Description
According to its Heritage Certificate, this car was manufactured between 18th and 19th June 1964. Interestingly, this makes it a very late Phase I / early Phase II example. Visually, the car has the features associated with the Phase I, but according to its chassis number ‘HBJ827700', it is very early Phase II. All the numbers are matching, and it has always been right-hand drive. So, it is a fascinating and potentially rare ‘cross-over' model with benefits of both the earlier (single front & smaller rear lights) and later incarnations (revised rear suspension which improved handling).
It's accompanied by a substantial history file with details and invoices relating to a range of work carried out by Dan Howell Classics: “I think the car has served you well this year and is very up together, you have decided on the right improvements and the maintenance has benefitted it. It’s a nice usable car”. Dan also fitted a stainless steel exhaust system, rebuilt the rear axle, and improved/ modified the heater blower. Effective heat deflection has been fitted to the nearside footwell to ensure that passengers stay cool, and as well as a new heavy duty battery, there is a Le Mans Aston fuel cap. Oil pressure at startup, cold is 75, and drops to 50 when cruising hot. Mileage: 54K. Overdrive. Brilliant LED lighting.
The only tyre recommended by ‘Longstone tyres’ for the Healey is the 180 HR 15 Michelin XAS (the same as that fitted to the classic Citroen DS). All five of them are in excellent condition and fitted to traditional 72 spoke wire wheels. Hood and tonneau covers.
Lovely car, as British as you can get...... As for known history, it was sold in 1990 by ‘John Chatham Cars’ to a famous chef in Brussels who had a ‘gastronomic restaurant’. He kept the car for 30 years, and only used it in the Summer. “I think I have travelled a maximum of 30, 000 kms with the car; it has always been stored in my dry warehouse and regularly maintained by my mechanic friend Roger Wargnies. When I first bought it, the set-up was for competition use with triple Weber carburetors and it consumed 45 litres of petrol per 100 kms, so at my request John provided us with the original carburettors and changed them”.
It was eventually sold to a dealer in France; I bought it in 2019 and brought it back home!
