If you are looking for a classic British sports car for a restoration project, then this Austin-Healey 3000 might be a great candidate. While it may not grab you initially, digging below the surface reveals a lot of promise in this car. You will find this 3000 listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and it is offered with a clear title. There must be a few people who can see the potential in this little classic because while the opening bid was $1,000, at the time of writing, bidding has reached $8,000, and the reserve hasn’t been met.
This little car is remarkably solid. The photos back the owner’s claim on this front. Personally, I’d be very inclined to do a full body-off restoration to ensure that it stays that way. The original rear fenders are both missing, but there are two fiberglass ones included with the car, along with two fronts. The floors all look solid, and the car is essentially complete. Even the soft-top looks like it is in good condition.
Some of the interior trim has been removed from the car, but it does actually all appear to be present. Apparently, the previous owner had commenced a restoration on the car, but he passed away. The car is essentially how it was when this occurred. The wooden dash fascia looks like it should restore without any real problem. Some of the existing interior trim is in decent condition, while some will need restoration. Thankfully, there are a number of suppliers who stock OEM and reproduction interior trim items. This will assist the new owner in this area.
It appears that a lot of the parts that have been removed from the car are present in this photo. As you can see, the seat frames look solid, and even some of the upholstery looks to be in good condition. The transmission cover is there, along with items like the ventilation hoses and the remaining interior trim items.
The 6-cylinder engine on the 3000 is a bit of an unknown quantity. Some components have been removed, but are still with the car. What is missing is the original set of HD8 SU carburetors. These are also relatively easy to source. The owner is unsure of the condition of the engine, as he hasn’t tried to turn it by hand. As you can see from this shot, he has fed hoses into all of the spark plug holes and has been pouring oil into the cylinders to let them soak. That’s a pretty smart move in my book.
The Mark III Austin-Healey 3000 was introduced in February 1964 and remained in production until late in 1967. The company built a total of 17,712 of them, and the vast majority were exported, mainly to the USA. It is still possible to buy a nice example where it is either completely original, or it has undergone a complete restoration. However, if you are determined to follow that path, then you had better be sure that you have somewhere between $50,000 and $110,000 in the bank, depending on just how fussy you intend being. This 3000 needs some work, but there is a lot of work that can be done for $50,000, and you would also have the satisfaction of knowing that you did the work.
What is the maximum height you can be before you cant drive one of these?
It’s a convertible.
In the legs, an in-seam of about 34″. I outgrew my Mom’s at about 18 yrs. old
Thanks Al. At a 36-37″ inseam it seems I’m spared quite a few British roadsters. I once sat in a Triumph GT6 with the permanent hard top. Getting in was no small feat then there was the question of driving it ….. not possible. Could not clutch it so I could not drive it. The seller tried to convince me but I knew if I bought it I would eventually tire of trying to get in and half arse driving it. Here’s another I can check of my list.
good point, but your knees can still be very much so part of the dash even if your head is clear of the roof.
I mean maybe you can stand up and drive…
Get two (2), one for each foot. Kind of like a Roman Standing race (a type of horse racing).
I’m 6 ft 2in, owned a BN7 and had no trouble fitting into it. Both leg room and head room were sufficient. The only problem was that the wife would never travel in it because the exhaust ran straight under the passenger seat (RHD model) and it was too hot to be comfortable especially in South African summers. No amount of heat shields managed to satisfy her so I sold it for peanuts.
Rebuilt the body on a ’55 that looked similar to this one conditionwise. Only thing I can say is they are very complicated and probably came from the factory with rust in them. Catch them early you can save them. My thought is that if I put my ’55 next to this one before we rebuilt it you wouldn’t have enough metal between the two of them to build one car.
Looks like he jacked it from the front crossmember, which is now damaged (and probably was before judging by the crustiness). Never use a jack under the crossmember on a Healey!
Overall a reasonable starting point for a restoration if the price stays around 10k.
I am 6’0″ and can get in and out of my ’79 Midget………with some difficulty.
Yea, i’m 6’4″
I’m 6’2″ but with only a 32′ inseam, my spine is long. I have owned 6 AH’s including a 1967 for 25 years. I fit ok. I did move the seat rails back as far as I could. I also had a GT6 as a daily driver for several years. I had a Honda Z600 for 2 years, and could fit.
Spridgets won’t work, Spitfires did. (Had 2)
Hagerty currently values these at $47,900 for a “good” condition car to $80,900 for one graded as “excellent.” A spike in prices three years ago brought a bunch of them out of their barns and onto the market. Not uncommon. This surplus has continued to flatten values, but my gut tells me they’re set to take off again and that hammer prices in the $200,000 range aren’t too far distant. But my gut and a buck twenty-five will barely buy you gum. I’d roll the dice at $15,000 on this one. Maybe.
Had a BJ8 while in High School. I was 6’3 and 260#.
I looked so smooth driving that thing, I could have gotten leg cramps and still looked cool!
There are many things you can do to a Healey
To squeeze a few more inches out of them.
I’m 6’3 225 lbs. I fit in my Healey better 30 years ago but that said I always looked too tall in it according to friends. But I must say it’s easier in and out than the shoe horning needed to get in or out of my Sunbeam Tiger..