This 1958 Austin-Healey Bugeye is about as forlorn as a Bugeye can possibly be, but the seller calls it “a good candidate for full restore”. It’s listed here on eBay, with bidding starting at $1500 – no one has taken the bait yet. The new owner will need to retrieve it from Huntingburg, Indiana. Hilariously, British Motor Corporation marketed the Bugeye – aka the Sprite – under the banner “Performance, Economy … and Safety”. “Economy” – ok, the little engine sipped gas; “performance” is in the eye of the beholder – or the seat of the pants more aptly; but “safety” is a stretch. BMC pointed up its unibody construction, but every other feature – independent front suspension, low center of gravity, rack and pinion steering – relies on good evasive driving skills. In other words, you can drive out of trouble if you’re reactive enough. These traits contribute to the Bugeye’s highly entertaining behavior on back roads as well as its capability during the occasional foray down the highway.
This little guy was in dry storage for 35 years, and rumor has it that its 948 cc A-series four cylinder engine was rebuilt way back when. The seller indicates it does turn. Those tiny SU carbs measure 1 1/8″; the whole kit makes about 43 hp. I wish the radiator cap hadn’t been left off, and the top of the heater box is … missing? caved in? An accordion-like hose should come forward from the blower to the front of the engine bay, threading through that hose clamp on the inner fender by the generator. If you’re undertaking a quality restoration, this entire engine bay should be disassembled, which is not hard. If I can do it, anyone can!
The seller has the original windscreen frame and glass, but several parts including bumpers, top frames, and seat cushions are missing. Without an inspection, it’s hard to know exactly what you’ll be shopping for, because though the seller doesn’t mention it, that isn’t the factory steering wheel, either.
Even in “dry storage”, cars can rust. A little humidity, a leak… and suddenly you see rotted tin. This example’s floors are said to require repair. The seller has media-blasted the bonnet – a complicated, unruly mass of metal that mostly doesn’t want to line up without serious coaxing – and it’s now in epoxy primer. The wheels have been cleaned up and are shod in new rubber so the car can roll onto a trailer. I love Bugeyes – the cars are wonderful if kept in factory specs, but also offer wide scope for performance customization. They’re simple to work on, and rewarding to drive. This is about as cheap as they come these days, so if you’re up for a DIY project, I can’t think of a better choice.
A”Frogeye” as my Scottish friend would call it. A semi-comfortable street legal go kart and a serious amount of fun on the track too. This project though looks like it’ll have the buyer and Moss Motors exchanging Christmas cards for some years.
You can’t believe the temptation I feel now as I come close to finishing a complete build on my 4th Bugeye, Found it in a back yard in Virginia as a stripped roller race car and couldn’t resist it. I guess I have to admit this hobby is very addictive.
Click on the picture should get the full view.
Go for it, bobhess-as Wayne Gretzky told it “I miss 100% of the shots I don’t take!”
I would’ve given a 👍🏻 but it wouldn’t do it when I clicked it..
Thanks. Have had weird things going on in BF. I’ll see if I can fix whatever is happening.
Hopefully no half picture and no clicking. No barn here, just a tarp for 20 years. Amazing lack of rust.
BF needs a gallery of its regulars’ cars. Some people (like Bob) may need their own wing.
We take pictures as we go through a complete build to have information on what and how we did each one. Good reference for the next build.
Any Bugeye without substantial rust is a good candidate! If you are putting together a good driver and don’t need everything to be original, they can fun and relatively inexpensive to restore (of course doing your own work). One of the first priorities for me would be to find a good 1275 to drop in! I wish there were more Datsun 210 RWD 5 speed trannies out there, also! So much fun, too little time and too many other car projects!! I’m 72 and still at it!!
There are some hoarders of those bolt-in Datsun 5 speed gearboxes. I used to be one of them a decade ago. I know of a stash in central Virginia that has dozens of them together in one place. Outside. Exposed. Sigh.
My last Bugeye project 25 years ago. Yes it is a hybrid. All I had was a nose and tail from a flea market buy. They were grafted to a rubber bumpered Midget tub! Fun project… a MarkIV Bugeye with a folding top!!
Nice!
Not many ’58’s out there. Quite a few one year only features. For sure worth the asking price if the rust is manageable.
I’ve seen nice, well sorted examples sell for way under $20grand. Better to buy one of those than take on this money pit.
If the floors need rust repair there will be rockers in need of repair also. Also check the dogleg area in front of the rockers. Fun to drive on twisting, but everywhere else a real chore in the horsepower dept. Ask me how I know!
The steering wheel is one of the few parts that is not available for the Bugeye. The original wheel is a pretty cool design
In my youth I lived outside London for a year and bought a nice white Frogeye for today’s equivalent of $150 – fully functional with a valid MOT.
A wonderful little car! (Which I mostly just looked at.)
Can’t remember which of my dreams it would fulfill, but then I don’t remember much at all of what I was thinking and dreaming about at the time.
Just as well, maybe…
Give this a Derek Bieri Roadworthy Rescue, get it back on the road and have a ton of fun with it!
👍🤓
Already sold for$1525! No bidding war!
Good price. Got mine for $1,500. The 1275 engines are a great addition for these cars.