Here’s a Bugeye with the perfect mascot…
Electric Bugeye Sprite first drive, videos
This is one of the best cars we have ever built.
How could this be? Am I really claiming that a completely electric powered vehicle is better than our best gas-powered wonder? Well, if I told you we had an iconic classic car that needed a fraction of the maintenance of its petrol brethren, always started, leaked no oil, never overheated and never needed another gearbox rebuild, wouldn’t that interest you?
And I haven’t even gotten to the performance… this thing is a rocket. Imagine squeezing the throttle and inducing oversteer any time you want, with acceleration times finally getting in the neighborhood modern vehicles. This car gets to 60 mph faster our best 1275 supercharged Bugeye. Faster with fewer headaches is no small feat.
You DO have to keep it charged. There is that minor detail. Sparky needs to be plugged-in every 100 or so miles, or you will get to tow or push home this car (just like any gas-powered Bugeye). It does have “limp home” mode, which automatically activates when your power level gets below 30%, and it drives you home at 30% of normal HP (a mode in which it is still quite a bit faster than a 948 Bugeye).
We have fit the car with a 110 receptacle in the fuel filler cap that will take any household extension cord. We’ve also fit a 220 fast charger, so you can revitalize the power plant in as little as a few hours if a 220 wall charger is or public charging station is available. These home wall units BTW are about $300 and require a 220 line. So, yes, you do have to keep it charged, but don’t most Bugeye owners generally make sub-100 mile trips anyway?
I did not expect to be so smitten by this car. Perhaps it is the balance-the car feels light and neutral, we got the weight bias right. Or it’s instant acceleration at all throttle settings. These are very seductive qualities. But I am most smitten about how much better this performs than the gas powered equivalent. To get this kind of performance from a gas Bugeye is very hard, almost precarious. Every system starts to suffer when you push gas Bugeyes to these performance levels. They were not designed to handle more than 100 HP (remember the stock 948 engine was about 45 HP. But this electric drivetrain is not being taxed at all when you press the throttle to the floor. Nor is the clutch suffering, or anything else. This feels like it can take it, and will be able to take it for generations to come. We’ll let you know as we build some test miles…
When you drive this car, you start to understand why so many major performance car companies are using electric motors in their new supercars. The technology is that good.
I had a long talk today with one of our typical customers, late 60s male, grew up around British cars, now owns a Westfield Eleven, Bugeye and Big Healey, and loves these cars because they evoke the sounds, smells and sometimes problems that remind him of his youth, and great adventures he had before the age of the Internet, cell phones (and maybe even fast food). When I asked him about the electric Bugeye, he replied, “keep your day job.” For this man, an electric Bugeye sounds about as attractive as a vacation in Baghdad.
I imagine a few of you readers probably feel the same way. And don’t worry, we will continue to build great dinosaur drive Bugeyes with the same enthusiasm. In fact, we have petro-cars in our shop from all over the country for sorting, that will keep us busy for the next three months. But it’s difficult to disregard electric drive when it works this well.
We will next complete the cosmetics on the FrogE, and finish detailing a number of fun accents to give this unlikely recipient of high tech wonders some dirty fingernails (and a Prince of Darkness sense of humor) of it’s own.
It is, after all, only a Bugeye.
Bugeye people
You never know where our cars will show up… here’s Dave P and his daughter-in-law Marenda in “Red,” (our 222 sold) at the Tennessee Soybean Festival parade in Martin, TN. this September. I am honored one of our beans was present! Could be the first time a Bugeye ever appeared in a Soybean festival. Looks like fun!
1959 Bugeye Sprite for sale, exceptional and beautifully restored!
Sold and heading to Nicolas in the UK and then Portugal! Congratulations!!!
This is “Tanner,” a rotisserie restored all-stock 1960 Bugeye Sprite, done to a very high standard and ready for a new home. The car is now back in our Connecticut facility and new pictures are posted below. We had hoped to sell the car while it was on the West coast to a customer in that region, but now that the car is back here, we can confirm this is still one of the nicest mostly stock Bugeyes on the road today. If you are looking for a fully-restored Sprite that looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor, this is the car for you.
Tanner shows just 399 miles on the odometer since it was restored. The car is finished in Olde English white with a red interior, exactly matching the creamy vanilla factory color scheme. With fully restored chrome, paint and an all-new interior, the car is a real head-turner. The top is nearly new too, stored in a fleece lined pouch so it looks new when you need it. And the car has a great new tonneau.
We originally purchased this car in 2012 when it was a fresh rotisserie restoration with everything brand new. We then sold it to Nick in British Columbia, Canada, where it has lived garaged inside a special “CarCoon” garage storage air capsule pretty much ever since (that’s the red oxygen tent shown below). He has only put a few hundred miles on the car, driving it only on nice days, and it currently looks exactly as it did in 2012 when it was fully restored.
