Here’s an extremely solid Sprite we bought in California. We call it “Berkley,” and she is known to have lived in California for the past 20 years. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the car has been in dry climate since new. It’s rare to find a Bugeye that has all the original sheet metal underneath like this one, so we can be certain this one has been in nice weather for a good long time.
Click “read more” below the picture to expand this post and see the photo album…
NOW SOLD to John in Ontario! Congratulations John!
AN5L 20416 is a great Bugeye we call “Miller.” It’s a nice one, I have been driving around in this car this week and really enjoying it. It’s tight and shifts beautifully (courtesy of a recently rebuilt transmission). We just replaced the gaskets in the carburetors to fix a leak. We also changed the master cylinder and slave cylinder, so now the car is ready to go to a new home.
Miller is almost completely stock, with the exception of front disk brakes and a few additional very popular upgrades you won’t regret, like a spin on oil filter which makes service much easier. We’re excited to have another very clean Bugeye in stock, ready to be packed into an enclosed trailer and sent to your door!
I got the car in Washington State where it has lived since 2010. It was a long time California resident, previously, and thus it’s a black plate car, with a notebook full of receipts back through the early 90s. A lot of work is documented between 1991 and 2010, all in California, including a new clutch in 1995. I am guessing that the car was restored through the 90s, based on the number of receipts included. There is no record of where the car came from before that, but it’s very solid throughout and looks great underneath too, so I am guessing this is a California car.
The car was fit with the original 948 engine and a rebuilt ribcase transmission, which was installed in 2002. The transmission still looks brand new and has not seen many miles. A front sway bar from a later Sprite was also fit. This is a nice upgrade which improves handling nicely. The disk brake kit was further upgraded with slotted and drilled rotors. With the exception of these tasteful upgrades, Miller looks and feels completely stock.
The Interior is quite nice, with an unmolested and stock dashboard, save a period ammeter, a useful tool so you can monitor the health of your charging system.
The engine bay is quite tidy. Speedo shows 9706, perhaps the mileage put on the car since it was completely restored.
This Sprite is also equipped with a nice top and tonneau. Original side curtains are included, for restoration. (see photos below)
Overall, this is a great car, and would make anyone smile. Give a call or email if you would like to take this car home!
Now sold to David in Michigan! Congratulations!
This is a restored 1958 Austin Healey Sprite Mark 1, AN5L 6825, a car we call “Mellow.” This car was built in 1958, (the last 58 Bugeye was about #8926) but as with many British cars, they were often first titled in the year subsequent to their build date depending on when they were first sold. Thus, this car has been called a 1959 Sprite in motor vehicle registries for all its life, but the car was built in 1958.
More cool details… the long door handle (shown above) is correct for this car. These were changed at the factory to the shorter (and more common) ones in January, 1959 @ car #10,344. Also in January, 1959, @ car #9605, Beige replaced Primrose, which means that this color is accurate for this particular build date. We don’t have the heritage certificate to verify more details about this car, but the numbers and dates all line-up. (The certificate is easy to get if the new owner is interested, about $95.)
And don’t be fooled by the later style windshield shown here… the early nine-stud type was not used on all 1958 cars. It went away at about car # 5500, so this car is among the first batch of 1958 cars to receive the later style two-stud (stronger) windshield.
The car was owned for 40 years by the prior owner, and kept in nice climate in South Carolina. It shows… the car is rust free, without any blisters anywhere. This is a very solid car that benefitted from zero road salt and good garage storage.
The car is quite stock, with a 948 engine (#9CU-H 5347, presumed to be original to the car), smoothcase transmission and drum brakes all around. It’s great to drive, and looks great too. We have added a new carpet kit, new interior panels and new door edge gaskets to freshen-up the interior. Overall, the car looks brand new.
The car was repainted once along the way, and the paint is holding up quite nicely. It shines great. The gas cap is properly painted yellow… this was the way the cars came from the factory, with color-matched fuel caps.
