This 1960 Austin Healey “Bugeye” Sprite looks like a smart buy for anyone in the market for the iconic British sports car, as the current owner has taken care of a lot of the heavy lifting to bring it across the finish line. He actually bought it as an unfinished project himself, but admits he’s not going to finish it, either. The Sprite comes with a rebuilt engine with some performance enhancements, along with a rebuilt front end and parts included for the rear. The Sprite looks to have a sound body, too, with just some small areas of previous bondo repair noted. Find it here on craigslist in Springfield, MO for $6,500.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Ikey H. for the find. The Sprite is dusty in photos, but the seller does include pictures without to to show just how tidy it remains. With all of the lenses still attached and the bodywork in reasonable shape, this looks very close to the finish line. The seller notes the previous owner had the engine ready to drop in but somehow stalled after restoring the cosmetics of the engine bay, and the engine was never installed nor fired up. The only spot of concern on the body noted by the seller is one of the rear wheel openings where a magnet test confirmed the presence of bondo, but it still presents well as-is.
The rebuilt engine is the original 948 but with a slight performance “tune” incorporating a 060 overbore. No word on whether any other performance tweaks were made, but in such a tiny car, any upgrades likely result in noticeable improvements. The front suspension has been rebuilt and the parts are included to tackle the rear. Other spares include two transmissions, one smooth case and one ribbed case. The tub is said to be in good shape and photos in the listing of the Sprite’s undersides show a very dry-looking chassis. The photos of spare parts included is extensive, including some aftermarket upgrades.
That includes these sweet Minilite wheels, which were practically built for the Bugeye. The original steel wheels and hubcaps are also included. The listing confirms the interior comes with everything you need to go driving, including black buckets in good shape; a tonneau cover; and two (presumably) soft tops, one white and one black. Hardtops are rare to find, but also make year-round driving more feasible if you live somewhere that gets cold in January. To me, this seems to be a simple project to finish, with the hard work done by previous owners and plenty of spare parts to ensure this Sprite is finally completed sooner rather than later.
Don’t need a magnet to see the left rear is all bondo as the body seam is gone. This WILL crack at some point. Also missing the rear bumperette mounting holes, so figure most of the rear had been filled. Add in the goofy license light plinth and this says major hit in the rear at some point.
Pass.
I’m the seller, and has been sold, I’m not sure what is the wonky you are looking at, but no, it has not been hit in the rear.
“Minilite style” wheels are aluminum “Minator”brand,not magnesium Minilites.The abundace of ARP studs and nuts on the head makes one wonder what surprises are in the +.060 block and why you would keep the 948 motor too begin with.
ARP studs would indicate the engine was built by someone who knew what they were doing. The head has been shaved as the studs protrude up to where at least 60 thousands off of it would be. You can pull 85 hp out of these engines for the street and we pull an even 100 on the dyno for our 948 race engines. Agree on the possible rear end damage but for the overall condition of the tub and the new parts that come with it the price asked is pretty reasonable.
nice looking engine build, Bdb
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. Where are you located
For sure needing more/better pictures and more clarification on what’s been done to the car, but at least it sounds like an honest and fairly knowledgeable seller who can answer questions.
Things like “front suspension rebuilt” can be $1500 just there if done right with kingpins, A-arms, rebuilt shocks etc.
As for the question about engine choice, I am in an admittedly small minority who would keep the 948. I’ve had a bone stock Bugeye, and a -68 1275 cc Sprite – and I found the Bugeye to be more fun. Yes, you have to rev it like crazy but it’s a sweet little engine that fits the car well. And yes the 1275 is better on the Interstate but when would you ever drive there anyway? With the 948 you feel like you’re Stirling Moss tearing up the back roads. The 1275 just feels a little bit more like a normal car and to me that isn’t necessarily a good thing!
Perspective is everything, Beyfon.
My Frogeye — which looked much like this one and cost me all of $75 back in 1972 — was bone-stock and was all kinds of fun to drive. I knew it wasn’t fast even then, having learned to drive in a three-liter Big Healey, but the fact that you had to work at getting any speed out of it was a big part of the pleasure. It was most “at home” on winding back-roads, and so was I. A later friend summed it up best: “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fest car slow!”
Like most Sprite owners, I dreamed of getting a little more power out of the stock engine, but its reliability (and my minuscule budget) kept me from doing that. That also meant the factory-issue brakes and suspension didn’t need to be upgraded, thus saving me even more money.
I was an idiot for selling it. It’s a sure sign of age when thoughts turn not to 707-hp monsters, but tiny, 48-horse runabouts, I suppose. Maybe someday I can recapture that part of my lost youth….
That rear license plate light looks almost rude, but comical at the same time.
A good friend of mine in Fort Sheridan, Ill. had one way back in 1960. It was an absolute GAS to drive, fabulous, probably more fun than anything I have had the pleasure to drive, including my Alfa Romeo Boat tail or the Maserate 3500 GT. The Bug Eye was simply marvelous, period. Doing 70 mph on a winding road was pure automotive heaven. AHHH – heady days of youth!
Dave…. In south Florida. Members of SCCA Central Florida Region.
Beyfon… Agree on the 1275 over the 948s but if you’ve got a good one might as well run it. SCCA recently let us upgrade to the 1275s in H-Production. One thing we gained was torque. We only have to take the engines to 7,500 rpm instead of the 9,500 necessary to get power out of the 948s. Big gain is more pull out of the corners. Either engine is fun but in our case speed matters.