Vehicle Description
1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I Bugeye - Final Year of the Bugeye -
Texas Car - Red over Black - 55k Original Miles - Upgraded 1098cc
from a 1964 - Drives Awesome (Please note: If you happen to be
viewing this 1961 Austin Healey Sprite MkI Bugeye on a website
other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've
only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to
website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 150
photographs, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.) A
cheeky chappie that gives you more smiles per mile than any other
sportster, the Bugeye is still fun at 50. Classic Motoring; Crazy
Frog Bugeye Sprite review, 5/4/11 There's an elemental driving
purity to an Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite. The absence of flash,
unnecessary adornment, and pop-up headlights(in favor of those
iconic bug eyes) was more than made up for by responsive handling
and seat-of-the-pants feel. Classic Motoring described it this way:
Weighing little more than half a ton the Sprite is amazingly agile
and zippy. Steering is light and sharp the un-servoed brakes are
positive and effective if in good order. The gear-change is
reasonably precise and the (Bugeye) is a fun car to punt around -
and still return almost 40mpg. Thanks to a surprisingly rigid
bodyshell the handling was way ahead of its time and �€" thanks to
quarter-elliptic rear springs (it) handles even better than later
(models), plus suffers less from axle tramp, although ride is
always a little hard. In terms of civility, the (Sprite) has
virtually nil, while boot space is only accessed from the cockpit.
But for the purist, that's all part of the car's charm. The Bugeye
offered here is among the last of the Mark I Sprites. Originally a
Texas car, it has traveled just 55,000 miles, an average of under
1,000 mile per year. The car's condition evidences well above
average owner care through the years. Lovely in red over black, the
beauty of the car's simple lines is easy to appreciate. The
condition of the paint is bright and shiny, and chrome trim is
similarly well maintained. The red-painted metal wheels with chrome
hubcaps are the height of simplicity, and the classic Bugeye face
is as engaging as can be. (There's a reason the model starred in
the Disney hit movie Cars.) The engine bay is tidy and nicely
displays the upgraded 1098cc engine transplanted from a 1964 car.
Interior touches include the raised, painted base of the floor
mounted four-speed shifter, fixed-height side windows, spartan door
storage bins, straightforward Smiths gauges, and the Austin Healey
Sprite logo center-located on the sport steering wheel. We are
always impressed when owners have kept good records and held onto
original literature and repair manuals for cars of this era, as is
the case with this Bugeye Sprite. Of course, the best way to fully
assess the car's overall condition is an in-person visit, which we
are happy to arrange by appointment. That said, the more than 150
photographs and the short walk-around video available on the
GarageKeptMotors site are the next best thing. When it comes to
living with a Bugeye Sprite, Classic Motoring found the little cars
a pleasure for collectors to own: There isn't much that isn't
available new for the Sprite.... What isn't available new is
generally available second-hand. Running costs are also very low
and it's hard to get fuel consumption below 40mpg.... Insurance
should be cheap too, so what are you waiting for? We have to echo
that last question.