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One of the funnest parts of buying a classic car is doing the investigation work to discover the car’s full story. Few cars tell the kind of stories that old race cars do. Some are easy to dig up all their history, while others are almost complete mysteries. This 1960 Austin Healey 3000 was clearly used for racing at some point, but the seller doesn’t provide any information about its history. Based on the logo, this car was clearly called The Eliminator, but that is the only clue we have to go by at this point. You can start the investigation by viewing it here on eBay in Fresno, California. And if you dig up any history on this old racer, please share! Thanks to Jim S for this tip!
This looks more to be a 100-6 not a 3000
The serial number given in the ad shows it to be a 3000.
It’s hard to imagine what type of “race car” this poor old thing was conceived to be. It sure doesn’t look like it was prepped with the safety equipment needed to race in any sanctioned road racing event conducted in the last 50 years. The “Eliminator” name, the crude wide rear fender flares and the dump pipe in front of the driver’s door point to this possibly being used in drag racing, if indeed it ever competed anywhere.
Here is my question: What the heck are the two tow balls on the bars protruding from under the front of the car intended for?
960 Austin Healey. “The Eliminator”. Up for auction is an original one owner California Austin Healey 3000, known as ‘the Eliminator’. This car held the record for many years as the worlds fastest accelerating stock Healey in the 1/4 mile. The owner successfully raced this car throughout California and bordering states (please read the page inserted in the pictures). The car does need restoration. We had the larger than factory (2″) carbs rebuilt and added an electric fuel pump; the engine starts and runs off an external fuel bottle and a battery jump. The engine has very good even compression (150 lbs) and sounds healthy; probably has a cam and does have headers with a short exhaust pipe. We put the car in gear and started the engine and the car jumped forward, that is the most that we have moved the car under its own power. With power to the battery, the lights work, the wipers work, the oil pressure gauge and the rpm/rev counter works. Some cool features of the car include a coffee-can ‘heat sink’ to keep the fuel cool as it goes into the carbs. The owner has added a gear-shifter handle to the brake pedal so that all three pedals could be worked together when launching the car from a start. The best was re-routing the washer fluid for the wipers to the rear of the cars over the tires to cool them and or help them spin easier to warm ’em up! The frame and suspension looks to be very solid. The floors are good, but do have some rust through in a few places towards the rear.The bottoms of the doors have rust through, the trunks is also mostly solid with some rust through towards the rear of the trunk floor.
My guess for the tow balls is for a tow bar to take it to the track
If your searching…
Being for sale in Fresno would bring up the possibility that this car ran at Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield. In years past the drag season always kicked off at Famoso during the NHRA Bakersfield March Meet. Bakersfield then had runs all season long. I believe Famoso is back to life at present.
Could be a 100-6 or a 3000. The early 3000 looked almost identical to the 100-6. It wasn’t until the 3000 Mk 2 that the details looked very different.
If ‘bill foss’ is the Ebay seller, then he says it’s a 1960 which makes it a 3000 Mk 1, and the VIN is a 3000 Mk 1 as rapple said. The gearshift lever also says it’s a Mk 1 and not a Mk 2, and its success as a drag racer would also argue for 3 litres instead of 2.6. If ‘bill foss’ is the seller maybe his story here on BF will get into the Ebay listing….assuming it’s actually the story of this car. He refers to having the HD8 carbs rebuilt, and those are the ones on this car, so….
Unfortunately there’s no tag shown up close in the photos, and there is still one on the firewall, so a closeup of that would be good to have in the listing. Interesting car and story, but if I owned it then or now probably the last thing I’d do is make it into a drag racer.
Not I – just love the research. Glenn Stephenson is the owner?
Judging by the badge attached to the left front of the grille, this is an Austin Healey 100/6.
The main difference between the 100/6 and the early 3000s was a larger displacement engine, and disk brakes on the front axle of the 3000. The “100” was named by Healey for the car’s ability to reach 100 mph (160 km/h); its successor brought out in 1959, the better known Austin-Healey 3000, was named for the 3000 cc displacement of its engine.
Great piece of history right there! Also, awesome investigation job from bill foss!
I’d love to have it restored to its former racing glory, and take a few spins on it!
I hope somebody recognizes its value as a race car and keep it like that!
Different Strokes, for sure. Great story by Glenn a year ago. One man’s passion.
Likely a potential buyer would not festore it to “as raced”, but who knows, it might get put back that way. Anyway, a pleasant read.
Bidding ended at $11,985, but the reserve was not met.
I guess I am not too surprised that the car did not snag what many of us would consider big bucks. The problem is not the car itself so much, as the prevailing wind among collector types. I personally think that the car and all of the history surrounding it is just off the charts cool. But IMO, to win at the collector hobby now, it would have to be historic with a Road Racing provenance, not as a 1320 specialist (nostalgic fire breathing draggers will bring ca$h, but this does not fit that mold). Or it would have to be stock/easily restorable as stock (and that would be a shame, to lose so much history).
This car needs a “White Knight” type who will restore at some level (at least to a runnable condition) and promote it for what it was and is. Family members often fill that role, but apparently that is not the case here.
From what I can see, if Glenn loves the car for all they have been through together and wants it to be maintained as a period drag car, he’ll have to come to terms with finding “that guy” who will preserve that legacy (by contract?) and let him have the car at a (lower than what he thinks it is worth) price. After a month on an international market, if the best it could do was $12K, then unfortunately that is sobering reality. And no telling what the highest bidder had in mind for the car, if he had won.
I had the chance to work in this car and fire it up after sitting 30 yrs…the shop i was at sold it back to Glenn. Glenn was an awesome guy and was really fun to speak to..told lots of stories about the Healey..i would love to own this car..anyone know what happened to it ?