1962 Austin-Healey 3000

This 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 was modified when new by race car constructor Joe Huffaker for Kjell Qvale’s competition division of British Motor Car Distributors in San Francisco. It was subsequently campaigned by BMC in regional SCCA contests while piloted by Ed Leslie, who later purchased the car and sold it through his Monterey dealership to a fellow SCCA driver. The Huffaker Healey continued to appear in regional competition with its next owner through much of the 1970s before being sold again in 1977. It was acquired as a project in 1997 by its current owner, who initiated a refurbishment that included a repaint recreating its 1960s black-and-white livery as well as a rebuild of the 3.0-liter inline-six by Butch Gilbert. Additional features include a four-speed manual transmission with straight-cut gears, twin SU carburetors, an oil cooler, an electric fuel pump, 15” magnesium American Racing wheels, bucket seats upholstered in black vinyl, and a roll bar. Following completion of the refurbishment, the car participated in the 2012 Monterey Historics and was later shown at the 2021 Niello Concours at Serrano. This Huffaker Healey is now offered by the seller on behalf of its current owner with historic photos, correspondence with Joe Huffaker and previous owners, a build sheet from the 2010 engine work, and a clean California title. Joe Huffaker emerged as a top presence in the Northern California racing scene in the mid-1950s with an Austin-Healey-based Huffaker Special and toward the end of the decade was hired to lead BMC’s newly established competition outfit. Huffaker’s creations for BMC included Formula Junior cars, V8-power Genie sports racers, Indianapolis 500 competitors, and various modified production cars before he branched out to form his own company in 1966. This car was driven in the D Production class primarily by Ed Leslie, who in addition to Huffaker’s BMC builds also piloted one of Shelby’s Daytona Coupes. By the late 1970s, the car had been repainted in blue, a shade which it retained when acquired as a project in 1997. During the ensuing multiyear refurbishment, the body was repaired and repainted in a black-and-white livery replicating that carried by the car during its early racing career. Features include a low-profile Perspex windscreen, a bullet-style wide-angle side mirror, hood pins, a roll bar with triangulated bracing, an electrical cutoff switch, “Huffaker Healey” lettering, and white number 98 overlays. Magnesium American Racing LeMans wheels feature black painted webbing and red accents between the polished spokes and rims. Older 5.50-15 Hoosier Vintage TD tires are mounted at each corner. Braking is handled by discs up front and drums at the rear with adjustable bias and stainless-steel braided hoses. The cockpit houses bucket seats wrapped in black upholstery that are equipped with Simpson five-point latch-and-link harnesses. Additional features include a three-spoke steering wheel, a driver’s headrest pad, a Tilton pedal assembly, and a fire extinguisher bracket on the center tunnel. Instrumentation includes a Smiths Chronometric tachometer, a Jaeger 120-mph speedometer, a Stewart-Warner oil temperature gauge, and a Smiths combination gauge monitoring oil pressure and coolant temperature. The five-digit odometer shows 91k miles, less than 500 of which were added under current ownership. True mileage is unknown. The OHV inline-six was rebuilt to a displacement of 3,027cc by Butch Gilbert of The Vintage Garage in Westley, California, in 2010. A DeLong camshaft was retained during the build, while additional components include JE pistons and straight wall wrist pins, Saenz connecting rods, ARP bolts and studs, 1.77” intake valves, and 1.625” exhaust valves. Specifications from Gilbert’s work are listed on a build sheet shown in the photo gallery below. Additional features include an ATI Super Damper harmonic damper, a Holley electric fuel pump and filter assembly, an oil cooler with an external oil filter, braided stainless-steel fuel lines, and a trunk-mounted fuel cell. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a straight-cut four-speed manual transmission without overdrive. A Quarter Master 7.25” triple-disc clutch was installed during the 2010 mechanical work, along with a 7.25” Tilton flywheel. Independent front suspension features an upgraded sway bar with heim-joint links, while radius arms have been added to the solid-axle rear. Photos of the car during its early racing career are shown in the gallery below, along with pages from various period programs that include the car among entries and list Ed Leslie as the D Production regional points leader for 1968. Also shown in the gallery is a photo of the current owner and Joe Huffaker with the car prior to the refurbishment as well as a letter from Mr. Huffaker verifying the car’s identity after inspection. Correspondence from a previous owner as well as a former mechanic discussing the car’s history are also included, as is a build sheet from the late 1970s. The car is titled in the state of California but is not currently registered.