Plans change and this car is now for sale again! Call for an update!

We’re excited to bring you a high-caliber completely restored car this week. “Sunny,” underwent an exceptional rotisserie restoration that was completed in 2008. The car went on to win tons of trophies at various car shows, including best of show at a national Healey Encounter event. It’s a quality job throughout and the car still looks freshly restored.

The original hardtops were almost all Ivory white but a “color matched” hardtop is a superb idea and very popular. They make the car look like a piece of candy and enhance the car’s already delicious personality.

Of course, some folks will remove the hardtop and leave it stored in their garage, so we have also shown the car with the top removed (the car also comes with soft top). Still other drivers will leave the hardtop on the car year-round for sun protection and/or the “yellow on yellow” bold look. We’ve fit reproduction Amco wind wings (coming soon for sale in our catalog) to make the cockpit that much more cozy when the lid is in place. Good sidecurtains are also included, as you can see in the photo album.

The car drives exceptionally well. I was told the car has traveled about 10,000 miles since the complete restoration but it sure looks to me like the car has only gone about 1000 miles… she looks that fresh. 69,335 miles are indicated. Regardless of the mileage, this is a very nice car!

The engine is a strong 1275 mated to a four-speed rib case and a 3.9 differential. The car is quick and also has great highway manners. New 175 tires are on the car, along with stock and well-finished original steel wheels.

The underside also looks great. She’s fit with a sway bar and custom driving lights mounted to the bumper. The bumper (and driving lights) are easily removed as are the Austin Healey shields which were added to the hardtop.

Give a call if you would like to make this car your own! It’s hard to find cars that are this nice!

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Looking for a great Bugeye project?

If so, this is AN5L 39735 and worth a serious look. This is a 1960 Bugeye (first titled in 1961) and long time Arizona car that has enjoyed a long life in the desert southwest, and while there is a lot of work to do, it’s in much more solid condition than most of the project cars that we encounter. It’s all apart and ready for a passionate restorer to dive-in. We’re excited to help bring another Sprite back onto the road.

She was disassembled about five years ago. Due to a death in the family, the project has sat idle for four years and is now available for completion and assembly with a clear Arizona title.

There is one small hole at the front of the rocker panel as well as one in the “a” pillar. You can see those issues in the photo above. So you can expect to do some body restoration but it mostly appears to be a very solid car. And it comes with an original hardtop (and all the spares shown in the photos).

The engine is disassembled and there were also a few extra engine parts from other sprites so the parts inventory is good. Original seats are also included as shown.

If you’re in the Phoenix area and you have a trailer, this is an exciting project. It will take some work to load it from its current location (where it’s been sitting for the last four years) but you can drive a trailer right up alongside, with good access. You’ll be rewarded with a very rebuildable Sprite that will come back to life under your supervision! And remember, we have any parts that might be missing in our parts catalog, so you can make this restoration wonderful.

The car comes with the title and bill of sale in the seller’s name so you’ll have no problem registering this car anywhere in the world but it is not a roller so you will need to have a trailer and some muscle to move it out of its present location and back to your shop. Sorry the pictures aren’t great, but this is all we have available since the car is not at our facility. Feel free to call with questions! This entire kit is available for $5,995!

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It’s hard for me to imagine producing 46 Bugeyes in a day, but that’s just about what happened in the Abingdon factory that made Austin Healey Bugeye Sprites in the late 50s. It would take us about two years to upgrade 46 Sprites (and we have been practicing for 15 years) so it seems impossible to build two of these cars in an hour. The symphony of moving parts at the factory back then must have been very well-tuned to make it all happen on time.

All of the roughly 48,000 Bugeyes were made in 1958, 1959 and 1960. So roughly 16,000 Sprites were made in each of those three years. That equals about 1300 per month, 325 per week and about 46 per day based on a seven day work week.

Given what must have been an exciting day of production each day for three years straight, you can start to understand why there were inconsistencies. The cars were cheap, they needed to get them out the door, and they sometimes used what they had to get the job done. So occasionally, we see features that are inconsistent with what the text books say.

This Bugeye, “Ducky” is one of the first 1000 cars, and is unique in that it has many of the 1958 features visible. In the video below, you can take a quick tour of some of those “1958 only features.”

The cars were upgraded through the production run, and most of the changes happened early. So some people love to see the 1958 cars, with their unique early attributes.

“Ducky” is for sale and you can click here to see her profile page.

SOLD! Congratulations to Daniel in New Mexico, thank you for purchasing our 307th Bugeye!!

