When viewed from the front, an Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite looks like a little car with a grin on its face. Slipping behind the wheel of one of these can also have the same effect on the driver because they are just such an engaging little car. If you would like to experience that sensation then you will find this 1960 Sprite located in Northford, Connecticut, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has now reached $3,050, and the reserve has been met.

The Sprite wears Old English White paint that is looking a bit rough and ready, but the car itself appears to be relatively solid. The owner supplies a couple of photos of the vehicle’s underside, and while there is a coating of surface corrosion present, the floors appear to be free of rot. The body wears a few minor dings, but once again, the only rust of note is a small amount in the bottoms of the quarter panels, and the rear edges of the rockers. The grille has copped some damage, and will probably require replacement. However, it didn’t take much searching to find a brand new one, and the cost was only around $400. Overall, the body of the car looks like it would be a fairly straightforward restoration project.

The interior of a Sprite is pretty “bare-bones,” and this car is no exception. The dash is complete, but it has been fitted with an aftermarket radio, Replacement dash panels are readily available if the next owner wants to restore it to original. Speaking of such things, the Sprite is right-hand drive, and this might not appeal to some people. It is not a big job to convert a Sprite to left-hand drive, and this might be something that the next owner could consider during the restoration process. With a fair amount of interior restoration work required and the possibility of a dash replacement being on the cards, this would be the time to do it.

A Bugeye Sprite is not renowned for pumping out high horsepower numbers, with the 948cc A-Series engine producing 43hp. This is sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. This is another area where there are a few options open to the next owner. The owner provides no information on the health of the engine, but the fact that it looks like the plugs were pulled a fair while ago is a bit of a worry. Rebuilding one of these engines is a cheap and easy proposition, provided you can live with that horsepower figure. It is possible to update to a later engine and transmission to extract more performance from the car. What I have seen, and this is an idea for those who wish to preserve a level of originality with the car, is for the engine to be rebuilt with a balanced bottom end, a bit of polishing of the ports, and a slightly more aggressive cam grind. You still aren’t going to have huge power on tap, but it is worth noting that it doesn’t take much of a horsepower increase to make a noticeable difference. After all, an extra 4hp is a 10% increase, which is going to be able to be felt.

I look at cars like this 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite, and I see a car that would be a perfect candidate for restoration in a home workshop. One of the great attractions of these cars is their incredible simplicity. Most people would hesitate if confronted with the concept of a complete “nut and bolt” project, but the Sprite would have to be one of the most straightforward candidates for such a restoration. Depending on where the bidding goes on this car, it could be well worth the effort. Good examples generally sell for around the $12,000 mark, while a really good one can get closer to $20,000. If the next owner can undertake a reasonable amount of the work themselves, then a restoration could come in well under that sort of mark. It makes it well worth considering.