Surgery restores the muscle
A REVVED-UP restoration of an ‘‘iconic British muscle car’’, valued at $140,000, was revealed to its new owners at art-car enthusiast Chris Parkin’s Museum Hotel last night.
Tawa-based The Surgery, a specialist classic and exotic car restoration business, spent 31⁄ years restoring a Wellington couple’s 3 litre BT7 MK 2 Austin Healey.
The ‘‘very rare’’ car, built in 1961, is thought to be one of about 5000 in the world.
The car was restored for Welling- tonian Fred Fowler and his wife, Janet. Fowler said he found the sorry ‘‘pile of old parts’’ Austin Healey in Lower Hutt.
Every nut and bolt in the car had been either removed, restored or replaced. ‘‘The car looks better than when new and sounds like it should and will bring lots of pleasure to Janet and I,’’ Fowler said. ‘‘The car is as good as it possibly can be, keeping all of its character.’’
The Surgery owner-operator Mike Baucke, who has been in business for more than 20 years in Wellington, said the restored Austin Healey had an insurance valuation of $140,000. When originally built the car would have sold for about £1362, he said, which was about £26,000 (NZ$54,000) today.
It had a top speed of 195kmh and could reach 100kmh in nine seconds.
Baucke had restored cars for Museum Hotel owner Chris Parkin, but about 40 per cent of the company’s clients were based overseas.
Hugh Hefner’s 1983 Rolls-Royce Phantom had come through The Surgery, before the Playboy don bought it back from its temporary Kiwi owner.