1967 Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII – the LAST Big Healey off the production line – up for auction

The very last Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII to leave the production line in December 1967 is up for grabs at the Classic Car Auction with an estimate of £75-90,000.

The Austin Healey 3000 arrived in 1959, and by 1967 when production ended it had turned in to the Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII with a 3.0 litre engine, big SUs and delivering a not insignificant 150bhp.

Costing around £1,300 in 1960 (the Jaguar E-Type with a soft top would be about 50% more the following year), the Big Healey was a proper hairy-chested British Sports Car, bolted together in Abingdon using bodies built by Jensen Motors.

Fast forward 50 years, and the very last Austin-Healey 3000 MKIII to leave the production line is going up for grabs at next month’s Classic Car Auction, with an estimate of 75-90,000. So Big Healeys aren’t exactly cheap any more.

Still, this is the last car built, has been owned by the same chap since 1972, had a fresh restoration last year – including a respray in Golden Beige Metallic – and has done just 58,000 miles.

CCA’s Richard Greenhalgh said:

This has got to be the most significant, ‘road going’ Big Healey on the market today and as such represents an amazing opportunity for classic car collectors. The car has great shut-lines, a deep shine and lots of detail.

This is the first time the car has been offered for sale in over 40 years and as such an important and iconic British sports car we expect a significant amount of interest.

If you fancy a significant Big Healey the you’ll need to be bidding at the Birmingham NEC on 2 April and be prepared to stump up the estimate of £75-90k.

Which, although not exactly a huge chunk of money for a high-end classic car, does seem to be a chunk of change for a Big Healey. Even the last Big Healey.