How much can you really know about a car that you haven't owned from new yourself? In the case of this 1965 Austin-Healey Mk III BJ8, for sale on Hemmings.com, the answer is "quite a bit." Purchased in June 1965 by a U.S. Naval officer stationed near Paris, the car has remained in the same family ever since, passed from father, to mother, to oldest son, to the seller. Restored circa 1992, the Austin-Healey has appeared at concours events, in magazines and, reportedly, in an episode of the upcoming television series The Last Goodbye. While the roadster left its owner with a lifelong passion for Austin-Healeys, things change, and with a family of his own, it's time for someone else to assume stewardship. From the seller's description:
1965 AUSTIN HEALEY 3000 MK III BJ8: This is a single family heirloom. My father, a Naval officer, was posted with the US European Command near Paris when he purchased this car in June 1965. During its first six months my parents, along with my brother and sister (I was yet to be born) drove the Healey top-down all over Europe from Bavarian beer halls to camping in Belgium. They had ordered the car with the optional luggage rack to accommodate such outings. In 1967, Dad was transferred back to the States and the beloved Austin-Healey came with us. In 1969, three months after mom got pregnant with me, we lost Dad in Vietnam. Mom continued to drive the car throughout her pregnancy with me and I have memories as a toddler riding in the car and hearing the distinctive sound of the roar of its engine. Incredibly, mom hung onto the car, allowing my older brother, Mark, to drive it when he was in high school and yes, we still took the car camping, only now it was in the Colorado Rockies. While I was growing up, my mom and I were active with the Southern CA AH Club and attended many of its events. I soon became obsessed with Austin-Healeys and their restoration and preservation. So, when I turned 16, the Healey became my car. I then proceeded to give the car a frame off, ground-up restoration with the mentorship of Don Fisher. The car then earned a Bronze medal in the Concours Registry at the 1992 Snowmass International Austin-Healey meet along with numerous other people's choice awards at various car shows I exhibited the car at. Over the years, the car has been featured in several magazines and newspaper articles and will also be featured in an episode of the new TV series The Last Goodbye airing this fall. I am now nearing 46 and have a family of my own. It has been a wild and fun ride and it is now time to find a new owner for this Healey.
The car is in fantastic running condition. The interior is nearly all original (carpet, door panels, and arm rest were reconditioned) and the tonneau cover and tonneau top are also original. The car is sporting a brand-new convertible top along with a new gas tank, clutch, restored carbs, fuel pump, reconditioned radiator and many other items too numerous to list ($32,000 invested into it last year). There is a manual in French (very rare) and the English version signed by Donald Healey. All of my shop manuals and restoration books will go with the car.
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from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1KXUPvh
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