1950’s gems lost in British Leyland’s turmoil of 1968

These immaculate Healey 3000s were spotted outside a pub in Budleigh Salterton and had come from Holland.

The 1950’s designed sportscars had frankly outlived themselves by 1968 when BL replaced the model with the MGC. In many ways, this was typical of BL’s short sightedness and penny-pinching practices. Instead of designing a worthy replacement to the Healey, with its successful track and rally background, they had a chat over a pint in Solihull and thought, guess what, we’ll pop the old straight six lump of iron into an MGB and the public will love it. Except they didn’t. To make it fit, they had to put bizarre bulges in the bonnet for carbs and the radiator. Overweight and front heavy, it handled like a pig. The Germans would not tolerate that kind of design-on-the-hoof compromise. The new MGC only lasted two years. Thereafter, just the Triumph TR6 was left holding the BL fort for lusty affordable two-seater sportscars.

1968 was a watershed year at BL. Rover had acquired their own aluminium V8 from a Buick design and would not let anyone get their hands on it despite also being part of BL. MG should have had a crack at it. Austin stuck a boot onto the Land Crab 1800 to create the even bigger Austin 3 litre replacing the large outdated Farina styled saloons of the 1950’s, but retained that same old lumpy engine up front. The 3-litre shared the same doors as the 1800 for economy of build reasons and it looked absurd. It also only lasted two years. It had no chance competing with Ford’s Executive with its potent and compact V6 or Vauxhall’s Viscount.

Donald Stokes struggled to control this mega conglomerate of previously competing companies who were now uncomfortable bedfellows, against a background of industrial strikes. A bit like herding cats whilst the wolves were loose in the compound.

Had BL designed a proper lightweight V6 instead of perpetuating a 1950’s lump of iron, perhaps the aging Healey could have been brought up to date for the 1970’s.

Current Healey 3000 values stand at around £50000.