Kit Cars are typically a hit-or-miss affair, with build quality a lucky dip, depending on the skills of the person bolting them together. Therefore, I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting one that is well above average. Titled as a 1991 vehicle, it is a stunning replica of a 1962 Austin-Healey 3000. Its presentation is virtually flawless, while the Ford V8 under the hood should provide exceptional performance. The seller has listed the Sebring here on Facebook Marketplace in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They set their price at $19,750, providing the new owner with plenty of “bang for their buck.”
This Healey led me on a merry chase, forcing me to don my deer-stalker hat to perform my best Sherlock Holmes impression. It seems to be a wide-body kit produced by a company called Classic Roadsters, of Sebring, Florida. From there, the trail basically goes cold. My research suggests that the company utilizes a bespoke frame that allows the installation of numerous drivetrain configurations. The body is a fiberglass Austin-Healey 3000 replica that features bulging fender flares and a louvered hood. The presentation is pretty impressive overall, although I find the soft-top fit pretty ordinary. It is the only jarring note, because the Red paint sparkles, the panels are excellent, and the chrome is in good order. The flared fenders perfectly cover reproduction wire wheels that add to the car’s visual appeal.
The 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 featured a 2,912cc six that sent 134hp and 167 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission with an optional overdrive. The ¼-mile ET of 16.8 was better than average for a vehicle of this type, as was the top speed of 114mph. That is pretty academic in this case because this car follows a path taken by classics like the original Cobra. Beneath the fiberglass body lurks a Ford 289ci V8, a three-speed C4 automatic transmission, and a Ford 9″ rear end. The engine specifications aren’t divulged, but it is a sure bet that it will provide significant improvements in both the power and torque figures. Therefore, the seller’s claim that it is a blast to drive sounds appropriate. They recently fitted new tires and performed work on the brakes and steering rack and will include the Build Sheets and a selection of parts. Potential buyers can consider this a turnkey proposition.
Even the best Kit Cars will often falter when attention turns to the interior fit and finish. That makes this Sebring a revelation because it is far better than most. The fit of the timber glovebox lid isn’t perfect, while the seats and wheel are obviously not genuine Healey items. However, the dash looks excellent, the vintage-style gauges perfectly suit the car’s character, and there is no visible carpet or upholstery wear. Hitting the road with the top down won’t cause the new owner embarrassment, and should draw positive comments.
Determining the value of any Kit Car is challenging because, like most modified classics, they are typically worth what someone is willing to pay. Therefore, I must use the potential value of a genuine 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 as a guide. One that presents as nicely as our feature car would typically change hands for around $25,000, although higher prices are quite common. This one may not be the genuine article, but it will undoubtedly offer superior performance and a bulletproof drivetrain combination. It has only been on the market for a few days, and I won’t be surprised if it finds a new home fairly quickly.
Nice car. Only flaw l see is the chrome trim around the wheel openings. Flares are fine but the extra trim makes the car look more like a kit than a stand alone build. I like it for what it is.
Nice job on a kit car. It’s a real shame they put an automatic in it tho it’ll appeal to the folks of a certain age that don’t want to clutch a car anymore.
Hey I resemble that remark. I agree I’d rather shift for myself but my left leg got tired in I-95 traffic. Now that I’m retired I can see me in this. P
I agree with you! Fox owner!
Cut my leg and count the rings to know how old I am, but I loved driving a stick for a long time. My first 5 cars where manuals. My last was a newly designed ‘92 Toyota Camry. I don’t think that car wanted to be a standard shift! It gave me so much trouble with bad struts, constantly cracked windshields, and sloppy breaks. I was involved in a fender bender mishap, due to the breaks not being adjusted properly. My car took the brunt of damage, whereas the car I hit was barely scratched!
Anyway, over the years, I got very tired of breaking and clutching in slow traffic. I know that you are truly in control, when you are driving a manual shift.
