BUYING WITH CONFIDENCE

CONCOURS £75,000- 90,000+

1 SPORTING CHANCES

The ceiling is around £90k for fresh restorations, but the sky’s the limit for cars with exceptional motor sport provenance (see ‘What’s On Offer’ panel opposite).

2 MATCH PLAY

Restorations are commonplace, though concours cars rarely come to market. UK right-hand-drive cars with matching numbers tend to fetch the most money.

3 FULL RESTO WINNER

A specialist will typically charge around £150,000 for a full restoration of a MkIII (rawlesclassiccars.co.uk), about ten per cent less for earlier cars.

GOOD £35,000- 80,000

1 RARE BREED

Most Austin-Healeys fall into this category and are typically older restorations. Unrestored cars that are in good condition are pretty much like hens’ teeth.

2 KEEP IT SUBTLE

Subtle modifications from reputable marque specialists can help to nudge values up, but those used in motor sport could well be extremely tired by now. Tread carefully.

3 SEASONAL CHANGE

The market for driveable AustinHealeys is very dependent on the weather and the seasons – arguably even more so than with other rag-tops.

USABLE £25,000- 45,000

1 USED IS BEST

There aren’t many shabby Austin-Healeys about. Some will be under-used, so check the safety of the running gear before handing over your hard-earned cash.

2 SLAP-DASH AND DODGY

Cars previously worked on in the USA might have received poor welding and non-original parts in order to turn a car around quickly. Pictorial restoration evidence is everything.

3 CHEAP FOR A REASON

‘Healey buyers are particularly savvy, there might be a good reason why others have passed over the chance to buy a cheap one.

2 PROJECT £16,000- 30,000

1 LATE TO THE PARTY

Experts maintain that the very best USA imports were restored many years ago. Survivors are often not as solid as you might hope and can be optimistically priced.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

If you’re planning a home restoration, expect it to cost in the region of £50,000-60,000. The MkIII is the most difficult to restore, but not by much.

3 BODY BEAUTIFUL

‘An Austin-Healey’s bodywork is fiddly to restore properly,’ warns Rawles, ‘and it has to be done right, otherwise it looks awful!’