Sprite Vehicle Overview
When this car was new it was painted Old English White.
It is now Almond Green.
We're also firmly of the opinion that this particular example is without doubt one of the best you'll find anywhere and is considerably better put together than anything the technologies of the day might have achieved back in 1960 when it left the Abingdon factory.
His father, Graham Paddy, used to work for Downton Engineering (who specialized in tuning Minis) back in the '60s.
Graham then went on to become a founding Director of Moss Europe, the automotive parts specialists.
A few years ago, father and son came up with a plan to buy an old Austin-Healey Sprite and subject it to the ultimate nut & bolt, ground-up, bare metal restoration – using both Graham's considerable engineering skills and experience, and that of some of the other people who'd originally worked on A Series engines and mechanicals at Downton Engineering.
The restoration was completed in 2018 and less than 100 shake-down miles have been added to the fully rebuilt engine (including Burlen refurbed S.U. carbs) since then.
Wherever possible, high-quality original parts were sourced. Elsewhere, the existing parts were refurbished or replaced with the best available replacements.
The only significant (but highly recommended) deviations from full originality are disc brakes and a stronger, ribbed gearbox case.
Fully retrimmed inside, the car comes with unfitted glass side-screens complete with fixing brackets, a new black fabric hood, tonneau covers and a spare wheel.
It is, in short, exquisite.
There are now True-Spoke real knockoff wheels and hub adaptors fitted to the car adding yet more character with an elegant look.
Exterior
The bodywork is free of any dings, dents, creases or other aberrations of any consequence whatsoever.
The subtle shade of Almond Green paintwork has plenty of shine and luster and manages simultaneously to give the car both modern and retro aesthetics.
The chrome work is good all round, as is the new fabric top and the full tonneau cover.
As stated, the car comes with currently unattached side-screen windows, which are clearly in excellent order.
The car's lights, lenses, badging and other exterior trim, fixtures and fittings are all beyond reproach.
Interior
The simple but beautifully finished interior has all the charm of its exterior counterpart.
The door cards are unmarked and pristine.
The pale green carpets, which contrast appealingly with the darker green seats and dashboard, are effectively brand new and only barely acquainted with the ingress or egress of feet.
The dark green leather bucket seats have yet to earn a crease, let alone any patina.
The Moto-Lita steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and other controls look showroom fresh and free from any discernible signs of use or wear.
The hood lining is following the same script as everything else and is, accordingly, very good indeed.
Mechanical
948cc BMC A Series engine
The engine and engine bay are spectacularly clean, dry, shiny and gleaming.
The undersides of the car look as if they've never been outside.
Vehicle Story
The British call it the Frogeye, the Americans the Bugeye.
Either way the Austin-Healey Sprite was famously designed as a car that you could keep in his bike shed'.
Given such a quintessentially British mission statement, it's no surprise that it's both small and mechanically straightforward. It's also great fun to drive and very easy to maintain and own.
The Frogeye didn't rely on brute force to provide its driver with kicks – its 948cc BMC A Series engine, borrowed from the Morris Minor, displaces almost exactly two pints, enough to generate just 43bhp and a top speed of around 80mph but in something this tiny and low to the ground that feels so much faster.
And in today's world of endless speed cameras, this is how you get your thrills and keep your licence.
The Sprite relied heavily on the BMC parts bin, sporting the Morris Minor's steering rack as well as its engine, and the Austin A35's front suspension. A four-speed manual gearbox took the drive to the rear end, which
is suspended via elliptic leaf springs.
The bodywork is simple because simple is both cheap and light, the twin constraints that run through the Sprite's DNA. This means there are no door handles either, and not even a boot. In fact, the entire rear end is one-piece, which is hardly the most practical solution, but it does keep the shell stiff – and cheap.
Even carpets, wing mirrors, bumpers and a heater were all optional extras.
And yet it's tremendously fun because of its simplicity and almost complete absence of weight (on a windy day the safety-conscious owner would do well to tie it down like a barrage balloon).
Its handling is wonderfully nimble, and it racked up considerable success as a racer, most notably in the Alpine Rally, a notoriously tough event it won in its first year.
In 1959 it went to Sebring – and took all three podium places in its class.