“Mr Beardsley” (AN5L 13681) is a great Bugeye we last sold about four years ago. We were glad to buy it back, because we went through it at that time, and it is is a solid car that drives great with a strong 1275 engine. Four-wheel drum brakes are working nicely, and the engine is well-mated to a strong four-speed rib case transmission that is a delight to use.

We did a head gasket early 2017. It blew between cylinder two and three because someone had installed a 948 head gasket in a 1275 engine. That’s all fixed now, the head was fine and we replaced the gasket. The car has only been driven about 450 miles since then. Current indicated mileage is 19,140.

The radio works. If you prefer, we can remove the radio and put in a vintage AM unit, which would look more nostalgic. Silver wheels are also available if you would prefer that look (but a number of people here fell in love with the red wheels, so we left them on the car). These are original steel wheels on the car, btw.

This car also has a later style 1500 muffler on the back, that runs perpendicular to the car. This is unique and looks a bit ratty, but it works fine and sounds great. If the new owner prefers, we can put in a stock or performance muffler that runs fore and aft, like on most Bugeyes.

The underside is not clean, but it is in excellent shape and very sound. This car is a great driver ready for summer fun!

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Now sold to Doug in Florida. Congratulations!

“Omaha” is a really nice mostly stock 1960 Bugeye driver that was repainted in the original Olde English White color in 2014. (We got the car in Omaha where it has lived since 2014.)

We’ve just replaced the footwell floor pans, replaced the foam and seat covers and installed new carpets and door seals so now the interior is excellent. Omaha is a handsome 948 engine, original smooth case four-speed and drum-brake equipped Bugeye that looks quite smart!

The body is quite good. Now that the floors are repaired, this car has an awesome underside. There is a non-stock cross bar in the front of the car under the nose, which can be used for new driving lights, badges or as a tie down. It is welded between the front frame rails and can be put into service, removed or left as is!

The buyer of this car is looking for a really nice car that’s a blast to drive and was recently repainted, with new floors and good stock running gear.

2286 miles show on the clock, which is likely the mileage that has been put on the car since the restoration project in 2014. The car is a strong runner!

Upgrade opportunities that we can do before departure would be to remove and recover the dashboard and weld shut the old radio hole in the dash. It is nicely covered now with a Sprite plaque and works just fine. But we can make it nicer for the new owner if so desires. An AM radio is also a possible place holder in the dash, if you prefer that look.

The nice wood aftermarket steering wheel completes the package and makes the car look even better. Top and side curtains are older but functional.

Call or email if you would like to take Omaha home!

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Now SOLD to Richard in Massachusetts! Congratulations! Our 298th!

For anyone wanting to join the Spridget universe without a big investment, this car is the best deal going. You get a unique Sprite with a lot of Bugeye personality for just about three grand. This kind of money would normally buy a project Bugeye that needs a total and complete restoration. Instead, this one is a running and driving car with lots of new parts for the same money.

We have slashed the price to move this car to a new home before the end of the year and to make some much needed space in our shop. This is a special time limited offer, so if you are interested, please get in touch right away… after January 1, we will raise the price back to a market rate.

Oscar is a 1967 Sprite that was the starting point for the prior owner’s imagination. He modified the rear fenders to receive Bugeye tail lights, made a custom panel for the later sprite rear cockpit cutout to form a filler on the back deck, created a one-of-a kind bench seat, built his own (slightly more voluptuous) Bugeye headlights on an original Bugeye nose and created custom rear wheel spats.

The result is an opportunity, that affords someone the ability to get into and enjoy our little British car hobby for not a lot of dough. The car runs and drives well and is ready to deliver ample fun right away.

Oscar has a good 948 engine with later HS2 carbs and an alternator upgrade. Drum brakes are fit on all four corners. Tires are recent. Power is good. Oil pressure is where it should be. The the floors need replacement and the transmission bearings are worn, so a rebuilt gearbox is reccomended. We’ve kept the purchase price super low so you can budget money for those repairs. Meanwhile, you can still have fun with Oscar just as he is, as you can see in the video below:

In the video, you can see Oscar’s secret weapon. The red pistol on the right side of the transmission tunnel operates a washer pump in the trunk, the shoots water out the nozzles mounted on the license plate light plinthe. This gives you the ability to “lift your leg” wherever you like, especially when tailgaters or distracted drivers approach.

A very nice top and restorable side curtains are also included.

Give us a call if you would like to take Oscar home!

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