SOLD to Cory in Texas! Congratulations and thank you!!!
This is a really nice 1959 Bugeye Sprite we call “Belle.” AN5L 12297 is reportedly a lifetime California car with a wonderfully solid underside and no signs of any body rust. The car comes with receipts back to 1984, all from Northern California. 50,471 shows on the odometer. One sees many bright red Bugeyes… this car is the correct “cherry red” color used by the factory.
The car has been upgraded with many of the popular performance upgrades to make this car into a wonderful fast driver. If you are a purist and prefer all-stock, and you just want to noodle around town, you don’t need these upgrades. But this package of improvements is widely accepted as very useful for bringing out the best in a Bugeye. If you want more power and better handling, which for many collectors equates to more fun, then this is a car worth serious consideration.
She has a rebuilt 1275cc engine and upgraded 40 DCOE Weber side draft carburetor and header. The Weber is set-up right and the car performs quite well! Very quick! The carb and header add additional horsepower to the strong 1275 engine (which came from a later Sprite or Midget, before it was rebuilt). Incidentally, the original 948 and later 1275 engine have exactly the same footprint, which is why this is such a popular conversion.
Wheels are nearly new, JB from England, shod with wider 175 series tires with very little wear. Rubber is fresh, from 2015.
The transmission is a rebuilt ribcase unit with no issues, it still works like it’s newly rebuilt. The differential was rebuilt and upgraded for highway cruising, with a 3.9 ratio. If you are unfamiliar, the original differential had a 4:22 ratio.
Front brakes were upgraded to discs, and the electrics were converted to negative ground with an alternator installed for higher output. The alternators are also more durable than the original generator, with better bearings. A new electronic distributor was added with electronic ignition, again for more reliabilty. The tachometer was rebuilt to function as an electronic unit which means the sometimes problematic cable drive system is eliminated. It’s more reliable than the original mechanical version.
Other great features include an electric fuel pump, aluminum radiator with nice upgraded expansion tank, walnut burl wood dashboard and steering wheel, 3-point seat belts/shoulder harnesses, new wiring harness, rebuilt seats with new foam and upholstery, new rear leaf springs, new Halogen headlights, new LOUD Hella horns, brass fuel sender float, custom locking choke control with original knob and an original tool kit.
The top and tonneau are nice, both older Amco models, but still with plenty of life. Side curtains are also of similar vintage and quite usable. A front sway bar was added, for even better handling.
The underside is very solid! The paint shines beautifully and the interior looks like new. It’s a clean Bugeye.
The exhaust system includes a small resonator and muffler perpendicular to the car. It works great, and sound nice. It’s also quite recent so there is no need to make any changes. However, if the new owner desires, we can put in a performance muffler with no resonator for a sportier exhaust note and perhaps less back pressure.
This car would also benefit from a five-speed conversion, for even more wonderful highway cruising. It is quite common for us build-out Bugeyes to the specifications of the new owner, so if you want a five-speed Bugeye, we can convert this one for you. Since it already has so many nice upgrades, it is a perfect candidate for this upgrade.
There is just one thing missing, did you notice? We took off the nice wipers to detail the car, and they are still sitting on the bench. Not to worry, I’ll put them on in the morning.
This is a good one, with great handling and performance, and overall, great fun, she’s a fast driver that will make you smile. We’d love to send “Belle” your way! Call or email if you are interested!
NOW SOLD! And heading West as a surprise Christmas gift!!! Congratulations!
This is AN5L 31095 (we call it “Gavin”), a 1960 Bugeye that was the subject of a ground-up restoration in 2014. A ton of money and time was spent to bring this car down to bare metal, and nearly everything was replaced or rebuilt at that time. The original 948 engine was rebuilt by a shop in Massachusetts. The original drum brake front king pins were re-bushed. The floor was repaired with new panels. The wiring is new, and the chrome was redone. The gauges were rebuilt. The project was quite extensive.
The interior was also redone, and looks great.
