Here, Bodhi completes his final inspection and certifies that this Sprite is now ready for a new home.
This car is now sold and heading to Toronto! Congratulations Robert!
This is a 1960 Bugeye An5L 27855. We call him “Arnold,” primarily because we have four red Bugeyes in our building right now, and that’s how we can tell them all apart.
Arnold is a stout car with a solid undercarriage and lots of nice upgrades. The car was built by a lifelong Healey enthusiast who has been very active in Austin Healey Club leadership for many years. The car drives great and is really quick thanks to his build skill. He fit an updated 1275 engine, 3.9 differential for better cruising, exhaust header, stainless muffler, spin on oil filter, disk brakes, front anti roll bar, electric fuel pump, wood steering wheel, wind wings, trunk mat, larger aluminum radiator and electric fan for optimal performance and hot weather cooling. The car also has nice wire wheels and a luggage rack and comes with a nearly new tonneau.
We just completed quite a bit of service on this car to get Arnold ready for a new home, including replacement of the rear axles. We also replaced the rear wheel cylinders, slave cylinder, driver side radius arm bushings and brake hoses. First gear in this transmission has a bit more bearing noise than normal but the synchros are great, with no issues. We just wanted the buyer to know about this-remember, no classic British car is perfect. That said, Gumby, my Bugeye since high school, is far louder in first, and that hasn’t diminished my enjoyment one bit for the last 35 years! I wouldn’t be surprised if this transmission lasts another 20 years. And if it bothers the new owner, we can upgrade the transmission to a five speed. That would be a nice addition to an already well-modified car.
The car looks great and shines beautifully. This is not a concours paint job but it looks really good. This car is a sweet driver with impressive improved performance. The buyer for this Bugeye is someone who wants great performance thanks to these numerous popular upgrades but doesn’t need a cosmetically perfect car. (If you want a freshly restored immaculate car, we have “Coleman” which is a brand new restoration.) Still, Arnold can hold his own on all fronts. Give us a call or email if you want to take Arnold home!