1960 Austin Healey Bugeye/Frogeye Sprite

Description for Austin Healey Sprite 1960

1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite
Early example of the "Froggy."
100% original California car. Sold new in San Francisco in August 1960. BMIGT Factory Record included. Original black plates, urrent Californiaregistration. Car was purchased as a wedding gift and sat garaged in Los Angeles from 1974 until found in 2013. A true barn find, obwebs and all. A great project car waiting to be restored.
Popular and full of personality, ugeyes have been growing in popularity at auction. Mecum has sold four at Monterey alone since 2912 and Barrett-Jackson got high numbers at Palm Beach in 2013 ($20,350) and 2015 ($27,500.)
Most MK1 Sprites have been "restored" (poorly) at least once.This car has had only one paint job and redo and that's it. Every feature unique to a MK1 Sprite is intact. You will not find another car in this condition as complete and as solid as this. When this car is compete you won't have to guess at how things "should be," because it is already the way it should be.
Based on the tire dates and the last registration sticker, nbsp;this car looks tohave been put away around 1974. This is atextbook example of a "barn find" car. This car has its original CA black plates and they come with the car.
I have owned the car for 2 1/2 years and the onlything done was change two tires that would not hold air. My intention was to either completely restore the car or just redo the car mechanically and preserve the "barn find" look but after some serious reckoning I have decided that I really want an Innocenti 950 instead. Open topossible trade.
Take a closelook at the photos. What sets this car apart is how dry it is underneath. This car has the optional hard top and it looks to have been on the car for most, f not all, f its life. The floors are as solid as the day the car was built. The factory undercoat is drying out and flaking off in places but there is onlyfactory primer underneath. Thefront subassembly is dry, olid and straight with no distortion that I can see. The lower rear quarter panels behind the wheels have small rust bubbles andbondo but the inner panelsbehind are surprisingly rust-free. The worst rust issue is the passenger side "A" piller (a common problem with allSprites and Midgets.) Feel free to ask for detail photos of any part of this car.
Additionally, he bonnet, hile being correct, ooks to have been swapped from another Sprite at some point, s evidenced by blue overspray in places. There is some damage to the righthinge and bonnet support but both can be obtained from Frogeye Spares Co. part Nos. BN01 and BP066 respectively. Frogeye Spares also has all needed patch panels for the lower rear quarters and the "A"pillars.
Mechanically, he car retains its smooth-case gearbox, 48cc engine and drum brakes. The wheels are also the originals. The water pump is stick, ut the crankshaft turns freely (withcompression) and the transmission goes into all gears. Unsurprisingly, he brake pedal is stuck but the car rolls easily. the interior is complete and allthegauges are there except for a Stewart Warner ampgauge. It looks like a Datsun radio was installed at some point.
This is a prime candidate forrestoration and anexcellentexample of why unmolested California cars are so special.