Lot Ended
Description
Fully restored by JME Healeys of Warwick at a cost of almost £100,000
and only 2,900 miles since; displayed at the 2016 London Classic
Car Show; a gorgeous example of this iconic British sportscar
Icon is a much
over-used word but in the ranks of British sportscars the Healey 3000 would be
right at the top of the tree, alongside the equally fabulous E-Type. Just look
at this beauty – if it doesn’t do something to quicken your pulse, you really
ought to see a doctor.
The Heritage
Certificate shows that this Healey BT7 2+2 was built in October 1960
finished in black with a red interior, optional overdrive, heater and wire
wheels. As with the vast majority of Healey 3000s, it was a
LHD export model and was despatched new to St Louis, Missouri in
the American Midwest.
Nothing is known of the
car’s early history but a good file of invoices show that from 1983 - 2012 it
was owned by a Stanley Plevyak of Richmond, Virginia. Our vendor spotted it for
sale at Gullwing Motors of New York and flew to America to see the car and take
it for a test drive. He subsequently bought the Healey for $28,500 and had it
shipped back to the UK in September 2012 with all duties
paid.
In 2014 he sent the car to JME Healeys of
Warwick for a total nut-and-bolt rebuild which took two years to complete and
cost just shy of £100,000. The extent of the work carried out is far too
detailed to list in full here but is amply covered in many pages of invoices and
work sheets on file. Rest assured, it was an incredibly thorough job with over
£74,200 spent on parts and £25,000 on labour.
The engine was completely rebuilt and upgraded with a fast road
cylinder head suitable for lead-free petrol, electronic ignition, high torque
starter motor and uprated cooling sytem. The 4-speed gearbox and the overdrive
were also fully rebuilt with a new AP clutch kit. In the interests of relaxed
high-speed cruising, the diff was replaced with a fully rebuilt unit from a
Healey Mk3 and the disc/drum brakes gained power assistance.
Once finished, the car was displayed as the centrepiece of the JME
stand at the 2016 London Classic Car Show where it was much admired. Since the
restoration was completed, the car has only covered 2,900 miles, being driven to
the Le Mans Classic and back in July 2016 and being shipped to Bilbao in
September 2018 from where it was driven across the Pyrenees and up through
France to attend the Circuit des Ramparts in Angouleme before being driven back
home to the Midlands, the car performing faultlessly
throughout.
It has been fully serviced by JME
three times to date, the first in January 2018, the second in March 2021 and
most recently in February 2023 since when it has only covered a handful of
miles. Although it is MOT-exempt, it has been MOT tested three times, always
passing with no advisories, the current ticket being valid until June 2024.
Driven 40 miles to the sale on the hottest day of the year so far, it has been
starting promptly and running beautifully as we have moved it around on site,
with good 40psi oil pressure.
Supplied with a
full set of weather gear (hood, sidescreens and tonneau cover) all in excellent
condition, it also comes with an original owner’s handbook, a Haynes workshop
manual, a bespoke JME car cover and a top quality leather-bound history file.
As you can see in the photos, it looks
absolutely gorgeous, the only flaws we noted being some slight microblistering
to the paint on the tops of both doors. On offer here at barely half what it
cost to restore (let alone the original purchase price of the car), this is one
of the nicest Healeys we have ever seen and is just the sort of thing that any
true petrolhead would love to have in their garage.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email
[email protected]