Vehicle Description
1966 Austin Healey Sprite Convertible
In 1952 a number of British car makers, including Austin, Morris,
Wolseley, Riley, and MG, were merged together to form the British
Motor Corporation. This merger pretty much ensured the survival of
a number of British car names that would otherwise have quietly
disappeared but also came at the cost of a merging not only of the
companies, but also of designs. This essentially meant that BMC
would make a number of pretty much identical models but put
different name badges on them along with different grilles and
trim, thus rationalizing production and new model development
costs. It was into this environment that the Austin-Healey Sprite
was created, but in its first iteration it was created as a unique
model, only to be "badge engineered" for the Mark II and subsequent
models. It was this partnership that paved the way for the creation
of the smaller and much cheaper Austin-Healey Sprite.
For consignment, a 1966 version of the Austin Healey Sprite. As you
can see visually it is the very close cousin of the MG midget. This
Sprite has been worked a bit with some improvements including the
addition of a roll bar, new leaf springs, master cylinder, wheel
cylinders, hoses and lines, stainless exhaust new water pump,
finned aluminum valve cover, Vredestein tires, a larger than stock
engine, powder coated wheels and it will come with come new carpet
ready for installation.
Exterior
This mini me version has shiny Colonial White paint on it's all
steel exterior. It presents with little to no rust with slight
bubbles on some of the lowers particularly aft of the rear wheel
wells. Some metal caulk can be seen on the seams between the
firewall pillars and the hood and door seams. This small sports car
has nice lines with rounded front fenders topped with a single
circular chrome bezel headlight and a gracefully curving hood
between these with a simple horizontal grille in front. A chrome
edged windscreen protects the passenger compartment, and the cars
doors are minding their gaps in fair form. The back of the car has
rounded over rear quarter tops and angled rearward edges where the
tail lights are housed. Bumpers for the front and rear are shiny
with no rust and are in dimple free condition. A roll bar is noted,
and the car is absent its convertible top and frame. Cream colored
steel slotted wheels, which have been powder coated, are wrapped
with 165HR13Vredestein tires. The wheels have a central chrome flat
moon cap.
Interior
Moving inside, the door panels are covered in black smooth padded
vinyl and have some chromed cranks, an inserted actuator and a
chrome framed central inset panel, also black vinyl. Low back
bomber style buckets are the dual seats under the shadow of the
roll bar. The central hump rolls through the buckets and hoses the
shift lever. The dash configuration shows an oval panel behind the
steering wheel and this panel has 2 larger circular gauges on
either edge, a speedo and a tach. The central dash houses a few
other circular smaller gauges and a few extra pulls and buttons.
Black carpeting floods the floors and appears in good condition
with just a few wrinkles. Behind the bomber buckets is a black
carpeted storage area, which is under the roll bar.
Drivetrain
Under the bonnet sits a very nicely restored 1275cc inline 4
cylinder engine. It has a new painted green block, new yellow spark
wiring, and a cast polished aluminum ribbed valve covering. Two Su
carburetors, (HS2's), are on the side and an original 4-speed
manual transmission is on back. The rear axle weighs in at 4.22
ratio. The engine bay is white and appears to have been sprayed
with a rattle can. We note the electrics are like new and a new
water pump and reconditioned radiator are seen in front.
Undercarriage
Nicely preserved and rust free, we can see a new stainless steel
exhaust which takes spent gasses from the Jethot coated header now
on the engine. The axles and suspension appear to have been
recently painted black and the floorpans show some patina but no
rust. The underside of the engine has slight blowback but it
appears to be currently drip free, so it may have been from a
pre-upgrade situation which caused this. For the suspension,in are
front independent coil springs and for the rear leaf springs.
Braking is front disc and rear drums. All new brake lines and hoses
have been put in.
Drive-Ability
The car started right up and off to the test track I went for a
cracking good time. Bias free panic stopping, (usually the first
thing I check!), and good smooth acceleration from the twin Su's
was noted. Handling was snappy and the car drives very smoothly.
With no top it can get a bit cold this time of year but it was
still fun. I noticed the tachometer was a bit jumpy but all other
functions were working at the time of the drive.
A nice example, with some extra upgrades recently performed and now
you can snag a great example from 1966 but it does not look that
old. A snappy little sports car that will be a performer and
certainly win at a very economical level. Have a tool and you'll be
convinced too!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
