1960 Austin-Healey 3000 MkI (BT7)

This lovely 3000 Mk I BT7 was despatched as a home-market car on the 2nd July 1960 to Central Garage Ltd. in Bradford finished in Colorado Red over Black, with a black interior topped by a black hard top, prior to being first registered on the 8th July 1960. The accompanying Heritage Certificate, issued on the 29th August 1989, and current V5C confirms the above whist correspondence on file details the car’s history starting with the its second owner who purchased the 3000 on the 18th November 1967. The Healey was subsequently passed on to his son, a Mr. C. of Bolton, in 1985 and he confirmed the car’s ownership history and mileage of 61,557 in a signed declaration dated 7th March 2001.

The third recorded keeper, a Mr. W. of Aylesbury, bought the car on 25th April 2001 and the accompanying album of photographs shows it to be in need of a bit of restoration. Our vendor, who purchased it on 3 February 2011, informs us that the car’s body was restored by noted Healey specialist JME of Leamington Spa and the cylinder head was reconditioned and converted to unleaded with a Denis Welch manifold and an exhaust system fitted around the same time. A new clutch and re-furbished Overdrive enhance the driving experience whilst the electronic ignition offers reassurance at the turn of the key. The painted wire wheels have recently been shod with a set of Michelin XAS tyres.

Our vendor commissioned the re-trimming of the interior in black leather, with seats piped in red, installed a Moto-Lita steering wheel and fitted a new full size tonneau cover. The black hard top has never been fitted as the car has only been used sparingly on dry days, covering some 2,000 miles in eleven years, for a total of 64,473 miles now recorded at the time of cataloguing. With a collection of motorcars that includes, amongst others, a Derby Bentley, a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL and a modern Bentley Continental GTC, our vendor wishes to make space for an Aston Martin DB6. Whilst acknowledging that the car’s paintwork is perhaps more suited to anxiety-free touring rather than the scrutiny of a Concours lawn, our vendor’s confidence in the underbody and mechanicals will be confirmed by a fresh MOT prior to the sale.

It will be presented to auction with a large and detailed history file containing historic MOT Certificates, the aforementioned correspondence, photograph album, reams of maintenance receipts, the Heritage Certificate and the V5C showing our vendor as the fourth registered keeper.