The Loveable Austin-Healey Bugeyed Sprite
The "frogeye" or "bugeye" Sprite goes down in history as one of the cars that brought sporty motoring to the people. In 1958, the Sprite was easily the cheapest mass-produced sports car and close to 50,000 sales in three years says it all. The car's low price came from using Austin A35 parts, though the 948cc engine had twin carbs and an extra 9 horsepower. The Sprite used Morris Minor steering and an MG clutch and master cylinders.
Simple unibody construction with a large one-piece bonnet whose high headlamps engendered the various nicknames. The car was really quite primitive (no trunklid) and not very fast, but had bags of character and was very tossable. 1,098 and 1,275 cc conversions are not uncommon, and the Sprite MkI is one of the most-raced sports cars of the vintage era. Prices range from $13,000 to $25,000 for top examples.
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(Description courtesy of Sports Car Market magazine)
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