*** Rare Original Austin Healey 3000 BJ8, Ready to Drive, Your Dream Car! ***

1966 Austin Healey 3000 Original Description

Presented for sale is a 1966 Austin Healey 3000 Mark III, Model BJ8.

• Same owner since 1975
• Mechanically Restored in 2011, ready for you to make it your dream car!
• Runs smooth and drives great!
• You will look great in this car...

The story of this Healey:

The ‘Healey’ was purchased by my Dad in1975 after he finished restoring and selling his Red MGB. He was seeking more horsepower, and the straight-6 was just the ticket. I have many memories of hearing him start-up the engine in the garage at my boyhood home, raise the hood, and goose the throttle over and over by hand while reaching into the engine compartment. We would drop the top, pile in, my brother and I in the backseat, and head out for ice-cream, or go to the pool to swim or play tennis, and enjoy the throaty engine sounds and the wind in our faces as we held our arms out the sides on our way home. The character of this car is overflowing, and always draws smiles and waves from passersby.

Prior to us, the Healey had one or two prior owners. I have documentation back to March 1970 in Maryland for the ownerprior to us. The car has a “New England MG Club” badge attached to the dash which we always thought was cool, so we never removed it. The person my Dad bought it from had failed to diagnose a stickingfuel pump, and so sold it to my Dad to deal with (I have the receipt!). He was happy with the reasonable price ($2000), and besides, he had me to tap on the fuel pump from thebackseat, or himself at a traffic light as needed (was the location made easily reachable from the driver seat on purpose?). I think my Dad ‘flipped’ or tweaked the rear suspension (leaf springs? Torsion?) to improve the ride and/or clearance, which (I think) was a common improvement made in the 70’s fordaily drivers.

In the late 70’s, my Dad bought a Datsun 240Z, and the Healey saw less use. In the early 80’s, the Healey went to Georgia for a long nap. He kept the Healey stored inthe barn, on the cool concrete floor, top down, from roughly 1983 until 2011. My Dadpassed the Healey to mefor my 40thbirthday, and we brought it back to Virginia on a trailer. We took it to Healey Surgeon in Tacoma Park, MD, and had them mechanically restore it over the winter (I have the receipts). My Dad and I drove it home in January, and stayed remarkably warm with the top up and windows rolled up. I put normal VA tags on it, and it passed VA safety inspection, even though the mechanic had trouble turning on the high beams… (foot switch?) The only modification we did was to reverse the polarity of the electrical system, in case we ever wanted to add any 12-volt accessories (we have not). This can be reversed if desired, with the only component that needed modification was the speedometer (sent to a shop in California for recalibration?). The battery cables are original, with the original red/black colors, so pay attention to the battery terminals instead of the cable colors if you need to jump start it. We replaced only what we needed to make it drivable. That included two wheels, all four tires, lots of fluids and rubber, brakes, fuel tank with leather straps, fuel pump, radiator, enhanced cooling fan, addition of in-line fuel filter just before carbs, etc. The over-drive works, and is awesome. We never tried/used the heat. It has some holes in the exhaust, but that lets the throaty exhaust sounds out even better in my opinion. It will need new paint someday, and the rocker panels and outriggers need rust work.

We took it to a few local car shows and gatherings, including some Cars and Coffee events, and a British Car Show called "Britain on the Green". I will always treasure seeing my Dad’s giant smile on his face in the driver’s seat zooming down the parkway. We had fun driving between the rain drops a few times as well, thinking “Does it make sense to have the wipers on and the top down? Oh well, we’re almost home…“ I hope this car can make as many awesome memories for your family as it has for ours.

Services done at Healey Surgeon's in Takoma Park, MD in 2011: tune up, complete maintenance, rebuild carbs, new negative ground fuel pump, new gas tank. Complete replacement of brake and clutch hydraulics and hoses, Recore radiator with higher capacity core, new water pump and 6 blade factory fan, new tires & 2 ft chrome wire wheels. New front wheel bearings, new seal in rear axle. New Battery in 2017.