Brand: Michelin | Austin Healey 3000 1959 to 1968

Traditional British sports car. Built from 1959 to 1968 in 3 different versions. Originally fitted with an obsolete 550-15 crossply tyre, this was soon replaced by a 590-15 crossply, which can be retrofitted to the earliest cars. The best radial replacement tyre would be a 165R15.

The original big Healey was the Austin Healey 100 of 1953, renamed the Austin Healey 3000 in 1959 with the fitment of a 2912cc six-cylinder engine. Taking over where the Austin Healey 100/6 left off, the 3000 got front disc brakes, a redesigned grille and two-seater (codenamed BN7) or 2+2 (BT7) options.

In 1961 the 3000 MkII (BJ7) brought a new grille, a revised bonnet air intake and fresh badging plus triple 1.25-inch SU carburettors. Within a year there were more significant changes with the adoption of a curved windscreen, wind-up windows and a folding hood; this version is unofficially known as the MkIIa.

The last of the big Healeys went on sale in 1964: the 3000 MkIII, or BJ8. There now featured a walnut dash, 2-inch SUs, separate indicators front and rear plus a new camshaft to give 148bhp. By the time the final MkIII was made in 1968, no fewer than 43,017 Austin Healey 3000s had been built.