The underside is immaculate. The car comes with new side curtains and top, as shown in the photo album. The switches and gauges are all in the right places, just like the original. Only the attractive wood Moto-Lita steering wheel is non-stock. Also, the aluminum trim strip above the dash should have been covered with red vinyl to match the dash. We can correct this if you prefer, but the polished existing trim strip looks great too. Some people like front bumpers. We have those too. It’s personal preference. As with all of our cars, we can help customize or fine tune any aspect, so that the new owner gets exactly what they want!
Give a call if you like the best of the best, and you want to make this stunning Bugeye your own!
Lime Rock Concours recap
We had a nice line-up of Bugeyes in our class at this labor day annual event. Three Bugeyes in one concours class was a major victory for the marque, it was great to see such a strong Bugeye presence. 
Judging from the response by the spectators, Bugeyes are more popular than ever. It was a particular honor for us to have two of our cars in the same Concours (a first). The third (silver) Bugeye was one I had not seen before, from North Carolina.
It’s difficult for a Bugeye to be acknowledged by judges in a mixed-make concours. Up against the most beautiful (and expensive) sports cars of the period, we don’t stand a chance.
So in our class (C2), trophies went to a racing xk120M, twin cam MGA with racing heritage and a beautifully restored xk150S. That’s fine, if I owned a perfectly restored 150S and a Bugeye took my trophy, I would not want to be the judge who had to defend that choice.
This is always an impressive show and for 2018, the Bugatti owners were there in force. I was most impressed with the interiors of the many Bugattis on the track. The leather work was exceptional, most of it with a stunning patina, which is understandable when you consider the conditions each cars sees courtesy of the adventurous pilots. Peppered throughout this post are some pictures of my favorite seats.
They are an intrepid bunch–I met one fellow from Belfast who brought his 30s era Bugatti from Ireland to England where it was shipped in a container to New Jersey so he could drive it to Lime Rock and other New England events this month.
Bugeye identity
The car you wear makes a statement about who you are and what matters most.
Meet Gary, who recently purchased our Bugeye “Bliss” and brought the car home to Massachusetts.
Gary immediately renamed his car “Evinrude,” after the bug eye dragonfly in the Disney movie “The Rescuers.” His daughter designed a sharp magnet to match, which Gary proudly displays on the car. You can see Gary beaming in his new alter-ego.
I’ve never met a Bugeye owner I didn’t like, perhaps because we all have a fundamental passion for the same thing… you can’t drive a Bugeye without challenging the status quo. The cars are so petit yet capable. So adorable yet sporty and spirited. So curvy and simple, yet these little cars have impacted and influenced many people who are leading players in automotive culture today. Lots and lots of people started playing with cars with a Sprite.
Thus we do not get tired of supporting people to have and enjoy these cars, and even after years of this work, we continue to hear new ways to language the passion and enthusiasm that surrounds our work. This week from Jonathan (above) in California… ” I love this little car so much. I never knew it was possible to love a car this much.” Not a trivial statement from a guy who also owns a 356 and has had 911s and lots of other cars.
Jonathan lives in the hills above Palm Desert and routinely driving his Bugeye (that we prepared for him) up and down a 3000 foot incline (where it is 110 degrees at the bottom). Armed with little more than an off-white bikini top and aluminum radiator, he’s sweating his way up and down that hill between home and office in a daily hill-climb. That sweltering drive seems completely impractical, there are many other much more capable air conditioned vehicles for that task. Yet, this week he sent one of my favorite quotes. The personality of a Bugeye is that big. That one could drive this car in these unlikely conditions is a big part of the fun.
Tires for classic sportscars
How old are your tires?
This one is probably 30 years old (it did pop)
I’ve seen recommendations that we should all change our tires every seven years. But we all stretch it, and with good reason. Even if you drive your classic car 1000 miles per year, after 7000 miles, that’s hardly noticeable wear for a modern 13 inch tire that is probably good for 40,000 miles or more. And there are plenty of Sprite drivers out there who just noodle around town, so why bother changing your tires if you never go above 40 mph?
Why leave your tires to chance? Roll with “Fate-O!” (these old tires came to us on a Sprite)
One of the great advantages of driving so many identical cars over the same roads day after day is that I get to experience lots of subtle differences between cars. More and more I am convinced that fresh rubber really makes a BIG difference. I have been to one of the largest tire dumps in America (tire pond) and I hate to see more tires discarded. But old tires provide less traction. Old tires don’t brake as well. Or corner as well. And in an panic situation, this could be particularly important. More importantly, new rubber provides more ride comfort for the occupants. Sure, comfort is not a priority when setting off in a Bugeye, but there is a noticeable difference when new supple rubber. It’s more compliant, and makes the car feel a lot better.
Sprites need all the suspension they can get, and tire sidewalls help provide that suspension. This is one reason I am very much against any tire with a profile lower than 70…. 60 or 50 series tires may look cool, but you sacrifice any cushion the sidewall provides. If you lost a dental filling on your last Sprite drive, you need higher profile (or new) tires.
Lots of original Sprite steel wheels are bent too. These Minilights repros are strong and round and well worth considering whenever you invest in new rubber…
Sure, everything else has to be set up right, and your shocks need to be working properly too. But don’t underestimate the importance of good rubber. Learn to read the date code on your tires so you can stop lying about their age. The date code is a four digit code in an oval box on the sidewall, usually next to a DOT number. 3604 would mean the tire was built in the 36th week of 2004. 1815 is the 18th week of 2015, etc.
