Austin-Healey
3000 BMC works rally cars

Why it matters

The works Austin-Healey 3000s were BMC competition-department cars that made the big Healey a front-line European rally car in the early 1960s. They are known individually by their British registration numbers, and XJB 871 finished third overall and won the GT class on the 1961 Acropolis Rally.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

For the 1961 season the British Motor Corporation's competition department prepared five works 3000s. XJB 871, driven by Peter Riley and Tony Ambrose, was the highest-placed British car on the 1961 Acropolis Rally in third place overall and won its class, but retired on the Alpine Rally. Rauno Aaltonen, who won the 1964 Spa-Sofia-Liege, later kept the car in Finland until 1965 and credited it as key to his success. The cars used the 2,912 cc six with triple SU carburettors and four-wheel disc brakes.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Works cars are identified by their registration numbers and documented chassis, engine and body numbers. The catalogued XJB 871 carries chassis H-BN7/13708, engine 29D-RU-H/25616 and body number 2993/1, with FIA papers and its registration certificate.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   RM Sotheby's lot catalogue: 1961 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I Works XJB 871 (Monaco 2016) Level B

   • 5 factory-prepared competition cars for the 1961 season

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1961 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I 'Works' Level B RM Sotheby's

   • OHV inline six-cylinder, 180 bhp, triple SU carburettors
   • 2,912 cc
   • 180 bhp
   • Four-speed manual ... rally overdrive unit

   Accessed 2026-11-11