New, lower price! Now $37,995!
A massive amount has been spent to make this car exceptional. You get all that work at a discount. AND this one is done… it takes months to sort out a Bugeye this well so grab this one and enjoy it this weekend!
The one punch list item mentioned in the driving video (fixing the front flip brackets) has now been addressed, so Elle is ready!
This is an awesome car that has been completely sorted and is ready to drive anywhere! Meet “Elle” (AN5L 2264), a sharp-looking early 1958 Bugeye Sprite with tons of new upgrades. Elle is a very special Bugeye, one of the first 2000 produced (built July 1, 1958 according to the included heritage certificate, see below), and as such has several features found only on the earliest Bugeyes, most notably the thinner nine-stud windshield and painted stanchions (unique to the first 5000 or so cars built).
We first met Elle in 2023, when we acquired it from a client in Iowa who treated the car to an extensive body restoration. A stout Ford five-speed transmission was fitted at this time, as was a front flip-nose conversion, an aluminum radiator, anthracite Minilite wheels with new 175 tires (date coded 2020, still plenty of life left!), front disc brakes, and lots more! We performed a little work in between, such as fitting a tonneau and adding a brand new wiring harness. Elle was then sold to John in Michigan, who spent a whopping $21,000 to further upgrade Elle into a fully sorted Bugeye ready to drive anywhere!
Upon John’s purchase in the summer of 2024, his investment was all about producing the most driveable and reliable classic roadster, and he had us add retractable seat belts, new front lever shocks, a new steering rack, new brake and clutch hydraulics all the way around, a new sway bar kit, new HS2 carburetors with K&N lifetime air filters, a generator/alternator and dummy regulator, Pertronix electronic ignition, new GPS speedometer and electronic tachometer, and so much more! We have attached the build sheet in the gallery so you can see the extent of the work performed. A freshly rebuilt 948 engine with upgrade 1098 head (and new clutch) was also installed to go with the Ford five-speed.
The end result of all of this work is a Bugeye that not only looks sharp, but is fully mechanically sorted and ready to go. All of this work was done less than a year ago, with less than 900 miles on the car since its departure to Michigan, meaning all of these upgrades are still fresh and like new! John had planned to spend the rest of his life with this car, but health challenges got in the way, and now Elle is available for a new owner, who will benefit from the amazing list of upgrades and our experience integrating those upgrades into one awesome machine.
You can see in the driving video above how well the car runs and drives. Most Bugeyes on the market have a punch list of things that need to be addressed, but this one has had that list addressed, and more!
Elle comes with an older tan stayfast top, black tonneau, and a set of side curtain cores.
This is a great ’58 Bugeye in a great color, at a great price! And the car is ready now… it would take months to build one like this, and a whole lot more money than the asking price! Click “read more” below for the full gallery of photos and give us a call if Elle is the right car for you!