The new tire at left is 0618, made February 2018 (click the photo to enlarge if needed). If you can only find a three digit number, you are way overdue… in 2000, this designation changed from three to four digits, so if you have only three digits in your date code, your tires are more than 18 years old. Rubber that old just can’t grip the asphalt the way you need it to.
Tires are cheap! Click here if you want to order a set today. We have 155 and 175 series. We also have new wheels available and can mount and balance your tires are wheels and ship them to your door. Click here for more info! And click here to add mounting and balancing…
1950 F1 Pick up for sale
Now sold to Jason in Texas! Congratulations!
New pictures posted! Someone asked about the condition of the cab corners… these were patched with new sheet metal as needed when the truck was repainted. We have shown in photos how nicely a magnet adheres, in case anyone was worried about body filler. (There is none.)
If you were going to have TWO perfect cars in your garage, one would of course be a Bugeye and the other might just be this handsome green truck. They complement each other so nicely.
This is a friend’s truck. He bought it in Ohio about 30 years ago and has garaged it in CT ever since. It shows about 64,000 miles, and that feels like the original mileage given the unmolested condition. The truck is just right in about every way… if is nice enough to show and impress yet used enough that you can still haul stuff without fear of damage. The bed has a few nicks and scratches yet the cab and overall finish is as clean and tidy as a well pressed denim work shirt.
She was repainted once in the original color about 25 years ago. Interior was restored at about the same time. Now it’s perfectly worn-in.
We have just replaced all the brake parts and pinion seal. The flathead V8 is strong. Fit with the original three speed transmission. Everything works, fun to drive and a serious head-turner.
You can find newly restored and modified trucks. You can find beat-to-death trucks. One in this condition seems quite rare. While some restoration work has been done, this one feels like the perfect original truck you found in your grandfather’s barn in Iowa that was ready for you to drive home, use and enjoy.
Price is $23,995. Call if you would like more pictures or information.
Bugeye revival after 31 years of ownership
Dropping off your baby at summer camp
Some 80 repair/restoration line items later, the car hurtled down the Interstate at 65 MPH once again. While there are about 20 more possible improvements we might make were time and budget available, this car is now ready for the next adventure. It’s incomplete (like many English sports cars). Still, Jud will fly into New Haven this week and drive the car back to New Hampshire. If weather and time allow, he’ll also drive over to The British Invasion at Stowe (in Vermont) next weekend.
Each dormant Sprite seems to need something different. This one had a very rusted battery tray, which we cut out. The firewall had also rusted.
We welded in a new tray, a job that requires access from underneath, which meant engine and transmission removal so that we could finish the repair properly. The car also needed new tires, new hydraulics, new hoses and all new rear brakes and hub seals. We fixed many temporary repairs put in place when time was abundant and money was scarce. Now that time is precious and money just a little more prevalent, this owner elected to have us make the car ready for highway miles once again.
Next up are similar projects on cars that came to us from Boise and Oklahoma City. More and more people are sending their cars to us from all over the country, so we can make them right. It’s an honor to serve a national restoration center for these wonderful little cars. Nothing is more satisfying than taking an inactive dusty vehicle and turning it into a road going machine that brings joy to owners and onlookers on otherwise less exciting roadways. Please call if you would like us to bring your classic car back to life!
Which dashboard matters most?
I’ve been reflecting on dashboards this week, because of the critical importance of the modern digital dashboard pictured below.
This picture is all about how information travels. This “dashboard” tells us that our bulk email messages have the best shot of getting to your email inbox. This is great news, and thanks to a lot of hard work here by our computer ace Kilian, more of you should be able to receive your weekly Bugeye Bugle email.
We have heard from some of you that the newsletter stopped appearing in your inboxes. I always thought it was spam filters on each local computer, and that you could find all your missing messages by opening up your personal spam box. But I have learned that Internet service providers block tons of messages before they even go down the pipe to your door. If you are suspected of being an evil troll, your mail is blocked before it even makes it out of the post office. Scrutiny is at all time high, in spite of the fact that our emails only go to people who signed-up to receive them.
If we want to communicate with you, we need to know how to send out Data. Information management requires constant fiddling, and like teenagers with Unisyn tools in our pockets, we now need laptops at the ready to synchronize our words so that they can flow.
This week, I also spent some time staring at a dashboard of a different sort. This is Richard’s 1956 Austin Healey 100 (BN2) (above). Simple. Clean. Elemental. Pure 1956. We were tasked with fixing his sloppy shift lever and leaking rear pinion seal.
When this dashboard was contemporary, the driver would be perhaps thinking about their current realities just as we now think about data. At that time, the cost of an average cost of new house $12,220.00, average monthly rent was $90.00, a gallon of gas was 24 cents and The Slinky was a very popular toy. On the horizon in 1957… the Soviet Union would launch the first space satellite, Sputnik 1.
