8th Jun, 2011 15:00
The Pavilion Gardens
1966 Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII
Sold for £54,000
(including buyers premium)
Lot details
Registration No: VLO 53
Chassis No: HBJ8-37142
Mot Expiry: April 2012
Formerly the property of Victor Gauntlett
Restored by Nigel Dawes
Donald Healey's eponymous company built a prototype two-seater sports car for display at the 1952 London Motor Show. It was based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals and sported a sleek body designed by Gerry Coker and built by Tickford. It was dubbed the 'Healey Hundred' (a moniker chosen to reflect the car's ability to reach 100mph), and, subject to a suitably encouraging response, Healey planned to build production versions in-house at his factory in Warwick. As things transpired, not only did the Ice Blue prototype more than impress the public, but also so excited Austin's Managing Director, Leonard Lord, that he struck a deal to build the car in volume at Longbridge. The newcomer was renamed the Austin Healey 100. The rest, as they say, is history.
The 'Big' Healey enjoyed steady development with the four-cylinder cars giving way to the 100-Six of 1956, which was replaced by the first of the 3000s in 1959. The final iteration was the 3000 MKIII, which was launched in October 1963 and mildly upgraded (Phase 2) in May the following year. The most powerful and luxurious of all the derivatives, it had lively performance courtesy of its 150bhp straight-six engine and featured such niceties as wind-up windows and a walnut-veneer fascia. 3000 production closed at the end of 1967 after 42,926 had been made, 17,712 of which were MKIIIs.
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.
Registration No: VLO 53
Chassis No: HBJ8-37142
Mot Expiry: April 2012
Formerly the property of Victor Gauntlett
Restored by Nigel Dawes
Donald Healey's eponymous company built a prototype two-seater sports car for display at the 1952 London Motor Show. It was based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals and sported a sleek body designed by Gerry Coker and built by Tickford. It was dubbed the 'Healey Hundred' (a moniker chosen to reflect the car's ability to reach 100mph), and, subject to a suitably encouraging response, Healey planned to build production versions in-house at his factory in Warwick. As things transpired, not only did the Ice Blue prototype more than impress the public, but also so excited Austin's Managing Director, Leonard Lord, that he struck a deal to build the car in volume at Longbridge. The newcomer was renamed the Austin Healey 100. The rest, as they say, is history.
The 'Big' Healey enjoyed steady development with the four-cylinder cars giving way to the 100-Six of 1956, which was replaced by the first of the 3000s in 1959. The final iteration was the 3000 MKIII, which was launched in October 1963 and mildly upgraded (Phase 2) in May the following year. The most powerful and luxurious of all the derivatives, it had lively performance courtesy of its 150bhp straight-six engine and featured such niceties as wind-up windows and a walnut-veneer fascia. 3000 production closed at the end of 1967 after 42,926 had been made, 17,712 of which were MKIIIs.
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.
Auction: The Pavilion Gardens, 8th Jun, 2011
All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.
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