26th Jul, 2017 13:15

Imperial War Museum Duxford

 
  Lot 32
 

1964 Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII


Lot details
Registration No: EFD772B
Chassis No: H-BJ8-L/26416
Mot Expiry: July 2018

- The original sales invoice shows this splendid looking Austin-Healey 3000 was sold new to a lady in Tucson, Arizona, in July 1964

- Appearing to remain with the original owner until being sold in August 1989 and promptly exported to England, converted to RHD, and registered in June 1990

- Only two UK owners who both invested significantly in the matching-numbers car with the right people to make it a fabulous example in looks, sound, and drivability

The original sales invoice and Arizona title documents on file for this fabulous looking Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII (Phase 1) show it was ordered on July 18th 1964 from Precision Motors in Tucson for delivery that Sunday at 1:00pm. It was titled to two ladies, and seeing as Nancy Lee Burks was just 25 years old at the time, it is presumed that Mary was her mother and perhaps the shiny Colorado Red British sports car was a very generous 25th birthday present. The car did not stray far during its life in America, as after being supplied by Precision Motors (a company that is still thriving today as Toyota dealership) for the sum of $4,254.65 including a radio and taxes, Nancy Lee lived just a few blocks away from Precision and retained the car until 1989 by which time she was fifty years old and her maiden name of Burks had become Thomas.

After selling the car in August 1989 it appears the car was promptly exported to England and converted to right hand drive, presumably by Barrie Richards of Barries Garage, Smethwick. Sold by Barries Garage (trading as Bellbrook Limited) in August 1990 to a Mr Grant Nowell-Mitchell of Pershore, its history since is well documented by its two enthusiastic UK owners.

Mr Nowell-Mitchell preceded to use the car sparingly over the summer months for the next few years, and upon extracting the car from the garage in 1999 it was apparent that a furry creature had enjoyed nibbling away at the original black vinyl interior. 1999 proved to be an expensive year as a new black leather interior was installed in August along with the fitment of Minilite style road wheels, and in November the engine was sent somewhere to be fitted with new pistons, camshafts, aluminium radiator, triple Weber 45 carburettors, and a stainless-steel exhaust manifold and system.

However, a mechanical failure resulted in Mr Nowell-Mitchell requesting the Austin-Healey experts Denis Welch Motorsport to build a Fast Road Engine for him. During 2001 and 2002 over £15,000 was spent on the car building the engine with steel crank and rods and performance inlet manifolds as well as many other engine works, plus thoroughly overhauling the suspension. The gearbox is reported to have received attention but no invoice is available, whereas the invoices from Denis Welch thoroughly detailing the works are in the file.

The vendor (an historic racing competitor aboard a Ford Mustang) purchased the car from Denis Welch Motorsport in September 2011 after Mr Nowell-Mitchel is believed to have passed away. After Denis Welch carried out a service the car was sent to world renowned historic racing experts Blakeney Motorsport for fast-road and light competition preparation. During the next two years over £22,000 were spent on the car on works such as fitting competition front and rear wheel hubs, larger front brake discs and callipers, uprated rear brake drums, fitting a superb sounding side-exit exhaust, modifying the driver's seat to offer extra side support, new rear suspension springs, a new steering box, and an overhauled rear axle with new LSD unit. To complete the works, the paint was refreshed in late 2012.

After taking part in events such as the 2012 VSCC Pomeroy Trophy at Silverstone, Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) Spring Sprint at Goodwood, Aston Martin Owners Club Summer Sprint at Goodwood, and the 2013 VSCC Pomeroy Trophy and GRRC Spring Sprint, and car was retired from competitive work and has since been used as an extremely enjoyable road car.

This is a thoroughly sorted, super looking, and fabulous sounding Austin-Healey 3000 that has had an extraordinary amount of love and money lavished upon it by the best names in the historic car world. There can only be a few 3000 MkIII's out there that have their original supplying documents, are presented in their original colours, still have their original matching numbers engine, plus have had such significant recent expenditure. This is one of them.

