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• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia
• Sale Date:
  19 Jun 2016 ~ 3pm
• Lot #:
  34
• Lot Description:
  1963 AUSTIN-HEALEY 3000 BJ7 Mk.11A CONVERTIBLE
  Covered less than 600 kms since full restoration; Chassis No: HBJ7L24836; Engine No: 29FRUH5708; This vehicle will be sold unregistered.
• Notes:
  The Austin-Healey is an icon in the truest sense of the word. This fine-looking sports car's form and design has more than captured the hearts and seized the imagination of 4 generations of driving enthusiasts as an object of uncritical devotion. It all began when the Healey 100 prototype was released at the London Motor Show, in 1952, as a joint project between Donald Healey and BMC's Leonard Lord. It became the first affordable sports car capable of 100mph. Although it appeared the deal had materialised overnight to utilise the embarrassing numbers of Lord's engines made redundant by the failure of the Austin Atlantic it had in fact been in the wings for some time. Available for 850 GB pounds, America ordered $7million worth of stock immediately! And so, joining forces, Healey and Lord built a car they and the customers loved in its original design. Donald Healey said, 'I wanted to produce a very fast car capable of 100mph, which would also be exceptionally cheap to buy and easy and economical to maintain.' The body was styled by Gerry Coker and even as the car progressed from a 4 to a 6 cylinder engine and the fittings grew in sophistication, it retained the beguiling body styling. Tough, agile and reliable, the Austin Healey 100-4 and its derivatives became giants of rallying and sports car racing with namely Pat Moss driving a 100-6 and a 3000 in epic road races such as the LiŽge-Rome-LiŽge. Moss said, 'If you do not catch it after a couple of snakes it is a case of saying Goodbye and Good Luck.' By 1959, Austin-Healey released the 3000 offering the same familial charm as the 100-6 with updates including Girling front disk brakes and intrinsically a new BMC C-Series 2,912cc inline 6 cylinder engine capable of producing a top speed of 114mph even with the optional hard-top in place. The 3000 continued the marques' astonishing commercial success and formidable competition glories. And then, in 1961, the 3000 Mk. II was introduced with a restyled grille and bonnet intake and became the last 3000 available as a two-seater. Triple SU carburettors, a revised camshaft and a new gearbox produced 131bhp at 4,750rpm. In January 1962, the twin-carburettor Mk. II convertible BJ7 Sports (or Mk. IIA) appeared only as a 2+2 with refinements such as winding windows, curved windscreen, swivelling quarter-lights and fully collapsible soft-top with a detachable rear window. The forfeiture of one carburettor lost merely 2 bhp in performanceÑably compensated by the improved aerodynamics. Production of the Mk. II ceased after 5,095 2+2s and 355 2-seaters were built although the convertible continued until the introduction of the 3000 Mk. III, in 1963. Mossgreen Auctions is pleased to offer this twin-carburettor Austin Healey 3000 Mk. IIA 2+2 convertible. This car was delivered new to California in 1963 and imported to Western Australia in 1997 and acquired by the current owner in 2006. It has undergone a detailed four-year long 'back to bare metal' restoration, including: renewing the BJ8 pattern interior trim (indicating the car was one of the last BJ7s produced) with BJ7 trim by Tim Ward of Sports and Specialist Trimming; repair, rebuild or replace parts of the engine; differential and gearbox/overdrive reconditioned by Simon Gardiner from Power Play P/L; body work painted in Colorado Red attended to by the Healey Factory of Melbourne. Modern modifications are: the interior light system; wider Dayton chrome wire wheels with radial ply tyres; a wood rim steering wheel; the right hand drive conversion; a larger 7 core radiator and polarity change to negative earth. This car won the 2014 Austin-Healey Owners Club Road and Show Class 3000 Convertible BJ7-BJ8. It has travelled only 600kms since the project was completed in 2010 and is accompanied by comprehensive receipts and a photo album showing the exhaustive and meticulous restoration it has undergone. It is therefore a rare opportunity to purchase a vehicle of concours quality with a mere 600kms on the clock.
• Estimate:
  A$85,000 - 115,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.