1961 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite

1961 Austin Healey Bugeye Mark I Sprite This is the 1961 Austin Healey Bugeye Mark I Sprite. It sports a peppy little 948cc overhead valve A-series I4 engine at about 43 horse power. With twin inch and an eighth SU carburetors, rack and pinion steering, classic wishbone—coil and leaf spring suspension, and sleek 13” wheels, this is one peppy, fun, and undeniably unique little car that deserves its place in automotive history. The Mark I Austin-Healey Sprite was a small open top sports car which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1971. My Dad’s car we’re showing here is the 1961 “Bugeye” Sprite model. Designed by Donald Healey of the Donald Healey Motor Company who soon merged with BMC (British Motor Company), announced this cool little sports car to the press on 20 May 1958, shortly after that year's Monaco Grand Prix when the hype was up for these cool little sports cars around the world. It was a hot market at the time. It was originally designed and created to be a low-cost sports car model that almost anyone could own and keep right in their own back yard or bike shed, as well as competing with other open top sport cars of the day like the pre-war Austin Seven and many others. Nearly 50,000 original “frogeye" Sprites were made according to production records. And there are only a fraction of those existing today. The Sprite was nicknamed “frogeye" in the UK and the "bugeye" in the US, because its headlights were prominently mounted on top of the bonnet, inboard of the front wings. The car's designers had originally intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use—like used many years later on the Porsche 928, but cost cutting by BMC led to the flip-up mechanism being deleted, therefore the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position, giving the car its most distinctive feature. This gave the car its appeal as a result of its much loved cute appearance. Production first started at the MG factory in the UK, making it very convenient to share not only parts from the MG line of cars, but production methods as well as equipment. It sported the Austin A-Series engine and many other customized design changes making this one truly unique little sports car. The Sprite first went on sale at a price of about £669. The original 43hp, 948 cc overhead valve A-series I4 engine was derived from the Austin A35 and Morris Minor 1000 models, but upgraded with twin 1-1⁄8 inch SU carburetors to give it a tiny more oomph. Rack and pinion steering, classic wishbone, shocks, coil and leaf spring suspension were linked to 13" wheels, fitted with 520X13 crossply tires or upgraded options that had 145HR13 Pirelli tires. There were no exterior door handles; the driver and passenger were required to reach inside to open the door. And there was also no boot lid, owing to the need to retain as much structural integrity as possible, and access to the spare wheel and luggage compartment was achieved by tilting the seat-backs forward and reaching under the rear deck, which left little room, but enough for simple storage. The Sprite’s body was designed by a man named Gerry Coker, and later alterations by Les Ireland with a strong resemblance to the American 1951 Crosley Super Sport. In fact, there were dozens of similar cars of the day throughout America, but more so in Europe with this being a prominent style of vehicle. The challenge of providing a safe, rigid structure to an open-topped sports car was resolved by a man named Barry Bilbie, Healey's chassis designer, who adapted ideas provided by the Jaguar D-type vehicle— an awesome sports car of that time period. Rear suspension forces were routed through the bodyshell's floor pan. The Sprite's chassis design was the world's first volume-production sports car to use what they called “unitary construction,” where the sheet metal body panels (apart from the bonnet) take many of the structural stresses. Later, there were other Sprite models that improved performance, as well as changes in design. The Mark II, introduced in 1961 sported a slightly larger 948cc engine but with larger twin 1-1/4” carburetors increasing horse power to about 46.5. It was joined by a badge-engineered “MG version,” the Midget, reviving a model name used by MG from the late 1920s through to the mid 1950s. Enthusiasts often refer to these later Sprites and Midgets collectively as "Spridgets." The MG-badged version of the car continued in production for several years after the Austin-Healey brand ceased to exist. The Mark III was also marketed as the Mark II MG Midget—differences between the two were again restricted to minor trim detailing. A new (slightly) curved-glass windscreen was introduced with hinged quarterlights and wind-up side windows. Exterior door handles were provided for the first time, with separate door locks.

Added 1 Apr 2026