the 3000 racked up 43,000 sales during its eight-year production run, with most cars sold in the U.S. market.
By its final production year of 1967, the Big Healey was in its third iteration. The Mk III introduced improvements to the interior, like a wood dashboard and a 2+2 seating arrangement. The car’s 2.9-liter inline-six, breathing through two SU carburetors, was good for 148 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque. All 3000s came with a four-speed manual, and most North American cars were equipped with a finicky Laycock de Normanville overdrive.
Our feature car is a 1967 model that has been owned by the same family since October 1971. The 3000 is finished in Metallic Golden Beige—a one-year-only color for the 3000—with a red leather interior with a black folding soft top. To make the Austin-Healey more usable in modern traffic, the car has a few upgrades: The transmission has been changed to a Toyota W58 five-speed ‘box, a popular swap for these cars. Also, the radiator fan has been upgraded to an electric push-fan for more reliable cooling.
The Big Healey was treated to an extensive restoration in 2011. Since the work is now 12 years old, the car wears a few flaws: The paint is chipping in the driver door jamb, stress-cracking in the paint is present around the hood, and minor pitting is visible on the chrome bumper and wire wheels. The good news, however, is that the undercarriage is remarkably clean.
Twisty roads, tweed jackets, and a straight-six-cylinder soundtrack are calling. Don’t miss out on this Austin-Healey 3000. The auction ends on Monday, June 19, at 4:20 pm EDT.
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