Donald Healey's 100 sports car neatly filled a gap in the "attainable" sports car market of the early 1950s. At one end of the spectrum was MG, producing inexpensive and simple - but dated - cars for a booming population of post-war buyers. At the upper end of the field was Jaguar, a marque that requires no introduction on these pages. What was lacking, however, was something between the two, a car to which an MG owner could aspire, even if the more expensive and complex Jaguar was still out of reach.

Over the years, the four-cylinder 100 evolved into the six-cylinder 100/6 and finally the 3000, with performance and amenities growing with each version. The 1966 3000 BJ8 on these pages represents the end of the big Healey line and was downright luxurious compared to the 100 and earlier 3000s.

This British Racing Green example was treated to a complete XKs Unlimited frame-off, no-shortcuts, restoration. But that doesn't tell half the story. You might call what we started with the "Before" Picture from Hell. Not only were the mechanicals in dire need of a complete rebuild (the "easy" part), it turned out the frame was about as straight as homemade fettuccini dried in the wind, with structural integrity to match. New frame rails were dispatched from England, and as soon as we got a set that hadn't been run over by an airport forklift, our Healey's foundation was straight and strong.

The body wasn't much better. Both front fenders and the front shroud (the large alloy panel into which the bonnet fits and to which the fenders are bolted) required replacement. Numerous other smaller panels were severely rusted and were replaced.

While this Healey isn't the most exotic project we've ever undertaken, it does underscore the capabilities of XKs Unlimited. With the exception of paint, chrome plating and some sub-assembly rebuilding, this car was restored completely in-house. All the body-work, mechanical-work and trim-work were done by our technicians at our facility, giving us complete control of the entire job. We're not a general contractor who farms out the various portions of a restoration to other shops. This system may work fine for others, but we've found that complete and integrated control, from collecting the car from the customer, performing all the work required and delivering the finished product, works best for us and our customers.

But back to our Healey. In addition to the full restoration, we also made the following upgrades:

Fully adjustable front suspension for better alignment
Braided stainless steel brake lines
Upgraded brake servo
Mildly tuned engine with rallye cam
Cast alloy oil sump
Cast alloy rocker cover
Upgraded valve guides, seats and valves
Upgraded ignition
Heavy duty radiator
Oil cooler
Upgraded heater
Alloy fuel tank
Fully insulated cockpit to eliminate notorious "passenger flambé" Healey heat

If you've read about our many Jaguar projects, you know that sensible and prudent upgrades are an XKs Unlimited specialty. And, as you can see from the above list, our Austin-Healey was no exception. But integrating modifications into a car to the point that they look "factory" and work in harmony with other components is often extremely difficult. Again, we have the experience, knowledge and facilities required to do just that. Our restoration department is at the ready to build another Healey to whatever specification you desire.

<-- Back To The Restoration Projects Intro Page