NOW SOLD! We are excited to announce that this car is now sold to Kim Reynolds, who owned this car in the early 80s while starting his journalism career at Road & Track Magazine. You can follow Kim’s writings now at Motor Trend, where we hope to read about this car as Kim continues to drive and test cars around the world!
This 1959 Austin Healey Sprite is #AN5L 8620. We call it “RT.” It’s a California car that was owned by several Road and Track staffers including road test editor Kim Reynolds in the 80s (Reynolds is now writing for Motor Trend). It was then purchased by R&T art director Richard Baron (who now art directs Panorama Magazine for the Porsche Club of America, among other things). Bugeye Sprite references are recurring in Road & Track even today, and of course in many Peter Egan pieces, so this car has an interesting history, and it certainly left it’s (oil stained) mark on a magazine that inspired so many of us to ultimately become the car collectors of today.
The car moved East in 1998, where it was restored completely, and purchased in about 2000 by a fellow in Pennsylvania with a very large car collection, and the car has pretty much sat in his heated warehouse ever since. We have acquired the car recently and run through it to get it on the road again. As you can see from the photos, it’s a very solid little Bugeye, very clean, with a nice 1275 engine with better HS2 carbs and a tight transmission with great synchros. The car shows 47,981 miles. I would bet it has driven less than 500 miles since its rotisserie restoration.
The engine compartment and underside are very clean. There is no rust. The interior is new and the dashboard is correct, with all the right dials and switches. The car was repainted when restored in Speedwell Blue, an original Healey color (lighter than iris blue). It’s not a perfect restoration, but it’s really nice– and you can drive it anywhere. There is no top or top bow, but we have just fit a new ever flex deluxe blue tonneau, which looks great. We can provide a new blue top is the new owner so desires.
Check out the pictures–this is a good one, someone spent a lot of money on this restoration, and it’s a car with a great history that will give the new owner years of great Bugeye fun.
Call if you would like to have us deliver this car to your door.