It’s always good to see someone enjoying a car that previously sat unused.
For many of us car people, the vehicle or vehicles which originally made us a gearhead is what we constantly chase after. That’s certainly the case with Gernot Aschoff, the owner of a barn-find 1961 Austin-Healey BT7 3000 which he has restored in great detail. The car is a rolling dedication to the man’s lifelong fascination with classic British sports cars, a passion which comes out in many ways in the video of his story.
After earning his driver’s license, Aschoff dove right into British sports car ownership with an MGA. He found that car through a classic sports car magazine’s classifieds ads, which was how we used to do it before the internet became big. Even though that car wasn’t pretty or reliable, his love of British vehicles only grew deeper.
Eventually, he uncovered the breathtaking Austin-Healey BT7 3000 you see in the video, only it wasn’t anything too impressive at first. Aschoff could see the beauty others couldn’t, something which now he proudly displays on drives through the scenic countryside.
For many, the Austin-Healey 3000 line is the ultimate from the brand, something they dream of owning one day. It had big shoes to fill when it launched in 1959 to replace the six-cylinder 100-Six, however it did more than a sufficient job. Production ran all the way until 1967.
As you might already know, the BT7 was the two-plus-two version of the 3000. Both it and the two-seater BN7saw solid sales, especially in North America, the market they were designed primarily for. As the last real Austin-Healey roadster, the car is special in many ways.
Aschoff says his favorite thing about the car is its “organic” shape he likens to a sculpture. When you put one of these next to most modern vehicles, it helps even the non-car people see how design today has really gone awry.
