1959 Austin Healey 3000 Mk1

This car has been in the care of the same owner for the past 27 years – and “in the care of” is the right expression because the vendor is a talented engineer who works as an independent Porsche specialist; he knows his stuff and has poured just as much love and care into his personal car as he has those belonging to his customers. Hugely original, the owner struggled to think of a single thing on it that isn’t period correct when we spoke to him.

A reluctant sale, the 3000 was the subject of a chassis-up restoration in 1993. Dan Force, who was the man to go to back-in-the-day, did the work and his reputation is clearly well-deserved because the work was done to such a high standard, it is still looking fabulous all these years later.

Regular use has helped, too. He’s driven it on the Circuit of Ireland Retrospective, taken it down to Le Mans, and done the school run in it. He says it is the perfect vehicle for anyone considering a pan-European tour or rally: “while everyone else is worrying whether their car will breakdown, the Austin-Healey’s new owner will be able to relax in the knowledge that the least of his worries is whether the car will get him there and back.”

The red-over-cream bodywork is in fabulous condition. Dan clearly went to a lot of time and effort to get the panels so neatly aligned and the doors opening and closing with such authority. The paintwork and the panel alignment is streets ahead of what was achieved in period, and we have little doubt that the quality of the work is such that it will remain looking good for years to come.

The extensive chromework is in fine fettle too, as are the lights, glass, and badges. The car comes with side windows and a removeable black fabric roof, all of which are in a good condition and fit well.

The car features painted wire wheels, which were new three years ago. They are shod with matching Michelin XAS tyres, all of which have good tread. If matching tyres are an infallible indicator of a sensitive and understanding owner who is prepared to invest the appropriate sums to keep their car running and driving properly, then painted wire wheels are a similarly good indicator of someone who appreciates just how damaging chrome-plating their car’s wire wheels can be…

Overall, the car presents very well indeed and could be entered into your local classic car show with the expectation of picking up a rosette or two with only normal cleaning. There is the odd small stonechip, and the finish does have a few light swirl marks, but these are very light so a decent machine polish, either professional or one done by the new owner at home, should remove them without too much effort.

The 2+2 black leather seats and centre armrest have been piped in red, and look absolutely magnificent. The seats do show some mild patination, but the finish is still resolutely black and virtually as firm and supportive now as they were when they were first installed.

The black carpets are in very good condition, as are the door cards and the dashboard and instruments. The latter are as simple as they are elegant, and are a joy to behold.

(Speaking of instruments, the odometer shows 34,000 miles but the owner 

thinks that it has probably been round the clock once, so the true mileage is almost certainly at least 134,000, This shouldn’t be a concern however, given the extensive restorative work that has been carried out on it.

The boot holds the spare wheel, which is restrained with a lovely brown leather strap. A soft-faced mallet and a wonderful wooden tool to remove and tighten the spinners without damaging them lie alongside it.

The boot-mounted battery has a wiring harness to connect a trickle charger, plus a battery cut-off switch that could be used as a rudimentary theft prevention measure as well as to disconnect the battery to prevent it draining. The owner told us that the car never fails to fire up straight away, even after being left for six months or more.

The huge black steering wheel has some cracks to the rim but these do not appear to be structural.

The only other issue we can find are the seat frames, which are looking a little the worse for wear. This surface rust can hardly been seen when the seat bases are in place but the rest of the interior is so good that we’d be tempted to take them out and have them either powder coated or painted black over the winter.

The engine bay presents well, being clean and tidy but not obsessively so; this is a car that can be driven long and hard without conjuring up the nagging fear that hours of cleaning time lie ahead of every drive…

That’s not to damn with faint praise because it is very good in there; we like our cars usable, and this one is very useable indeed. The engine was fully rebuilt in 1999 by Dan Force Restorations, and the gearbox and over-drive were rebuilt during its restoration. It starts, ticks over, runs and drives very well, pulling cleanly and strongly across the full rev range. The exhaust system looks to be nearly new.

The underside of the car looks straight and free of rust. There is some overspray on the front anti-roll bar and surrounding area, but that would be a lovely job for a cold winter’s evening in your heated garage. You could touch up the underseal while you were under there, too.

The MOT certificate has expired, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it. It also has a certificate from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust confirming its original build specification.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

Your dream of owning an Austin Healey 3000 is one that almost certainly stands up to rigorous financial scrutiny too; while the price of the very best Austin Healeys has dropped in the past year, it seems to have been stagnant for a while now and we don’t think they are likely to fall any further in the near future.

With a guide price of £35-45,000, and a reserve set even lower, we think this example is worth every single penny: it would be just about impossible to find and restore one yourself to the same quality for the sort of money it is likely to fetch - and the fact that your automotive investment should perform better than the paltry interest you’ll receive from a savings account makes this example one not to be missed…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive. 

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.