1967 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII

This Austin Healey MKIII was built in December 1966 for the American market as a left-hand drive British Racing Green example. Factory fitted options included wire wheels fitted with Roadspeed tyres, a laminated windscreen, an adjustable steering column, and an overdrive on the gearbox.

It was dispatched on the 10th of February 1967 bound for Jacksonville, Florida. Nothing is known of its life overseas, the paper trail recommencing in November 1990 when the DVLA issued it with the registration number ‘AKX 956E’.

It has been professionally converted to right-hand drive and repainted in this attractive green-over-cream colour scheme. The engine was also stripped and rebuilt with an oversize crankshaft in 1995.

It had just two former UK keepers before the seller bought it in 2008. He’s enjoyed his eighteen years with it, even taking it as far as France. The majority of its journeys with him have been high days and holidays but he’s been meticulous in its maintenance, upgrading things like the starter motor and oil filtration and cooling systems to take advantages of modern upgrades while taking care to retain the core attributes we all appreciate.

Most recently serviced in October 2025, including a trip to the rolling road to get it tuned, it presents and drives very well indeed.

The bodywork was clearly done by someone who knew what they were doing because it remains hugely impressive with tight and consistent shutlines, excellent panel alignment, and an overall air of wellbeing that’s impossible to fake.

The green-over-cream coachwork is just as impressive with no obvious drips, runs, orange peel, or other issues just a deep gloss that shows off the Healey’s iconic lines to perfection.

It sits with a good stance too, helped by the fact the 15-inch chromed wire wheels were replaced in 2017. The wheels, which came from SC Parts the well-known specialist parts supplier, were installed with 185/70HR15 Vredestein Sprint Classic tyres fitted.

They are still in fine fettle still too, with only gentle tarnishing to the wheels. You’ll have your own views on what is acceptable and while we’d usually suggest replacing tyres of this age as a matter of course, we can’t see any perishing or other signs of wear.

Plus, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The rest of the chromework is every bit as impressive as the wheels; with a good shine and no serious tarnishing, pitting, or rusting all you’ll have to do is to keep it nicely polished by giving it a gentle polish with Autosol every now and then.

The badges are in good order being bright, colourful, and free of damage. The lamp lenses have no chips or cracks; however, the offside rear lights do show very light sun damage to their upper surface.

The black mohair roof, which was fitted recently by The Don Trimming Company, is completely free of damage. As you’d expect, it furls and unfurls easily and lies nice and taut when it is up. It also seals well against the windscreen and doors – the door glass is also recent – and tucks away neatly behind an equally impressive cover when it isn’t needed. The plastic rear screen is clear and free of creases and scratches.

The Healey 3000 is also one of those rare creatures, a convertible sportscar that looks just as good with the roof up as it does down. This might seem like an odd thing to mention but we think it can make a huge difference to how you use the car; if it looks good when it’s raining or cold outside, you’ll be far more likely to jump in and enjoy it all year around.

Of course, no car goes through life without picking up the odd problem and the ones we spotted here include: a dent and a bubble on the nearside front wing, plus a chip on the wheelarch; chips to the trailing edge of the nearside door and wing, with bubbling at the base of the latter; bubbling and a chip on the offside rear wing; a small dent in the offside door; and chips on the boot lid as well as some modest damage to the paint around the nearside hinge.

Some of the rubber window seals have also hardened, including the windscreen. The latter also shows a multitude of fine scratches across its surface. Finally, while the roof frame operates well, the paint is peeling and rather lets the side down, so you might like to consider freshening that up at some point.

The padded dashtop was replaced in 2018, with the gear lever and gaiter having been done the year before. The front seat cushions were given new foam pads in 2008, the carpets were replaced in 2020, and new door cards were fitted in 2021.

As you might expect given the scale of investment, there is nothing of note to report in terms of serious blemishes and everything we tested worked exactly as it should.

It’s got two useful rear seats too, and while these might be somewhat vestigial and more of a +2 option, your kids or grandkids will love using ‘em – and who wouldn’t want their kids to become accustomed to the roar of an Austin Healey?

The front seats are simple-but-secure bucket seats that give very good under-thigh support in addition to holding you very firmly in place even under high-speed cornering. Despite their focus on holding you nice and firm they’re still very comfortable with good cushioning; the work might have been done in 2008 but the car’s only covered a little over 4,000 miles since.

Seatbelts have been fitted for the front-seat passengers, but you’d need to choose and fit your own for anyone sitting behind.

The rest is as you’d expect – and given how wonderfully on-point the Healey’s cabin is, that’s very much a positive.

So, you’ll find very good burr walnut veneer, a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel, Austin Healey-branded mats that protect very good Austin-branded carpets underneath, a simple white-on-black gearknob, the original British Motor Corporation radio that sits below the original mono speaker grille, and a row of toggle switches that includes one for the overdrive.

It really is a lovely place to be, and we can’t see anything that will demand the new owner’s attention other than, perhaps, replace the bolt on the offside of the rear seat back with a proper latch to make it match the one on the nearside.

Or not, depending on where you sit on the Fastidiousness Scale because you’ll probably be the only one who ever sees it.

The boot contains a full-size spare wire wheel, a wooden tool and a Thor hammer with a plastic head to remove the centre-lock hubs, and a jack. It is also lined with a very good carpet and has been modified to make it more useful for touring.

The good new continues with the fact the boot floor was replaced in 1994 and the floorpans in 1997 – and yes, we know that’s quite a while ago but they still look to be in a very good condition, something the online MoT history supports as there hasn’t been a single mention of structural corrosion since records begin in 2006.

Other notable work includes a new ‘gear reduction’ high-torque starter motor, new top trunnion bushes, lower wishbone bushes, and an oil service in 2022, and reconditioned front dampers in 2020. An electric cooling fan too plus an oil filtration upgrade from AH Spares that uses modern spin-on filters.

As you can see, the owner’s meticulous approach has paid off because the Healey starts well and builds oil pressure in line with revs. It also makes a lovely noise at both ends no matter where the tachometer needle is sitting.

Being a well-fettled inline-six, it revs extraordinarily smoothly which encourages an, er, ‘spirited’ approach to driving.

The engine bay is in a good condition; neat and clean without being overly prissy, it works in conjunction with the engine and chassis to encourage you to get out and drive it long and hard – and if that journey ends at a classic car show or a county pub and someone asks you to pop the bonnet, you’ll be able to do that without wincing.

The underseal has worn away in a few places, so you might like to wire brush that off and top it up. Other than that, it all looks good underneath.

The Healey does not have an MoT certificate, although there are plenty on file from previous years with the most recent being from 2019.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar a marker for being an imported vehicle, and the history file includes a wealth of invoices for work and servicing over the years, a V5C Registration Certificate in the seller’s name as well as an older blue V5C, and a good selection of invoices for repairs and maintenance.

The Austin Healey 3000 is an icon for a reason and that reason is because it does its job very, very well; it’ll blat to the pub without fuss – and take great strides across Europe quickly and comfortably and reliably.

And yet, for all their many, many attributes – and this one has more than many – their price is still very accessible: We suspect this one will fetch between £35,000 and £45,000.

Being a MKIII, the one the much-missed Quentin Willson recommended as the pick of the bunch in the June 2025 issue of Classic Cars, it should also hold its value better than most.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.