1958 Austin-Healey 'Bug Eye' Sprite Mk1 Roadster

Description

The cheeky little 'Bugeye' Sprite was a simple case of building a car the public - particularly Americans - wanted. Affordable, simple and stylish, the Sprite was great fun to drive and proved both an enduring and endearing success, remaining in production from the time of its launch in 1958 through to the early 1970s. The Sprite was designed around an advanced monocoque chassis based on the D-Type Jaguar, giving great strength, and used various BMC components, including Morris Minor-derived steering and brakes, an Austin A35 engine (with twin SU carburettors to give 43bhp at 5200rpm) and four-speed gearbox. An initial plan to use pop-up headlamps was ditched early on, giving rise to the prominent headlamps that earned the Sprite its nickname - although most Americans preferred to call the little sports car 'Frogeye' with Gerry Coker responsible for the simple but effective styling that still earns a smile today. Sprites often took to the track, where the exemplary handling and lively performance could be exploited to attain some excellent results. In total just under 50,000 of the Mark I Sprites were built before the revised Mark II version was launched in November 1960, the vast majority crossing the Atlantic although a number were assembled in Australia as Completely Knocked Down kits. The 'Bugeye' Sprite is an excellent proposition as an affordable classic British sports car today, with plenty of support from clubs and specialists around the country.