More than 90 percent of Austin Healey's production was delivered to the United States. The American Healey customers had more and more influence over the versions of the British sports car. The Americans were crying out for stronger engines, more comfort, greater ease of use and, above all, more ground clearance. The Austin Healey 3000 met these needs. The panoramic windshield reduced the wind and the later 6-cylinder engines with 3 liter capacity provided more flexibility and driving comfort, and the control of the convertible roof was greatly simplified. With the old models, it took you quite a while to open and close the cover with two men, with the Big Healey, that happened in no time. Due to all the comfort-enhancing modifications, the Healey did lose some of its sporty spirit.
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This example from the BJ7 series is a fine example of an 'American' Healey. Chassis 23620 is one of the Mark II versions and was launched in 1963. 6133 copies of the Austin Healey BJ7 were built, only a few dozen of them as right-hand drive versions. The 6 cylinder Healey's are characterized by a completely different handling than the original 4 cylinder versions. You can think of the Big Healey as a luxury Grand Tourer rather than a lightweight athlete.

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