My left leg loves automatics!
the chrome on the wheel wells is a stick on product and could be easily removed….this is a “mx” version of the kit car that was originally built in fargo nd. the fiberglass is superior to most. the boating industry took a dive and classic roadsters hired a bunch of boat guys that had years of experience building figerglass boats. i have one and visited the factory before taking delivery. the way they took car of the molds was outstanding and led to great bodies. that isn’t red paint, the color was applied when making the molds. i lost track of them when they closed in fargo but understand that someone has the molds and has made attempts to start up again. i have no knowledge of where or when. i have a 400hp 350 with a 700r
have enjoyed it for years and taken many trips from wisconsin to flordia. drive straight as an arrow and really scoots. the price is right for this one. they typically go for between 19k to 25k…. i think this is a deal.
good luck to the lucky new owner.
I agree, a standard transmission is what it should have IMO. Neat little kit car though with a 289 High Performance motor, and Ford 9” Rear end, that should do quite well considering the total weight of the vehicle. Wonder how a kit car would affect the cost of auto insurance?
I’m a Brit car buff and have driven enough Healey 3000’s. I always preferred the smaller cars ( Spridgets, B’s, Triumph TR’s, etc). I would be curious on how one of these kit cars drives and handles. The looks are certainly there. The auto trans would negate me going after this one. For me, cars like this needs the third pedal… That is the fun of them! Obviously it is an easier build to drop an automatic in with that 289. The automatic ‘Americanizes’ this build! Simply not for me……….
SWEET sleeper, bet it surprises many. LIKE IT!
C’mon, where’s the stick shift??
This is not really anywhere close to a Cobra but maybe some comparisons to a cheap Cobra replica aren’t that far off the mark. Consider, this is a cheap fiberglass toy with utility trailer tail lights and a high school shop class grade dash board and seats that might have been lifted from somebody’s old boat. The chrome fender trim, JC Whitney steering wheel and garish wheels just complete the package so an automatic seems quite appropriate as a true sports car guy won’t want to be seen in it and for the money, a much faster, more reliable and infinitely safer Corvette can be bought! Gee, I’m hard on this . . . sorry, but that’s how I see it.
I would much prefer a more authentic reproduction of an original 3000 than this one. I.E. One without the flared wheel arches and fake spoked wheels, a decent dashboard and a straight six motor driving a 5 speed manual gearbox with overdrive. I had a 1960 AH 3000 with triple carbs but I wasn’t really impressed with it as my BMW 2002 would out run it any day, as would my ’67 Mustang obviously, however, this car with a decent American 6 cylinder mill would be o.k.
Without the wheel arch flairs it would be less kit car’ish and more original .
As the previous owner of a ’60 Healy 3000 2 place deluxe roadster I must say I rather like this car. While it would be obvious to anyone even remotely associated with the real deal that this thing is some sort of reproduction, it appears to be pretty well done. Price seems a little high for a kit car and it most definitely needs a 4 speed, for the most part I like it.
…m-m-m-m…..$19,750 ? ….don’t know how she drives though ? …how about my BMW z4 3.0 for maybe 2/3 the price ? ….and we all know how she drives !
This replica is a “Saxon” variant. With an ’80s 302 and an automatic, performance was only nominally better than a real ’62. The so-called “Hungry MX” from the same company was more performance-oriented. Personally, I am not crazy about these cars, as the windscreen, side-windows and roll-up windows are incorrect and cry out “kit car!” from any distance. The dash is also quite awful, even though I respect Adam’s liking it. It looks way too much like something from a boat. Still, someone who does not know a whole lot about original Big Healeys will buy it and enjoy it, and that is all that counts!
That top is too grotesque.
While this is certainly less expensive than the real thing there are a few problem areas for me: The automatic slush box, the steering wheel, the road wheels, the chrome beading around the wheel openings, and the top. Seems like they would have been better suited fitting an original Healey top.