Austin-Healey BJ8
Rare, Frame Off Restored 3000 BJ8 Phase II 2912 I6
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Description:
Engine : n/a Body Style: Convertible Miles : 21496 Stock # 131597 Interior Color: Blue Exterior Color : Blue Certified Price: $99,900 We are, by and large, a muscle car shop – a quick check of our inventory tells you that. Hot rods and modern muscle make up nearly all of the rest. When we do get a vehicle outside of our normal realm it’s usually very special, it’s always well done and it’s going to be a rising collectable. That’s the case with this gorgeous ‘65 Austin-Healey 3000 Phase II: Perfectly finished inside and out, concours ready and freshly restored with a known history as an excellent investment. The 3000 Mk III, known to the cognoscenti by its chassis number prefix, BJ8, was the end of the line for the “big” Healey, which dated back to the four-cylinder Healey 100 introduced at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show. This car belongs to the most powerful of its line, as well as the most posh, the Mk III. It features a 148hp, 2,912cc inline-six, a walnut-veneer dashboard and a carpeted, folding backrest for converting the vestigial back seat into a luggage shelf. As a Convertible, it featured roll-up door windows and a top that could be raised with one hand from inside the car. That’s a big step up from the curtain windows and multi-piece top of the mark IIs! Outside you’ll start your tour of the very comprehensive frame-off restoration. The car was disassembled, cleaned and media blasted, and every body panel coated in self-etching primer. The body panels were fitted until perfect, assuring that every body gap is precisely consistent. Healey Blue paint (a rare sight and absolutely original to this car) was laid down, wet sanded and hand rubbed to its brilliant and flat state. Every piece of chrome from bumper to bumper and every piece of stainless from the windshield frame down is in concours condition. 72 Spoke wire wheels, slightly wider and certainly stronger than the factory 60s hold new Vredestein 185/70/15 Sport Classics. All lights work as they should from the headlights to the larger-on-the-Phase IIs tails. The blue convertible top is new and perfect. This is THE car to take to your regional British car show and take down a trophy. The rise in prices of A-list British sports cars – E-Type roadsters or Aston Martins, for example, bring additional investors and enthusiasts into the Healey fold. Priced out of those markets, buyers begin turning to alternative cars like the 3000. In fact, Austin-Healey values have climbed more steeply than the E-Type’s, rising from half the Jaguar’s value 10 years ago to about 75 percent today. There’s no doubt that the 3000s, like the rest of the big Healeys, have a timeless charm about them, and simply ooze with British character. They’re just fantastic looking cars. The dashboard, the interior layout, the slim bodies – they’re just very, very nice cars to look at. The engine compartment is a study in simplicity and cleanliness. Restored to far better than new specs, the rebuilt engine sits in its excellently refinished bay. Austin green paint covers the engine, the big 2” SU carbs hang off the side breathing through Coopers air filters, the generator and starter are rebuilt units and the troublesome wiring was replaced with all new harnesses. Paper tags and part numbers are visible everywhere. An oversized radiator and five blade cooling fan circumvent the car’s propensity to overheat. Fire the engine with a twist of the key, set the choke until warm and select first gear: This gorgeous piece of jewelry is just as roadworthy as it is attractive. The factory Healey upholstery was recreated in leather: Using the original design, the seating surfaces, door and cockpit trim are vastly improved in both feel and scent. The carpeting is all new. Restored Smiths gauges read as they should and look brilliant. The walnut dash holds the very cool toggle switches in the center while the glove box on the right holds the original, hardbound owner’s manual. You have to hand it to the British for their sense of occasion! Color matched seat belts are in place with new A-H logos on the buckles. You hold onto the excellent black “banjo” style wheel, shift the rechromed lever and actuate the floor pedals through their new rubber covers. This interior is a classic. The drive train is completely rebuilt, bolted to a blasted and painted frame. All new hydraulics and braking systems are fitted. Extra insulation was added to the firewall and floor pans to eliminate another chronic Healey drawback: Excess cockpit heat. The exhaust is new and isn’t likely to get torn off thanks to the Mark IIs revised rear suspension. Owners of earlier cars are frequently advised to remove their tailpipes before a driveway apron does! The frame and floor pans are perfect and as shiny and as blue as the top. Get back up and check out the vestigial trunk: There’s a new mat, a new spare, the correct jack, a roadside repair kit and a new battery.
A classic British sports car, the culmination of the marque, brought up to contemporary drivability standards with elegance and precision – this Healey is definitely one to hold on to.
Year 1965 Make Austin-Healey Secondary Make n/a Model Name BJ8 Secondary Model n/a Vehicle Type Passenger Car Hobby Segment Sports Car Mileage 21496 Engine / Transmission Engine Type Gasoline Engine Size n/a Engine Number n/a Fuel Specification n/a Fuel Delivery System Type 2 Su Carburetor Transmission Type 4 Speed Manual Transmission Spec n/a Transmission Number n/a Misc Entertainment System Type n/a Battery Location n/a Battery Shut Off n/a Battery Charger n/a Interior Interior Color Blue Seating Type Bucket Seat Material Leather Shifter Type Floor Center Console No Body Body Style Convertible Doors 2 Body Color n/a Paint Type n/a Stripes No Chassis Front Suspension Type n/a Rear Suspension Type n/a Axle Specification n/a Front Wheel Specification n/a Rear Wheel Specification n/a Front Tire Specification n/a Rear Tire Specification n/a Front Brakes Specification n/a Rear Brakes Specification n/a Spare n/a Exhaust Type n/a Muffler Type n/a History Restoration Status n/a Mileage Since Restoration n/a Awards Summary n/a Historical Documents Summary www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/ |
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