This is Chris…
and this is Bob…
They share a Bugeye (“Star,” our 314th sold).
You can see in the video below that they’re both having a really good time with their new car.
Bugeye buddies
Delicious 1960 Bugeye driver for sale!
NOW SOLD! Congratulations to Peter on purchasing this great driver Bugeye! This is our 322nd Bugeye sold!
This is a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite the prior owner named “Ruby,” (AN5L 29894). The car was first titled in 1961 like a lot of Bugeyes, but we all know none were built in 1961.
This is a another one of those “just right” Bugeyes that isn’t so perfect to be stressful, and is perfect enough to impress. This is not a precious car. This is a car to use and fling into turns.
Ruby comes from Maine. The car was rebuilt in 1994 so the paint is not perfect, and shows a few small blisters. That said, so do we all. This just right Bugeye suits most. Buy it, use it, sell it if you must, but it’s more than likely the sort of car you adopt and keep for life, because it feels like it owes nobody nothing, (except the driver, with whom this car will bond).
Mileage is unknown since the odometer stopped working a while back, but the car performs great and is a blast to drive. The 1098 engine is more powerful than stock (from a later Sprite), brakes are stock drums, the car is fun, top is recent, hoses are new. Check Ruby out, and motor on. Make it your daily driver. Bring someone you love.
Tricked-out 1960 Sebring tribute Bugeye Sprite
NOW SOLD to Reese in California!!! Thank you Reese, and congratulations!!! Our 319th sold!
This is not your average Bugeye! This streetable and very useable tribute car that has been upgraded as a hot street car, and not so upgraded that is any less useable!
She was lovingly built by a passionate car guy customer in Virginia, from whom we have purchased several cars because his work is that good. His cars are always wonderfully- worked through and sorted, and this one is no exception!
Some upgrades performed on this Bugeye include a rebuilt 1275 with a mild street cam (built in 2019), an aluminum breather box and stainless hoses, a pair of new HS4 SU carbs (larger than stock for more HP), spin on oil filter conversion, aluminum radiator, six blade fan, LED conversion, tri-bar headlights, stainless headers and dual tipped muffler, flip forward nose, racing fuel cap, sway bar kit, 3.9 rear differential, hardened steel uprated axles, front big brake twin piston disc brake kit, rear disk brake kit, panhard bar, five speed Ford transmission, tapered front wheel bearings, black powder coated Minilight wheels, spare wheel with new tire on it.
The owner of this car went to great lengths to really make it his own! LED’s throughout, reproduction PL 700 headlight lens’, custom rear extra brake light nested in hardtop rear window (which is also movable to rear deck with super magnets if hard top removed) with 5 second flash to steady bright!
Fog lamps and instrument lights are LEDs (2019) with rare orange Bee Hive lenses… Lots of love and custom touches, such as the spare spark plug holder and more!!!!
Check out the photos! Call if interested! The car has less than perfect paint, with a few blisters, but is a superb driver, with all the right upgrades and a binder full of amazing pictures and receipts! Even the key has been drilled out for lightness, and for fun! This is the best indicator of the prior owner’s attention to detail. The car is a head turner for sure!
Sensational 948 powered five-speed Bugeye
NOW SOLD! Congratulations to George on purchasing this awesome Bugeye! This is our 321st Bugeye sold!
Sara (AN5L 23816) has been here twice, and gotten better every time. If you like our work and want a very well-prepared car, this is a great option. The prior two owners have done tons with our guidance, and so the new owner inherits massive investments by two (wonderful) prior owners.
The car has a base 948 engine upgraded with an 1098 head with larger valves and better performance and hardened valve seats for unleaded gas. Exhaust is upgraded too with out twin tipped muffler for a wonderful exhaust note. The five speed gearbox is a Ford conversion kit, which we installed in our shop in 2017. Drum brakes are installed front and rear.
The seats are beautiful leather and still look new, with matching custom piping, and with matching panels, dashboard and door pockets. This is a show winner, and also a delight to drive, especially if you want a five speed car with fully synchronized gears and overdrive.
Call if you want to take this one home, it’s ready for your summer!
Take a look at the list below to see some of the great upgrades we have already done to Sara:
In 2012 at 45 miles (Now 777) she got a new speedo, new fuel gauge, new fuel tank, powder coated windshield and gaskets, powder coated cockpit trim, new fuel lines, new electronic distributor, new oil pressure gauge line, new spin-on oil filter kit, new tie rod ends and rack boots, new tires, rebuilt wiper motor, new steering wheel, new three point seat belts with AH emblem special add on, new tan tonneau and a new power port for phone chargers.
When Sara came back in 2014 we installed a five speed upgrade.
In 2017 at 596 miles Sara received a twin tipped muffler, bikini top, tan matching tonneau, aluminum radiator, six blade fan, new front bumper bar, PL 700 headlights, sway bar, four new front wheel cylinders, new battery, locking choke handle, upgraded tapered front wheel bearings, new coil, 1098 cylinder head, new fuel sender.
Call if you would like to see more, and perhaps do a face time tour!
Cooling fans blow.
Driving down Interstate 95 yesterday at 68 MPH in fifth gear, I happened to notice my temperature was above normal. The indicated 197 or so is probably fine, but was higher than what I like to see, and with minimal reserve. Air temp was about 82, hot, but certainly not what our desert clients experience. What was going on?
My wife’s Bugeye “Iris,” (or The Egg” as I like to call it) has a 1275 engine and five speed transmission, and it’s an awesome restoration. The restorer even re-cored the original radiator (you can tell from the modern fins in the picture) and then added a fancy thermostatically controlled electric fan. So why would this car overheat with all this impressive upgraded technology?
Here’s a hint… off the highway, the indicated temperature came down. Only under the sustained “high” load to keep the car moving along at 70 did the temperature climb. It is possible there is sediment in the system, but unlikely since everything is new. Much more likely is that the cooling fan is obstructing air flow above a certain speed. The fan is nice in traffic, but once you get moving, you need air flow to exchange heat, and the fan is actually an impediment.
This fall, (when we catch our breath at the shop and have a free minute), The Egg will get a new aluminum radiator and no electric fan, and that will be the end of it. Never again will an Iris driver have to keep half an eyeball on a climbing temp gauge. The aluminum radiator is the absolute best way to go for your Spridget. Just ask Iris.
What’s the right Bugeye tire size?
The original Bugeye bias ply tire converted to about a 145 x13 series tire. I have driven Bugeyes on 145 shoes, and unless you only go in a straight line, you don’t want 145 tires. They are too narrow to brake or handle well.
155 is a popular alternative and this size is great. I prefer 165 tires, as these improve braking and handling without compromising the ride quality or ride comfort. And that’s a big reason why we stopped selling 175 tires for all but autocross or track use. On the street, ride quality suffers. Bump response becomes harsh (on a car that already has a performance ride). And 175s will require longer studs and wheel spacers in the back. So our 165 X13 (click the link to order) is the best compromise, for performance, ride quality and minimal headaches. Just make sure to use a 1/8″ spacer in the back so they don’t rub.
Watch some fun tire scrubbing in the video below!