Accompanying the car are the previously mentioned original sales invoice and Arizona title documents, plus a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate (which states overdrive, wire wheels and a heater as the main extra equipment), the previous owners detailed account of his ownership dated October 2010, the front and rear bumpers, about fifteen previous MOT certificates, and a comprehensive number of invoices from Denis Welch Motorsport and Blakeney Motorsport detailing all the work carried out on the car.
 

All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.

You can collect your new pride and joy from our venue until 1pm the day following the sale or our partners are on hand to help arrange safe transportation:

               

Auction: Imperial War Museum Duxford, 26th Jul, 2017

View all lots in this sale

Do you have an item to sell?

If so, contact one of our friendly specialists for your free valuation by completing the form below and someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you prefer to speak to humans, don't hesitate to call our office on +44 (0)1925 210035

Contact Us Today!

 

Images

Drag and drop .jpg images here to upload, or click here to select images.


Turning the Page: A New Chapter for H&H Classics
Goon, Goon, Gone: Unique Peter Sellers 1960 Bentley heads to auction
Eclectic 150-plus classic car auction helps round out H&H’s milestone 30th year celebrations
One of the UK’s best driving Aston Martin DB5s heads to auction
Mid-century sports car icons race to Buxton auction
Former front cover ‘star’ heads to auction
Classic British motorcycles shine as 230 lots head to the National Motorcycle Museum auction
Racing legend Patsy Burt's Jaguar XK120 speeds to Buxton auction
22-strong single owner classic motorcycle collection heads to auction
Norton's racing heritage set to ignite the auction stage
Rare Frazer-Nash BMW with rich racing history to be auctioned
“The Rolls-Royce” of the motorcycle world, heads to      auction
Martini inspired Porsche 911 ‘RSR’ Tribute to head under the hammer
Rare ‘Car on Two Wheels’ heads to auction for the first time in 30 years
More than 100 classics sold in H&H’s 30th anniversary sale
Stunning classics worth more than £9 million offered in 30th anniversary auction
Rare Aston Martin DB1 heads to anniversary auction from long-term ownership
Rare Bentleys to star in 30th celebration auction
H&H Classics 30th Anniversary Auction
H&H unveils details of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Classic car owners handed ULEZ lifeline
H&H Classics auction Hurricane X-75 Prototype to National Motorcycle Museum
Vintage and modern classics lead the way at latest H&H sale
H&H offers exceptional range of vehicles spanning 11 individual decades
Pavilion Gardens. Wednesday 26th July 2023
A whimsical blast from the past: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang recreation heads to auction
From Italy with love: auction showcasing the essence of Italian design and sprezzatura
250 Motorcycles & Vintage Scooters Set To Go Under The Hammer!
March of the Mods: Lambretta owned by Paul Weller heads to auction
Lawbreakers to law enforcers: historic scooters with infamous connections up for sale
Jaguar SS100 among £2¼  million worth of classics sold at the Imperial War Museum
British classics to shine at H&H Classics’ sale
Historic Guinness Collection heads to auction
Browse The Catalogue Now! 135 Classic & Performance Cars To Go Under The Hammer.
Robbie Savage’s Ferrari F430 to be sold at H&H Classics
RAC Rally winning ‘Jaguar’ to be sold at auction
Former MP’s Bentley and Facel Vega ‘garage find’ among £1.3m worth of classics hammered away by H&H
Pavilion Gardens, Buxton Auction Preview Video
Genuine ‘matching numbers’ 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback among 89 strong classic car auction
Rare Facel Vega ‘garage find’ heads to auction
Indian 4 and Lambretta DL200
Golden opportunity to acquire famous limited edition Italjet scooter
H&H Classics commences landmark year with sale of 121 cars
‘Brand new’ Porsche 911 heading to auction after 21 years
Brooklands race winning Bentley to go under the hammer
Actor, Sir Michael Caine’s first car, heads to auction. £100,000 - £150,000
A Very Rare Survivor. A 1936 Indian Four. £50,000 - £60,000
A Car that will Unite Romantics and Cynics Alike. A 1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Limousine