2019 Healy Enigma V8

First registered in July 2019, this Healy Enigma Mk3 (based on a Mk3 MX-5 donor) has the 4.0-litre (3969cc) Lexus V8 with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The car was specified and ordered directly from Healy Designs by the late Neil Pyburn from Northants - a long-serving member of the Sporting Bears Motor Club who are often seen providing “Dream Rides” at large events to raise money for charities.

The current guardian, our vendor, has owned the car since April last year and has used it as his only car since. It’s not come out every day but he’s enjoyed driving it around East Lothian where he lives and also up the A9 into the Grampians.

A collector friend had one and he picked it out amongst all the other cars as his favourite and then set about finding one for himself. Martin at Healy Designs put him on to this one, which was being sold by the daughter of the late first owner and he was smitten.

Prior to being delivered to the first owner we understand that this car was used in the filming of Emmerdale. There was a grey one which apparently had a bigger role in the soap previously but Martin Williamson sent the current owner some photos of this car on set with members of the cast. For filming it wore a different registration.

Our vendor says he misses the car already, “it is beautiful to drive, it just purrs… and gets so much attention.” He’s only selling because as his only car it isn’t hugely practical - especially as he’s just become a grandfather and foresees a time when he might be called upon to convey more than one passenger.

Less than four years old, this Enigma is essentially a new car, so there isn’t a long list of negatives about the exterior appearance. We’ll get the worst out of the way first, there are quite a few stone chips - something to be expected on a low riding performance car - across the nose and on the leading edges of the rear wheel arches as well as a small patch of blistering on the nearside rear wing.

Now to the positives. The Pearl Black Cherry paintwork is glorious even on a gloomy day, but get a hit of sunshine and the colour comes alive, popping and glowing across the curves of the body.

Adding to that sparkle, both the bonnet and the boot lid are finished in a body-coloured carbon-fibre checkerboard pattern. For car enthusiasts it may bring to mind the faint weave under a Ferrari F40’s thin coat of paint but this is much more a surface level pattern that reflects the light this way and that as you walk by. We understand that it was factory applied to the original owner’s specification and it really adds interest to the already remarkable exterior.

Anoraks among you may notice that the headlamps look familiar. In true low volume manufacturer fashion, they’re borrowed from a mass market car - in this case, the BMW Mini. Go around to the rear and you’ll also spot tail lamps from the third generation Nissan Micra.

The Enigma was available with a retractable hard top option but this example has a black mohair fabric folding hood - essentially the same frame as used on the MX-5 that donated its innards to the car. The fabric roof is in fairly good condition with just a little verdigris or fading under the rear glass.

Although the first owner specified the chrome exterior kit, there are only a few touches of bling - for example the door handles.

The car sits on 18-inch diamond cut 10-spoke alloy wheels, which are mostly in good order with just a few rim scuffs and nicks on the nearside especially. All are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tyres - dated 2017 on the front and 2022 on the driven rears.

The fact that the front tyres pre-date the first registration of the car by up to two years suggests that either older tyres were fitted or that the car was built a while before sale. Through the alloys, the red painted brake callipers are just visible.

The car’s largely black interior is clad in full leather - diamond quilted on the seat facings and door cards. The dash, A-pillars, door tops and steering wheel crash pad are cloaked in dark grey alcantara. The rim of the 3-spoke wheel is also finished in leather.

The instrument panel fascia features the same body-coloured carbon-fibre weave as the bonnet, as does the trim surrounding the gear stick. The shifter itself has a burr walnut insert. The interior chrome kit was also specified but like the outside, there isn’t a great deal of it - just the bezels around the dials, vents and cup holders. Adding further flashes of colour is the red webbing of the seat belts.

Centrally mounted in the dash is a 7-inch Sony infotainment system, connected to a factory-fitted reversing camera above the rear registration plate. By way of other equipment there are heated seats and air conditioning.

As far as we can tell, all equipment functions as it should, although we note that a few of the odometer LED elements don’t light.

The black carpets are clean and in good condition and come with leather trimmed over mats for additional protection.

If you’re larger in stature and are about to dismiss the Enigma because you can’t get into an MX-5 then think on because they’ve somehow managed to make it much roomier and comfortable inside.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is fairly compact for the V8 but everything has been fitted in. The air filter looks to have been a bit squashed but everything else appears to be in order.

The undersides of the Enigma hide nothing of any concern. There is a light layer of road dirt as you would expect but no damage or significant corrosion. The twin exhaust system looks like a stainless steel unit and is also undamaged.

The boot isn’t huge but is bigger than you might expect and enough for a decent bit of luggage for a short trip away. The linings and carpet are clear and in good order and a jack, wheel brace, warning triangle and tyre repair kit are provided.

The Enigma has a current MoT valid until June 2023.

It comes with a small documents folder which includes the original sales order sheet and a kit car magazine article on the Enigma.

The car was last serviced in June 2022 along with the MoT and also sorting the brakes and replacing suspension link arms.

How many people in automotive history have wondered to themselves whether they could put a V8 motor into a small sports car such as a Mazda MX-5? Well if you are one of them, wonder no more as this is exactly what has happened here.

The Healy Enigma attracts interest and curiosity wherever it goes and combines the classic curves with the ease of servicing of one of the world’s most revered sportscars and a reliable motor.

There are earlier examples of the 2.0-litre 158bhp Enigma Mk3 around - indeed we recently sold one - but this one has the full fat (and extremely reliable) 4.0-litre V8 delivering between 256 and 300 bhp.

Yes this Enigma needs a bit of treatment to the stone chips but otherwise it is a great car that we think will sell for between £20,000 and £30,000. Anywhere in that range is considerably lower than you’d have to pay for a new one and you can have this car within a week of bidding rather than waiting months to have it built.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.