1961 Austin Healey 3000

Restoration of a Colorado red Mark I BT7 has just been completed by Murray Scott-Nelson. The car originally came into its Scarborough workshops for a rear-end repair but has emerged from them, says Jonny Scott-Nelson, “as a car people are drooling over”.   

“It came in needing a new rear shroud and a boot lid, but when you take those parts off, you are opening a can of worms,” says Scott-Nelson. “Part of the chassis had previously been plated and the doors that had been put on weren’t quite right. It had obviously had a lot of what I would call ‘MOT repairs’ to keep it on the road. The job grew. This is a rare UK right-hand-drive car, so it needed to be done correctly. It would have been a shame to skimp on the car.

“It ended up as a full restoration, including a new loom and electronics. When you take it down to the metal, you have what I call a free fit when you are putting it back together.”

A set of original doors were sourced. Scott-Nelson’s rebuild also included powder-coating the suspension and fitting touring-style poly bushes, which are harder wearing than the original rubber. The gearbox was rebuilt and the engine just honed after a head-off inspection.

“It was a bigger job than our client originally envisaged, but he’s chuffed with what he’s ended up with,” says Scott-Nelson. “We had a tight deadline on this car to get it ready for his son’s wedding, where it stole the show.”

Murray Scott-Nelson, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Tel: 01723 361227, murrayscott-nelson.com