TR-250.com   My Austin Healey

Some photographs of my 1965 Austin Healey 3000 Mk III.  The car was assembled in December 1964 and is an early Phase 2 BJ8.  What does that mean in plain English?  Well, Big Healeys had notoriously low rear ends.  How low?  Well, pull out of your driveway too quickly, and you'll see your muffler in the rear view mirror. Well, you'd see it if the rear view mirror were high enough to see over the lowered top, that is.  So, a thousand or so units into BJ8 production, the nice people at BMC decided to do something about it.  What did they do?  They jacked up the ass end, that's what they did.  These cars become known as the BJ8 Phase 2.  Early Phase 2 cars were blessed with having a single clear parking lamp/flasher under the headlights, and combined brake lights and turn signals in the rear.  Much cleaner in appearance than the later cars with separate flashers and parking lamps up front, and separate brake lights and flashers in the back.  But that's just my opinion. 

The Healey was a high school graduation present way back in 1986.  It was a complete wreck when we bought it from a Boston banker named Sandy.  It was stored at his mother's house in Cape Cod, and was in pieces.  Or should I say what was left of it.  The car was literally as far gone as a Healey could be and still be worth saving.  However, good old Sandy had had the engine, tranny and rear differential rebuilt, so we figured it was worth the effort. 

Anyway, enough of the history lesson.  On to the photos! 

The Healey next to my father's 1932 Packard Victoria Super 8 (custom body by Dietrich).  After the Warren Vermont 4th of July Parade.