Mk 1 Austin-Healey 3000 project goes for £20,000

How much would you pay for an Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I project? We reckon £12,500-£15,000 is about right – but someone paid nearly £20k for one at the Restoration Show auction this weekend.

That said, this 1960 model was a fantastic restoration project and had been in the hands of its previous owner since 1966.

It looked to be in original condition with some service history when it went under the hammer at the Silverstone Auctions sale, beating its pre-sale estimate of £12,000 to £16,000.

The engine had been overhauled 10,000 miles ago… but we don’t know in what year that was. Looking at the car, that could have been many moons ago – especially when you consider that the Big Healey was last on the road in 1971.

MoT’d in July of that year with 29,256 miles on the clock, it covered just 210 more before being garaged… for the next 44 years.

For most of this period, the engine was started and run at regular intervals. Work has been done to enable recommissioning of the car, which included a new fuel pump and tank, new clutch master and slave cylinders.

We’re told the engine runs well and the gearbox is in good working order, although the overdrive has not been tested.

The car appears to be mostly complete and even includes a rare original Works-style hardtop. The car was sold with a current V5C and it's green continuation log book showing its one owner since 1966. 

For a full list of auction results, visit Classic Car Price.