The British Invasion Fused With American Horsepower

Hybrid automobiles are nothing new. Car builders have been constructing them for as long as there have been automobiles. In the ’50s and ’60s, performance enthusiasts went bonkers with extraordinary chassis and engine combinations, most notably Carroll Shelby’s AC Cobra and the once removed close cousin Sunbeam Tiger. These became legendary British two-seat sports cars married to powerful American V-8 engines along with compelling adrenaline-inducing stories for automotive history books.

However, AC Cars and Sunbeam weren’t the only players on the Anglo-American dance floor back in the day. There were others. Austin-Healey was a joint venture British automobile manufacturer launched in 1952 between the Austin Division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company. This successful venture lasted until 1972 when its 20-year agreement was up and both parties melted into what became known as British Leyland. Long story short, Donald Healey left the partnership in 1968. The Austin Division vanished into British Leyland about the same time. Austin-Healey had a number of successful nameplates to its credit in 20 years: the 100, 100-6, 3000 and the Sprite, all notable British sports cars craved the world over for open air sportiness few could resist.

The Austin-Healey 3000 produced from 1959-67 was a popular British sports car that needed real power beneath the bonnet. Fresh off the assembly line, it was powered by a rugged 2.9L inline pushrod overhead valve six that produced plentiful torque for the twisties and straights. In fact the 2.9 had a sweet demeanor as you cruised the cogs and allowed this engine to rev. And this is what made the 3000 the kind of British sports car it was.

Not everyone wants the 3000’s inline-six, however. There have been many V-8 conversions performed on the 3000 throughout the generations, with Chevy and Ford small-blocks among the most popular. Ray Swan of California’s Central Valley enjoys the vast stretches of open highway the world’s breadbasket yields. It’s here you can drive for miles and never see anyone except for the occasional tractor or passerby. Ray has always liked the Austin-Healey 3000 for its long hood and short rear deck coupled with the slippery lines of a classic British roadster.

When Ray hits the starter and the 5.0L high output carbureted V-8 pulses to life, the Austin-Healey 3000 suddenly has a different soul.”

Ray hit pay dirt when a long time customer of his, photographer Ford Luttrell, decided to sell this ’62 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark II BT7 he’d owned since 1963. For Ray, the purchase was a rush because the 3000 isn’t always easy to find in good restorable condition. When Ray brought his 3000 home, he began dream spinning a plan for his ultimate Austin-Healey roadster. He wanted to keep the 3000’s original character, yet weave in elements that made the car a blast to drive. He stowed the original knock-off wire spinners and pizza-cutter tires, 2.9L inline-six, Salisbury crash box and rearend. Then he chose a heart transplant from a late-model 1992 Fox body Mustang GT, including a 5.0L high output V-8, world class T-5 and 8.8-inch 3.73:1 Traction-Lok. He also opted for 15 x 6-inch Mini Lites wrapped in BFGoodrich Advantage T/As and four-wheel disc brakes to make the most of the 3000’s potential. He took the 5.0L engine and infused steroids in the form of a 34-ci stroker kit for abundant twist.

The result of Ray’s effort is a classic British sports car that doesn’t sound anything like it did more than a half century ago when it roared off a ship from Britain. When Ray hits the starter and the 5.0L high output carbureted V-8 pulses to life, the Austin-Healey 3000 suddenly has a different soul. Yet, as Ray hits the road, the car’s original suspension system and interior surroundings deliver what the 3000 is known for, true British roadster sportiness with levels of power and efficiency unheard of in 1962.

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SPECS

OWNER: Cisco Farias, Laguna Beach, CA

BUILDERS: Bill Schuster & Sons Laguna Beach, CA and Ponch “The Bag Man” Silva, Anaheim, CA

FRAME: Stock
Rear Frame Rails: The Bag Man 2 ½-inch C-notches

SUSPENSION
Front: Bag Man control arms kit, 2-inch dropped spindles and bellows-style airbags; Pete & Jakes gas-filled shocks; Bag Man solenoids, manifold, valves, compressor, air tank and air-lines
Steering: Manual
Rear: Total Cost Involved (TCI) 4-link with track bar, Bag Man bellows-style airbags, Pete & Jakes gas-filled shocks
Rearend housing: Ford 9-inch stuffed with 2.47 gears

BRAKES
Front: ABS 12-inch disc brake rotors, single-piston calipers and electric master cylinder
Rear: ABS 12-inch disc brake rotors and single-piston calipers

WHEELS
Front: Wheel Smith chrome Smoothies (15×7)
Rear: Wheel Smith chrome Smoothies (15×7)

TIRES
Coker BF Goodrich Silver Town whitewall radials
Front: P185/70R-15
Rear: P185/70R-15

SPECS

OWNER: Ray & Terri Swan
1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark II BT7
Bakersfield, CA

BUILDERS
Ray Swan, Dave Morton, Doug Beer, Rick Slape

FRAME
Factory original

SUSPENSION
Narrowed Ford 8.8-inch integral carrier, 3.73:1 Traction-Lok, front and rear sway bar, panhard bar, stock springs, worm and sector steering

BRAKES
Front: 11 ½-inch Kia rotors with Toyota calipers
Rear: Mustang rear discs
GM master cylinder, fual dystem

WHEELS
15×6-inch Mini Lites

TIRES
BFGoodrich Advantage T/A 205/65/R15 x 4

ENGINE
Ford 5.0L high output V-8 (stroked to 347 ci), hydraulic roller tapper camshaft, Holley 4150, 650 cfm, Ford Duraspark ignition, Ford Motorsport valve covers, block-hugger headers, Borla mufflers

TRANSMISSION
Tremec T5 five-speed

BODY & PAINT
PPG two-stage urethane by Dave Ashley and Jack Regier

INTERIOR
Moss Motors interior, South Chester upholstery, EZ Wiring by Ray Swan, Stewart-Warner instruments

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