BugEyeGuys

Superb 1960 Super Sprite for sale-deluxe!

July 8, 2026 by bugeyeguy

This is Angus (AN5L 31994), a wonderful, fully restored Bugeye Sprite on which no expense was spared. We took a year to strip this car down to bare metal, weld-up any imperfections and then paint the car in a glowing pearlescent Lotus Elise blue color. This is one of the best of the best and thus worthy of our Super Sprite label.

We finished this car roughly 16 months ago. The American owner was living in Europe when we built the car and planned to spend time with it on regular USA visits, but life changes and circumstances have changed for him so he won’t be commuting to the US anymore and thus asked us to find the car a new home. He drove it very little after completion so the restoration is still quite fresh and like new. The car has primarily lived in a climate controlled classic car storage club since its completion.

In the video above, you can see a tour of multiple super Sprites at our shop, and this car at the 5:30 mark. It’s a stunner.

Power comes from a newly rebuilt 1380 CC uprated engine mated to a Ford five-speed fully synchronized transmission. The car is a blast to drive.

We built the car with a flip forward nose and Custom driving lights for a Sebring effect on the front. The car also is equipped with a chopped windshield for a more aggressive look. If you need or prefer more weather gear, we could fit a conventional windshield instead. You’d need the taller stock windshield (which we have) if you wanted to fit a top… the prior owner had no plan to ever take the car out into wet weather so only a tonneau was fit-no top currently but we could add a blue one. We fit a custom matching navy tonneau that looks great on the car.

There are no wiper arms, but we can make all of that work for the new owner if desired.

This is truly a breathtaking Sprite that will turn heads anywhere! Click “read more” below for some “sneak peek” pictures, the car is arriving at our shop next week so stay tuned for more!

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Unchained

July 8, 2026 by bugeyeguy

This week we had a clattery 948 come to visit. It’s somewhat routine for 948s in particular to make a bunch of extra noises (particularly in comparison to 1275s) but this one in particular was a bit outside the norm… So we dug a little further. You can see the video below of the clatter that prompted us to investigate.

If you are new to these cars, valve train clatter is somewhat common. There is some ticking present in the video above, but see if you can hear the louder underlying clatter in the video. This is what prompted us to lift the engine and remove the front timing cover so we could dig deeper.

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Getting your hydraulics lined up

July 8, 2026 by bugeyeguy

We love just about every British sportscar that was built from 1955-1967 (and we’re easily seduced by earlier and later cars too). But given that we are so stuck in the past, we see more systems aging out with each passing year. None of our bits are getting any younger.

This week, brake lines were in focus while working on a car that had been sitting for the past 20 or so years (like a lot of our favorite sportscars). And when the steel brake lines in this particular car fractured the minute we removed them from the vehicle, we had a chance to reflect anew on the (often) fragile fluid link between master cylinder and wheel.

*These original steel lines were so fragile, one turn of the wrench fractured them.*

The lines above broke at the nipples without persuasion. These are the original lines, and you can see deep pits and thin walls at the location of the fracture. We have talked previously about moisture in the master cylinder… it not only attacks the cylinder bores, but can damage the steel brake lines as well.

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Summer fun! 1967 Morris Minor convertible for sale!

July 6, 2026 by bugeyeguy

New Price! $14,995-More than the purchase price was spent on upgrades in our shop (17K in upgrades)!

“Clementine” is a 1967 Morris Minor convertible that had about $17,000 worth of upgrades and improvements done in our shop three years and 600 miles ago. This is a well-sorted car! So if you’re looking for headache-free summer fun, this car is worth serious consideration.

Clem drives great. She accelerates well, courtesy of new twin SU HS2 carbs and electronic ignition added in 2023. In fact, everything functions quite nicely. We changed all the brake drums, shocks, wheel bearings and hydraulic parts and many other components to make this a very nice driving machine. We fit a new battery, under dash battery kill switch, new tires and more; in fact, we fixed anything and everything, as requested of us by the owner. Take a look at the build sheet below to see the full extent of the work we performed! Only about 600 miles have been added since the work was completed!

Clementine March 23 Download

Check out the driving video below! This car is fit with a strong 1098 engine and rib case transmission. The front lever shocks were renewed when we serviced the car in 2023 and a rear tube shock upgrade is fit in back!

Click “read more” below for more photos and feel free to give us a call if you’re interested!

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A Bugeye transformed

July 3, 2026 by bugeyeguy

A few weeks ago, we showed you a video of a leaf green bugeye our client purchased on Bring a Trailer. The car had a lot of needs, and now they’ve all been addressed! You can see the “before” video below:

The result is we have taken a nice car that was an online auction purchase and transformed it into a spectacular car that’s tight, quick and rattle free. Take a look at the “after” video below. You can see how we transformed this car into a very special machine.

We love it when people buy our Bugeyes, but we don’t always have inventory that matches customer needs. So if you do decide to buy a car online from another source, please keep in mind that we can go through it for you and turn a nice car into a spectacular one, just like we did with this one!

*Completely transformed engine bay including rebuilt 1275 engine, rib case transmission, HS2 carburetors, aluminum radiator, and so much more!*

Feel free to call if we can help you sort out your new acquisition! Will pick up the car from the seller and bring it to our shop for transformation.

Wrecked pressure regulator wreaks havoc

July 3, 2026 by bugeyeguy

Recently, we were putting together a Bugeye with a working fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator in place. Lots of people use higher pressure pumps and adjustable pressure regulators to step down the pressure for SU carbs, which only need 1.5 to 2PSI of pressure. But the regulator has one more diaphragm in the chain that you just don’t need.

In fact, on a test drive, I felt something unusual on my right foot as I applied the accelerator pedal. Heat was all I could discern, and while it felt a little like a snake bite, my sock also felt wet. So I switched off the engine to evaluate and found that my shoe had filled with fuel. This particular regulator was located next to the pedal box and the diaphragm inside it failed, thus causing a gasoline rainstorm on my pedicure, and a date with a flatbed tow truck.

I’ve had plenty of brake fluid land on my shoes while driving, but this was my first fuel-foot. So I would recommend ripping out your regulator and putting in the correct low pressure pump, which we sell in our parts catalog. Click the photo below to learn more!

Upgrading to our solid state fuel pump kit means installing the most reliable Bugeye fuel pump on the market today! Our kit includes everything needed to mount the pump to the rear bulkhead. Click the photo to learn more!

Every diaphragm has a limited life span, so it’s best to get rid of them all. The diaphragm on the mechanical fuel pumps original to the car will tear and can send fuel into your sump and/or onto your hot manifold. SU pumps have diaphragms that can tear. And regulator rubber can also perish. The square pumps are piston powered and seem much more durable, and so far, represent the best path to reliability. A Bugeye looks good on a rollback tow truck, but looks MUCH better on the road!