The Donald Healey Motor Company debuted a 100 mph open-top sports car at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1952. Healey’s car attracted the interest of Austin Motor Company managing director Leonard Lord. The two signed an agreement, and the Austin-Healey 100 was on the road within a year. A straight six replaced the roadster’s four-cylinder engine in 1956, and in 1959 Austin-Healey reached into BMC’s lineup for the upsized 3.0-liter engine. The new car was badged Austin-Healey 3000, and it was aimed primarily at the American market, where its more powerful engine made the most of high-speed roads. Produced from 1959 through 1967 in three series, the Austin-Healey 3000 is arguably one of the most desirable of British sports cars and highly sought after by collectors and drivers alike. In many ways, it is nothing short of a motoring icon.

This Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III was built from 17–19 November 1965. A left-hand-drive example, it was destined for North America and left the factory finished in attractive Healey Blue over a Blue interior with matching convertible top. Factory equipment included wire wheels, heater, adjustable steering column, blue tonneau cover, whitewall tires, laminated windscreen, and overdrive. The car was shipped to the U.S. on 3 December 1965, destined for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Today the car presents beautifully, having benefitted from a frame-off rotisserie restoration by Healey specialist Lynn Cline. The car was refinished in its original shade of Healey Blue and fitted with a blue convertible top, as original. The exterior features dual Talbot-style side-view mirrors. During the restoration the straight six-cylinder engine was professionally rebuilt by Medina Motor Sport. The engine is paired to a four-speed manual transmission with electronic overdrive. The Mark III is brought to a halt via disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear and rides on Firestone F-560 radial tires mounted on chrome knock-off wire wheels; a full-size spare is stored in the trunk. The restoration has held up well, having mellowed nicely with age; the car’s undercarriage does show some signs of use, specifically with small corrosion starting at the bottom of the front bumper, presumably caused by rock chips, and dents in both rear exhausts. Overall the car is in wonderful condition and very presentable.

The interior is completed in the correct blue leather and features a luxurious cockpit with a Moto-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel and beautiful burlwood dash housing Smiths instrumentation. Two additional seats in the back provide occupancy for someone of smaller stature, perfect for kids. Seat belts for all four passengers ensure a safe journey. Weather protection is provided by roll-up windows and a blue convertible top. When the top is down, a tonneau cover serves the same purpose, giving the car a very sporting appearance.

This car is accompanied by an Austin-Healey 3000 Mark III Driver’s Handbook and the car’s British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate, the latter of which notes the car’s original factory specifications and confirms it to be a matching-numbers example, including the chassis, engine, and body. Additional documentation includes a copy of the most recent owner’s Bill of Sale and select service records under his ownership.

True to the way it left the factory, this highly desirable Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III is a wonderful example of the marque. Exquisitely restored, this Austin-Healey is the ideal driver’s car, with an iconic exhaust note that will entice anyone to keep pushing it.

Please note that collection of this car will take place from Auburn, Indiana.