2012-11-05 16:24:01 | Lofty writes:

For sale on e-bay: cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/

Honest, original example of a 1966 Austin Healey 3000 MK III BJ8 finished in Colorado Red over original black interior with both its original soft top and a hard-to-find removable hardtop. Owned by a commercial airline pilot for many years, the car was always well cared for and maintained until its owner became ill a few years ago, causing it to be put into storage. Exceedingly solid as is and certainly within the realm of a decent daily driver, we purchased the car with the intention of doing an easy restoration because we felt the bones were that good. Alas, we have too many projects in the queue and not enough good tradespeople to effectively complete a quality restoration, so we've decided to sell the car with the hopes that someone else will either get to enjoy the car as it is or perform a relatively simple restoration to take the car to a much better level.
Aesthetically the car is in very good shape, finished in an older paint job that is marred only by a handful of nicks, cracks and other imperfections, most of which are minor enough not to appear in the pictures. Part of the reason we planned on restoring the car is that the body is straight and solid with good gaps and panel fits, and as such hardly any significant body work would need to be done. But that of course assumes a paint job and I want to stress that the car truly is quite presentable as it is. The glass and chrome are in good original condition, as are the wire wheels which are wrapped in tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car's interior is also largely original. The interior panels are in good shape, but the seats and dash - while serviceable for a driver - do show their age. The wood dash finish is cracked and peeling, although it's likely that the veneer underneath is just fine. The soft top is free of tears or any noticeable wear with a clear rear plastic window and the hard top is in solid condition, comparable to the rest of the car's exterior.

Mechanically the car is also remarkably sound, starting right up, idling consistently and pulling strongly through each of the gears. The brakes feel slightly gummy and could use some attention, however the car does run and stop straight. I drove the car for an extended period over the weekend and had a lot of fun without any incident - no over-heating, consistent performance, lots of attention from other drivers and pedestrians, etc. The car's undercarriage is solid and correct - no rust, no shoddy rust repairs, sound pans, original rails, etc. - all indicative of the previous owner's careful ownership.