The car drives well, although some maintenance is needed, primarily because the car has been sitting. For example, the master cylinder is due for replacement, as are some wheel cylinders. I would also replace the bias ply tires, as I much prefer radials. We can get it ready for the new owner if they so desire. If you are interested in the car, call to discuss options.
The bodywork is nice, and the car looks great. The nose fits well, quite a bit better than most. The paint has yellowed a bit. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but the color is not uniform. And the normally flat beading on top of the fenders was ground to more of a point. This is a perfect car for someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff but still desires a nicely restored car at a great price.
This fully restored and expensive restoration can be had for $15,995, a deep discount when compared to most professional restorations-this is a lot of Bugeye for the money. The bodywork is nice, but since it was less than professionally done, you can buy this car for about half of the cost of Tanner, the other completely restored Bugeye in our lineup.
They look almost the same, how come Tanner is twice the price? Feel free to call to discuss!
Now sold to Ron in Rhode Island, his fourth Bugeye from us!!! Awesome, way to go RON!!!
Thousands more was invested to make this custom Sprite. Call for info!
Here’s a chance to purchase a superb Super Sprite. The car was carefully built by Liberty Motorsports in Southern California, where the owner Jim is a passionate Porsche 356 restorer who builds cars to the highest level, including a first place car for the Amelia Island Concours in 2018 and invitations to Quail and Monterey Concours in the past. He always wanted a Bugeye and indulged himself with this build. We provided lots of parts to help him realize his vision and when he decided to sell the car, we were happy to help. This car was delivered new to LA per the heritage certificate, and has been a California car all its life (delivered new in 1960 to LA). It’s solid and beautiful.
Listen to the nice Abarth exhaust note in the video below:
What I love about this car is that it was built to look like it was modified in the early 60s, with period bits to evoke a very nostalgic feel. The interior in particular has a very analog feel, and the builder used period rally clocks and gauges to stay consistent with the theme. He also fit a rebuilt Judson supercharger, which looks fresh out of the back pages of a 60’s copy of Mechanix Illustrated. Lucas “Flame Thrower” driving lights were also custom mounted on the bumper. An NOS Abarth twin tip muffler was also installed, a wonderful period muffler for the 948 power plant. A sweet vintage exhaust note is the result. He also fit a custom dead pedal in the driver footwell-he used a spare 356 gas pedal and rubber cover.
Notice the custom Raydyot mirror base mounts too… most people would be content to mount these in the aft windshield screw hole. Jim took the time to make a base plate that would hide both of the original windshield holes yet leave them available to mount the stock windshield if needed. 
Jim fit our head fairing, and hard tonneau, to make for a sleek and flat look. He also added a custom stitched mini soft tonneau, with matching primrose piping and fat stitching. He also fit an EGT gauge and probe in the main pipe as well as a voltmeter. Tasteful black pin stripes are nice additional accents.
A Hertiage certificate is also included, which verifies that the original engine is present. Front disk brakes were also added, as were color matched wheels and a front anti-roll bar for best handling.
The car is ready to go. A new clutch kit and rear crank seal was installed about 250 miles ago. At that time the generator was upgraded to an alternator, and an electronic conversion performed to make the tachometer work with the alternator. An aluminum radiator was also fit at this time, very helpful for Southern California (and similar) cooling requirements. An electric cooling fan is also present, another cooling system enhancement.
Brooklands windscreens are currently fit on both sides as shown in the photos but the original windshield is included, as is a soft top and bows should the new owner want to use the weather in cooler or inclement weather. The car is currently in Southern California. A color matched original hardtop is also included, with custom black padded headliner. The underside is as clean as the topside, as you can see in the photo gallery.
Many of you have asked if I would sell Gumby, my green super Sprite… that one is not for sale, but if you want another show-winning custom Sprite, this is a very good alternative. It is finished to a very high standard, with lots of fun accessories. It cost thousands more than the asking price to build. The owner needs more space, so here’s a chance to own something very special built by a master fabricator.
Call or email if you are interested!
