Now SOLD to John in Massachusetts! Bugeye #385 is headed to Cape Cod!

If you’re looking for a complete project bugeye, take a look at “Poochie” (AN5L 5716), an early ’59 Bugeye Sprite that was originally Iris blue. This is a project car that has been sitting forever and was most recently in storage in Connecticut for the last 25 years, awaiting restoration. The prior owner sold his property this month, so he needed to move this to a new home and we were delighted to retrieve this car and help the Pooch find a new home.

While it will need a complete restoration, Poochie’s in better condition than many of the project cars that we’ve found of late. This is also a relatively early car with the original tunnel mat still in place, and period seat belts similar to the belts we have in Sea Biscuit. There is also a wonderful 8-track player inconveniently mounted behind the driver seat, well worth keeping just as a reminder of how far we have come!

It’s becoming more difficult than ever to find a perfect project car, so we just have to deal with the inventory that shows up, and we’re delighted to help facilitate bringing another one of these great cars back onto the road.

NOW SOLD to Mark of California! Congrats on becoming the proud new caretaker of Bugeye #394 sold!

We have snapped some fresh photos and taken a more recent driving video! Check out the post below and give us a call if Robin is right for you!

NEW driving video!

This is “Robin” (AN5L 32598), a stunning mostly stock Bugeye with a front disk brake upgrade. Interior is quite nice, paint is strong, engine is fresh, this car is ready for fun! This was a dry Arizona car that began a four-year restoration about 15 years ago. The car comes with a book full of receipts describing all the expenditures. The California owner stripped the tub (as shown below) and had the car painted with a striking base/clear bright red finish. We sold Robin in 2019 to a local collector who put just a few hundred miles on the car. We have just refreshed the hydraulic system to prepare the car for the new owner.

All the usual new parts were added during the restoration that you would expect, including a new wiring harness, badges, bumpers, etc., as well as a new wood steering wheel and leather covered shift knob, all of which still present well. The radiator and heater were recored, and the suspension was completely renewed with the addition of front disk brakes for better stopping power. This week, we replaced many of the hydraulic components, including the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, brake hoses, and clutch slave to ensure proper hydraulic function. A fresh fuel filter was also installed.

NOW SOLD! Shep will be headed to a new home in New Hampshire! Congrats to the folks taking home Bugeye # 384!

Here’s a great Austin-Healey Sprite, well-restored by a prior owner and ready for a buyer who is looking for an excellent “no apologies” driver! AN5L 41028, a Bugeye we call “Shep”, is a mostly stock car with 948 engine and drum brakes, plus minilight wheels and a nice flip-forward nose (with custom latches) for superior engine access. The carbs are upgraded to 1.25 inch HS2 models which provide better performance and are just an all around better design than the original H1 variety. As a result the car drives great and is tons of fun!

This car received new floors and rockers during its restoration, which make for a very solid body and excellent door fit. The paint work is a very good base-clear paint job, all done within the past ten years. A new grille and windshield plus a new front sway bar are nice upgrades. The tonneau cover and top are good and nice side curtains round out the package. The car is also fit with a particularly nice Moto Lita steering wheel and as well as a new starter and generator.

NOW SOLD to Ramon in North Carolina!!! Congratulations! Our 390th!

“Celebrity” is a striking Bugeye we fully serviced and upgraded about a year ago with more than $15,000 worth of improvements (including new painted wire wheels and tires, exhaust header and a complete front end rebuild).

When Vanity fair decided to do a photo shoot for their George Clooney feature, they needed a classic car, and chose this particular Bugeye for the shoot!

Our celebrity Bugeye roster is growing, now that we provided Caitlyn Jenner with her Bugeye (see above) and also sold Keven Bacon’s former (green) Bugeye a while back (see below). Everyone is famous when they sit in (or on) a Bugeye. Samantha wanted to call this car “Clooney Booty” for obvious reasons, but we settled on “Celebrity” instead.

“Celebrity” (AN5L 20078) is a very nice uprated driver with a 1275 engine, five speed Datsun transmission conversion, front disk brakes, front sway bar and wire wheels. The master cylinders were upgraded to later Sprite separate clutch and brake masters. This is a popular upgrade that makes service easier.

We have put in a new brake master and new rear wheel cylinders as well as resealed the axles and rebuilt the rear brakes. The car runs well, handles well, and stops nicely.

Check out the video below, which includes more commentary:

This is a perfect car for anyone who wants all the best Bugeye modifications on a cosmetically strong (but not perfect) car. Celebrity is a driver that you can use and enjoy, and also show. There are a few very minor cosmetic flaws, and the dashboard has a later style ignition switch (which happens to be more reliable) but the five speed is a dream, and totally transforms these cars, so this is perhaps one of the best assets you are buying should you choose this car.

As with all these old cars, they come to us with a punch list which we will sort out for the new owner. This one needs the speedometer and horn repaired, and the front end aligned, all of which we can fix in partnership with the new owner before the car departs our facility.

The car is a striking gray metallic, with a faint violet hue. The wire wheels look great. Give a call if you would like to make Celebrity yours!

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