1959 Austin Healey 3000 Mk 1

This car, like so many Austin-Healeys, was sold new in the USA as a left-hand drive example. It was re-imported in 2013 as a rust-free car in need of restoration, which it then received: a very smart re-trim and a re-paint to the current cream over blue, an authentic A-H option. Still in LHD form, it was then purchased at auction by the Paul, the current vendor.

‘I have an excellent motor engineer,’ says Paul, ‘and he carried out the conversion to right-hand drive for me. We’ve also done a few other bits including a front suspension rebuild and a carburettor rebuild, plus other engine work.’

The car is wearing a Mk 2 inlet manifold and therefore has three carbs rather than the Mk 1’s conventional pair. It also has chrome wire wheels – five of them – with fresh tyres and a set of new sliding-window sidescreens. It appears to be in generally smart or very smart condition with a strong, solid chassis without any hint of rot underneath. There are a few minor jobs for the next owner to do, including attention to the rear dampers, but Paul states that the car has passed an MoT (not required, obviously, due to age) and goes very well. However, he has enjoyed his time with it and is moving on with other classics, so it’s time to sell.

‘It’s a very civilised little motor car,’ he says. ‘You could do the odd bit to improve it, but it’s already a lovely thing in which tour the UK.’

As mentioned the chrome wire wheels are new and look dazzling in direct sunlight. The rest of the chrome is also good, with the slight exception of the back bumper – that could do with replating to bring it up to the standard of the rest of the car.

The paint still looks delightful and the body underneath appears free from any warning signs of poor repair: the swage line through the doors is very good, especially on the driver’s side. Door fit is consistent, bar the trailing edge of the driver’s door standing very slightly proud, and we couldn’t spot any dings or wobbles in the car’s long flanks. This one is significantly above average in this common Healey watchpoint.

If you crawl round at ankle height you’ll spot a few chips, cracks and minor spots of rust-staining, in most cases where exposed edges of panels are in the firing line from road debris. There is a hint of microblistering in the white paint near the offside rear corner if you let the light catch it. Very good.

The luggage rack on the boot lid provides valuable extra storage for tours and holidays, especially as any Healey’s boot starts to look quite full once the spare wheel is in place. The bullet mirrors on the wings are later additions for a Healey, the original specification – none at all – makes for scary lane-changing on the motorway, so these should be regarded as a welcome addition.

The dashboard is currently awaiting recovering. Mk 1 Healeys like this had a leatherette finish on the main dash panel and this should really be re-done in a colour to match the rest of the interior…though if we hadn’t told you, would you have noticed? The current bare-metal look may be something the next owner prefers to live with.

The piped trim is smart if not perfect, with the odd extra ruche or crease here and there, such as on the door cards, but overall it’s just reaching the pleasant post-restoration state of mellow appeal.

The carpets are in an excellent state though one small panel is missing from the inner rear wing, which you can see if you peer down past the offside of the rear seat. The gauges and handles all look good and there’s that terrific Moto-Lita type wheel with the indicator switch in the boss, ready to be the centre of attention. The dipswitch for the headlamps is mounted on the floor near the clutch pedal – just something to be aware of. The door shuts and riveted-on sill and door jamb cover panels all look extremely clean and smart.

The boot is just as fresh as the cabin, with the sturdy black vinyl coverings present and correct. The new chrome wire spare competes for space with a hefty modern battery.

There is a full set of new condition hood and sidescreens - unfortunately these were not available for photography.

It’s all very encouraging. The benefits of repatriating 1950s British sports cars from a less rust-promoting climate than our own are clear under here. Everything has a light coating of black protective underseal which has only flaked in a couple of small spots. Better yet, a light coat like this can’t hide any bodges or incipient rot – floors in the boot and cabin, plus chassis members, all look equally solid.

The engine bay is clean and serviceable if not set up to bait concours judges. The rocker cover and three large SU carburettors are very smart, with the carbs wearing trumpets rather than the original round panel filters. There’s a new-looking coil and recent plug leads. A pair of red plastic horns should clear the sheep out of the road, and a large washer bottle will keep the flies off the windscreen, if not out of your teeth.

The gearbox is the standard four-speed unit and this car’s heritage certificate confirms it was ordered without overdrive. Paul, the vendor, concedes that a new owner with lots of motorway touring in mind might like to upgrade to an o/d ‘box but he says that for most motoring, you never miss it. He describes the car as behaving just as it should on the road, though with a bit more up-and-down motion from the rear of the car on poor surfaces thanks to ageing Armstrong dampers.

Pauls says it has plenty of ‘go’, losing out only slightly to a Denis Welch-tuned Big Healey he had once before. But for a standard spec Mk1 with a Mk2 triple-carb set up, it’s in fine fettle now, thanks largely to Paul’s engineer who carried out some engine refurbishment detailed in the history file.

There’s a lot of detail from the car’s time in the UK but very little from before that, as is so often the case with cars that come in from America. Reading between the lines, it seems this smart-looking example initially required quite a bit of recommissioning and refurbishment for the moving parts – there are significant bills covering the renewal or repair of the fuel system, including a new tank; the gear linkage; the ignition system and other aspects of the loom; the front suspension and steering joints. There is also the engine work.

This wasn’t a full strip-down and rebuild but it did involve the removal of the sump and cylinder head, work to the rockers and valves, a bore check and a re-facing job to the block and head to ensure good sealing with a new gasket.

There’s also a bill for registering the car in the UK and acquiring the Heritage Certificate. The paperwork from the customs import in 2013 is also included, as are many bills for parts from specialist supplier A Head 4 Healeys.

It’s very pretty, it’s in great shape structurally and mechanically, and with a bit of initial fettling to the rear dampers it should be ready for anything. We estimate this Healey to sell for between £35,000 and £40,000, and as always, the reserve is set lower.

People have different views about 2+2 Healeys as regards their desirability. You certainly don’t feel like you’re in a four-seat open car when you’re driving one with the little rear seats, as they share the same 92-inch wheelbase with the two-seater variant. So why not go for a car with the ability to do occasional back-from-the-pub transport for an extra chum or a pair of nippers?

We’d get the dash re-covered in the same stuff used on the dash top but we’d probably live with the back bumper – the small flaws in the chrome are not something you’d notice unless you were hunting for it. We’d keep an eye on the few paint chips and possibly reach for the touch-up pot, but otherwise this is a car just waiting to be enjoyed. And in this weather, well…you’d use it for every essential journey, wouldn’t you? So maybe those back seats are for shopping bags, not kids.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the owner in Cambridgeshire. 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.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.

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.

Also, localized paint repairs are common with collectable and classic cars and if they have been professionally carried out then they may be impossible to detect, even if we see the car in person. So, unless we state otherwise, please assume that any vehicle could have had remedial bodywork at some point in its life.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.