To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Dare to Dream Collection event, 31 May - 1 June 2024.
Offered Without Reserve | $80,000 - $100,000 USD

• Final iteration of the beloved “Big Healey;” retains numbers-matching engine and body
• Rotisserie restoration by Healey Lane Restorations of Riverside, California
• Dressed in iconic Healey Gold over proper Fawn Beige Ambla vinyl trim

With the introduction of its 3000 Mk III model, beloved British manufacturer Austin-Healey had succeeded in retaining its sporting, curvaceous essence while growing its cars to accommodate “2+2” seating along with a slew of new luxuries aimed directly at the American market.

Wearing a wrap-around windshield, roll-up side-window glass with swiveling vent windows, an all-new burl-walnut dashboard, and a quick-action folding roof, the new Austin-Healey maintained the brutish power of its predecessors, but with saloon-like comfort. A high-lift camshaft, larger SU HD8 carburetors, and power-assisted disc brakes were added for good measure, ensuring the Mk III’s place as the ultimate production Austin-Healey. As George Baxter noted in a 2018 Hemmings retrospective on the model, “It's the car a lot of guys wanted to have… they ended up with the MG, they ended up with the Triumph, but, truth be told, they coveted the Big Healey."

Per a copy of its British Motor Industry Hertiage Trust certificate, the BJ8 on offer was completed 9 February 1967, finished in Ivory White over Black trim. In the late 2000s, the car made its way to marque aficionados Tom and Randee Rocke from Healey Lane Restorations of Riverside, California for what would become a full rotisserie restoration to concours standards.

As documented by photographs on file, Healey Lane totally disassembled the car, stripping the body to bare metal, before beginning the painstaking reassembly process. The engine, gearbox, and overdrive units were reportedly rebuilt to factory specifications while many new components were fitted including the fuel tank, fuel lines, brakes, brake lines and cables, cloth wiring harness, electrical components, front suspension and springs, rear leaf springs, and steel exhaust system. The car was then refinished in the iconic livery of Healey Gold over all-new Fawn Beige Ambla vinyl upholstery sourced from Mathews and Son London, England Ltd. with matching English wool carpeting.

Discerningly maintained by the Dare to Dream Collection, this superbly restored “Big Healey,” replete with numbers-matching-engine and body, offers an excellent opportunity to acquire one of the most quintessentially British sports cars ever made.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/dd24.

Call 02078517070