Update by Tim Suddard to the
Austin-Healey Sprite project car
May 17, 2021
Our plan had never been to build a concours-correct Bugeye Sprite. We always wanted to wind up with a hot street car.
That is why we bought an ex-race car and weren’t particularly bothered by the fact that a lot of the street equipment was missing.
Besides, we had an ace in the hole in that we had previously bought a couple of parts cars that would provide us with all the street equipment we would need while also yielding some necessary trade bait.
We were able to decipher the car’s serial number so we could get both a title and Heritage Certificate from the British Motor Museum.
The Heritage Certificate told us that our Sprite is a 1960 model that had originally been Iris Blue with a dark blue interior. We had always thought that this color combination looked rather striking and fit the cheeky personality of the Sprite so we’ll go back to it.
We already have an engine, as we built a 1275cc from an MG Midget haul. We kept the compression reasonable, however, so we could add a Moss Motors supercharger kit–perfect for this project.
While we definitely want to keep the Sprite street legal, comfort will not be a key consideration. In fact, we will probably forgo a top in lieu of a tonneau cover.
We will use the stock seats and have already ordered a seat kit: dark blue leather with light blue piping. Carpet has been ordered, too, even though these cars originally came with just simple rubber mats.
Beneath the car, we’re going to install uprated lever shocks, an upgraded front anti-roll bar, and a Panhard bar at the rear. We will lower the car a bit as well.
For braking, we will move to disc brakes up front and upgraded Midget brakes in the rear with street/autocross Porterfield pads and shoes.
So without going too crazy, we are building a quick little canyon carver to use for spirited day trips and an occasional autocross outing.
Back in yesteryear, there was a BMC dealership on the other end of town from my home. And, as a 14-15 year old, I used to walk all the way there just to sit in an Austin-Healey, MG, or some other such exotica. I would run through the gears until the salesmen would run me off, but they generally let my have my fantasies for quite a while before evicting me.
Never did get to own one, though. Pity.
Such a happy looking car... Even without headlights.
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