Donald Healey’s early life revolved around aircraft, not automobiles. After serving in the Royal Flying Corps, he decided to stay on the ground and developed an interest in sports cars, first with Triumph and then, after the Second World War, at the helm of his own company. The Donald Healey Motor Company started with elegant, upmarket cars, but found its success in building small sports cars with more accessible price tags.

It was the fledgling company that debuted a 100-mph open-top car at the Earls Court Motor Show in London 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 Hundred 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 grab bag 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.

The 1965 Austin-Healey Mark III BJ8 offered here was delivered new in New York in the spring of 1965 in Ivory White over red leather with a black top. This well-equipped model wore wire wheels wrapped in whitewall tires, an adjustable steering column, a laminated windscreen, overdrive, a heater, and a black tonneau cover when it left the factory at Abingdon.

Today, the fully restored roadster retains a red interior that contrasts beautifully with its champagne paint. Its chrome shines and its auxiliary driving lamps flank an RAC badge that emphasizes its period charm. Underhood, its straight-six is well detailed. A spare tire and jack are included, as well.