Available for $39,995.
This car is a remarkable time capsule. Fifty years ago this past October, this BJ8 was purchased for $2835. Just a $25 deposit and $3 registration fee was all that was needed!
I purchased this 1965 3000 mk III (hbj8L 28548) from the husband of the original owner, who I met at the Healey club Enclave in Gettysburg this past summer. He had driven the car there from the Poconos with the intention of selling it. I have three big Healey already in my small collection–I love these cars–and could not resist purchasing such an interesting example. He told me the history of the car and shared with me the original bill of sale, as well as some pictures of the car throughout their 50 years of ownership.
The car had been used by the son of the owner of North Country Motors (the dealership where they purchased the car) for 500 or 600 miles prior to their purchase, so it was sold as a demo, but his wife was the first registrant of the vehicle. The dealer called out a dent in the right rear which they agreed to fix prior to sale, as you can see noted on the bill of sale (in case you can’t read it, the note says “dent right rear to be fixed no charge, demo car.”) I can’t find any evidence of that repair, or dent, on the car.
The engine number on the car is 29K/RU/H/3314. This the original engine, there was never any reason to remove it, but I wrote to the British Heritage Motor Trust just to confirm, and this is indeed the engine that came with this car. I have their email indicating that this is the correct engine (which I will provide for the new owner), and of course the new owner can apply for a heritage certificate if they would like a document suitable for framing that confirms this fact.
Check out the original bill of sale below. The seller’s wife and her father purchased the car in October of 1965 while he was stationed in Korea during the Vietnam war, and he first saw the car when he came home in 1966:
This car is a true survivor with just 38,922 miles, verified by the original owner. If you look at the close-up pictures of the (original) seats, especially the driver’s seat, you can see this car is a low mileage example, with virtually no wear on the outboard bolster of the seat and the overall condition of the seats is quite remarkable. Foam is still firm and quite nice, no wrinkles either.
The car lived in a garage for its entire life. This Healey made frequent trips between Whitestone, New York and the Catskills, and the original owner said that between 1965 and 1970, an estimated 25k miles were added with this regular highway trip. In the following years the car was driven sporadically, some years not at all, some years a few hundred miles, and given infrequent usage in the last fifteen years in particular, they decided to part with the car. The original owner will be happy to chat with the new owner, so you can hear the history first hand.
This is an unrestored car with original paint and interior, with the exception of the trunk repair mentioned above and a small repair to the passenger side rocker panel, done, according to the original owner, in 1974. It’s not a bad repair but there is some filler used. Filler has a bad reputation but it is still quite amazing that this repair has held up so well for now almost 40 years. A new rocker panel would be a better fix when the car is one day repainted, but it looks fine for now. The red cove was repainted at that time, and the white pin stripes on the sides were also added in 1974 to help even-out the red to black paint transition.
Behind that passenger rocker panel repair (at the rear outrigger, underneath the car) a small rust repair was needed, and we have just completed that work. We cut out the rust in the outrigger and patched the inner sill with new sheet metal. When the welding was complete, we seam sealed the welds, then sprayed on self-etching primer, and painted the repair black as shown. We didn’t touch the outer rocker, but that’s cosmetic, and we wanted to make sure first and foremost that the inner frame structure was strong and sound and we have accomplished that goal.
Many of the factory crayon markings are still in place, EG on the regulator and in the door jamb as shown in the pictures. It’s quite rare to see these original markings, and a testimonial of just how unmolested this car actually is.
Top photo-May of 1968, bottom-May of 1972
The original top boot cover is still in nice shape. Also included is an excellent everflex tonneau (recently replaced and fits quite well, see pictures), original tonneau bars and their original storage bag, and what I believe is the original tonneau bag.
This car has remained in regular service and while only used sporadically, has always been maintained and stayed on the road. As such, the prior owner would routinely drive the car on hundred mile trips without hesitation. The car can be driven anywhere.
The paint is remarkably good original lacquer. There is some crazing, particularly on the boot lid, but otherwise the paint is quite good considering it’s age. Interior shows some wear, but is also excellent for an original interior. The original top is also good, but the rear window will need replacement. This is the original zip down window, so you might be able to put in a new one, or simply fit a new top.
Slave and master cylinders were replaced two years ago. Rear wheel cylinders look good and were probably replaced at that time. There are no receipts provided for work done through the years, I don’t believe much was done. The original owner told me Joe Curto replaced the fuel pump and tires in about 2000, and I called him and he told me the car was a low mileage example back then that came to him with really old tires at that time which might have been the originals! (they’re about 15 years old now and should be replaced again).
The tachometer is reading a bit high but all the gauges work, as does everything on the car. Oil pressure is excellent. No smoke. Lots of power (see driving video). This past week, we changed the rear hub oil seals and the differential pinion seal. Both had been leaking. The oil was changed on July 4th 2015 at 38,585. The only mechanical issue I notice is that first gear is a little noisier than usual. Synchros are excellent and the car shifts through the gears beautifully. Overdrives works properly, in third and fourth gears.
If you love preservation class cars, this is a special find. We can make a restored big Healey, but there are only so many you can find that are low mileage original cars. This one drives beautifully, as is often the case with the cars that have not been messed with! This is a great driving survivor that will delight anyone interested in an unrestored original Healey. Call or email for more information.
Here’s a drive-by video so you can hear the amazing sound track for this car:
