Once upon a time, before the invention of cable television and Internet grocery shopping, human beings would routinely go outside, hook up a flat tow bar to the family station wagon, and drag their sports car to the race track for a weekend of fun. At the track, they’d remove their windscreen, tape-up the headlights, put some more air in the bias plies, don a helmet (one with perhaps less protection offered than a modern bicycle helmet), and head-out onto the track to test the bond between man and machine.
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1959_Austin_Healey_Sprite_Blue_Joel_Topolosky_001.jpg)
Vacaville, Vineland, Bridgehampton, Road America, & Mid-Ohio were all popular destinations. It was easy to be an amateur racer back in the day; there was little barrier for entry. Whether you had a TR3, Lotus Eleven, or a Bugeye Sprite, you were eligible and welcome to compete.
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1967-Austin-Healey-Bugeye-Sprite-For-Sale-Race-Car-SCCA-Vintage-edited.webp)
The halcyon days of sports car competition are in the rear view mirror, but they are fondly remembered even today; even if you weren’t there with your own car, or a kid following around your dad in the paddock, you’re still a vintage racer at heart, and you understand.
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image001-1024x815.jpg)
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Unknown.jpeg)
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/s-l500.jpg)
Our new Vintage Racer shirts are inspired by an actual weekend in July, 1958. On that day, the racers and spectators scattered about the field probably didn’t think it was a particularly special moment in history. It was just another fun weekend to kick the tires and light the fires… but to us, that was a moment in history that means a whole lot.
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/vaca-races-710x1024.jpg)
July 6, 1958 was just a few months after the launch of the very first production Sprite (AN5L/501), and thus the Frogeye was still quite novel, which makes the car’s appearance on the poster (that inspired these shirts) all the more special!
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot2023-03-02at11.54.54AM-1-876x1024.webp)
Celebrate with us by pre-ordering your very own vintage racer t-shirt. Choose from crew neck or long sleeve varieties. Shirts will be available to ship in 4 to 6 weeks. Click the photo above to reserve yours today and let your racing spirit shine!
![](https://www.bugeyeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot2023-03-02at4.24.25PM-1-772x1024.webp)