Bring a Trailer Exclusive: 1960 Austin-Healey 3000

This 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1, posted by Bring A Trailer, has been gathering dust in a storage facility in Houston for the last 40 years. It was purchased by the seller in 1963 and was stored in 1970 with 75,000 miles on the odometer. It can be yours for the price of $25,000.

The seller bought the car in Houston, moved it to California in 1965 and then brought it back to Texas in 1969. The rear brakes were removed the last time the car was transported, but all of the extra parts are in the trunk and are included with the sale.

Austin-Healey produced the 3000 from March 1959 to March 1967. The first-generation cars became known as Mk1's only after the second generation debuted. The 3000 used a 2.9-liter I6 engine with twin SU carburetors and wore fancy disc brakes in front. The Motor magazine tested the 3000 in 1960 and found a top speed of 115 mph.

Available options on the Healey included an overdrive gearbox, a laminated windshield, a heater, an adjustable steering column, a detachable hardtop (which this car has) and two-tone paint.

The seller says the car is entirely original, apart from the door panels and the rear-seat panels, which were changed to black from red. The original upholstery is still under there; it's just a matter of removing the panels. The only problem with this listing is that the seller, or the proxy seller, didn't clean up the car before shooting the photos. All of that dust and grime could be hiding a ton of unknown work.

In the Photobucket slideshow, you can see some rust on the trunk lid and on the rear quarters. Some of the dirty paint might be hiding some spots as well. The original wire wheels look to be in decent shape, the tires a bit less so.

The general consensus from the Bring a Trailer commenters is that the Healey should have been cleaned up more before the pictures were taken. It's hard for even a serious buyer to consider taking a trip to see the car when it might be a piece of junk. Other more optimistic posters say with a little love and care this could be restored to driving condition inexpensively and quickly, without the new owner undertaking a major rebuild. One commenter warned of buying cars in the Houston area because of the humid, salty air.

By Jake Lingeman