'A classic competition car among the all-time greats in motoring history' was how The Autocar summed up the works Austin Healey 3000 in 1963. At the time of its arrival in 1959 few would have guessed the low-slung big Healey would triumph over its apparent shortcomings so effectively that it now rates as one of the most successful rally cars of the 1960s. First produced in 1952 in four-cylinder guise and later in six-cylinder models, they achieved notable successes in competition particularly at Le Mans, in the Mille Miglia and in the RAC Rallies, in the hands of such greats as Stirling Moss, Timo Makinen and the Morley brothers, not forgetting the record-breaking achievements of its creator, Donald Healey.

The Austin Healey 3000 is probably the most well known of the 'big healey' models and is still in competition via enthusiasts clubs to this day. The 3000, originally to be called the 'Mille Miglia' after the infamous race, was powered by an almost-3L 2912cc twin-carb and was available in 2 seater, or 4 seater variants. The Austin Healey 3000 also came with front disc brakes as standard. 1961 saw the release of the Mk II Austin Healey 3000, this car used a triple-carb engine and had the option of wind-up windows. The Mk III Healey 3000 was released in '63 and saw some minor styling changes being made to the car. The range topper of the 3000's on offer was the BJ8, with a genuine walnut dash, wind-up windows as standard and a slight power increase to 150hp.

Production on the Austin Healey 3000 ended in 1967.