Lot details
Registration No: 580 UYX
Chassis No: HBT7L08734

- Steering brakes and suspension refurbished

- Reconditioned gearbox and overdrive

- Recent professional respray

This smartly-presented lefthand drive MKI 3000 is a BT7 (ie 2+2 seater) example that's been the subject of considerable restoration in recent times. Its Red bodywork is teamed with Black interior trim and Red carpets. To quote the vendor, 'the list of new parts is endless', but suffice to say: the car has been stripped and resprayed; a reconditioned gearbox and overdrive unit courtesy of a reputable Healey specialist have been installed; and the steering, brakes and suspension have all been refurbished to one degree or another. The vendor summarises by saying 'the engine pulls well with good oil pressure and the car look and sounds fantastic. Thanks to the new running gear it also handles great'. '580 UYX' is now being offered complete with invoices for all the replacement parts.

As history relates, Donald Healey's prototype sports car based on A90 mechanicals caused such a stir at the 1952 London Motorshow, it was immediately adopted by Austin and put into mainstream production as the Austin-Healey 100 (the 100 referring to its potential top speed).

From that moment, the model enjoyed steady development, with the early four-cylinder cars giving way to the 100-Six in 1956, which in turn was replaced by the first of the 3000s in 1959. By now the engine capacity had risen to 2912 cc and the power to 124bhp - sufficient to grace the standard car with a 0-60mph time of 11.4 seconds and top speed of 114mph. There was the option of Laycock de Normanville overdrive for the four-speed gearbox and braking had been improved by the adoption of discs at the front. There were two body options - a two-seater (BN7) or occasional four-seater (BT7). By the time the MKI 3000 was superseded by the MKII in 1961, a total of 2,825 BN7s and 10,825 BT7s had been produced.