The small but mighty Sprite proved that a car could be so much more than the sum of its parts, and never before had so much fun been had for so little expenditure.
Can be seen on Hotrod collection web site
We welcome trades
When this car was new it was painted Old English White.
It is now Almond Green.
We're also firmly of the opinion that this particular example is without doubt one of the best you'll find anywhere and is considerably better put together than anything the technologies of the day might have achieved back in 1960 when it left the Abingdon factory.
His father, Graham Paddy, used to work for Downton Engineering (who specialized in tuning Minis) back in the '60s.
Graham then went on to become a founding Director of Moss Europe, the automotive parts specialists.
A few years ago, father and son came up with a plan to buy an old Austin-Healey Sprite and subject it to the ultimate nut & bolt, ground-up, bare metal restoration – using both Graham's considerable engineering skills and experience, and that of some of the other people who'd originally worked on A Series engines and mechanicals at Downton Engineering.
The restoration was completed in 2018 and less than 100 shake-down miles have been added to the fully rebuilt engine (including Burlen refurbed S.U. carbs) since then.
Wherever possible, high-quality original parts were sourced. Elsewhere, the existing parts were refurbished or replaced with the best available replacements.
The only significant (but highly recommended) deviations from full originality are disc brakes and a stronger, ribbed gearbox case.
Fully retrimmed inside, the car comes with unfitted glass side-screens complete with fixing brackets, a new black fabric hood, tonneau covers and a spare wheel.
It is, in short, exquisite.
There are now True-Spoke real knockoff wheels and hub adaptors fitted to the car adding yet more character with an elegant look.
Exterior
The bodywork is free of any dings, dents, creases or other aberrations of any consequence whatsoever.
The subtle shade of Almond Green paintwork has plenty of shine and luster and manages simultaneously to give the car both modern and retro aesthetics.
The chrome work is good all round, as is the new fabric top and the full tonneau cover.
As stated, the car comes with currently unattached side-screen windows, which are clearly in excellent order.
The car's lights, lenses, badging and other exterior trim, fixtures and fittings are all beyond reproach.
Interior
The simple but beautifully finished interior has all the charm of its exterior counterpart.
The door cards are unmarked and pristine.
The pale green carpets, which contrast appealingly with the darker green seats and dashboard, are effectively brand new and only barely acquainted with the ingress or egress of feet.
The dark green leather bucket seats have yet to earn a crease, let alone any patina.
The Moto-Lita steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and other controls look showroom fresh and free from any discernible signs of use or wear.
The hood lining is following the same script as everything else and is, accordingly, very good indeed.
Mechanical
948cc BMC A Series engine
The engine and engine bay are spectacularly clean, dry, shiny and gleaming.
The undersides of the car look as if they've never been outside.
Vehicle Story
The British call it the Frogeye, the Americans the Bugeye.
Either way the Austin-Healey Sprite was famously designed as a car that you could keep in his bike shed'.
Given such a quintessentially British mission statement, it's no surprise that it's both small and mechanically straightforward. It's also great fun to drive and very easy to maintain and own.
The Frogeye didn't rely on brute force to provide its driver with kicks – its 948cc BMC A Series engine, borrowed from the Morris Minor, displaces almost exactly two pints, enough to generate just 43bhp and a top speed of around 80mph but in something this tiny and low to the ground that feels so much faster.
And in today's world of endless speed cameras, this is how you get your thrills and keep your licence.
The Sprite relied heavily on the BMC parts bin, sporting the Morris Minor's steering rack as well as its engine, and the Austin A35's front suspension. A four-speed manual gearbox took the drive to the rear end, which
is suspended via elliptic leaf springs.
The bodywork is simple because simple is both cheap and light, the twin constraints that run through the Sprite's DNA. This means there are no door handles either, and not even a boot. In fact, the entire rear end is one-piece, which is hardly the most practical solution, but it does keep the shell stiff – and cheap.
Even carpets, wing mirrors, bumpers and a heater were all optional extras.
And yet it's tremendously fun because of its simplicity and almost complete absence of weight (on a windy day the safety-conscious owner would do well to tie it down like a barrage balloon).
Its handling is wonderfully nimble, and it racked up considerable success as a racer, most notably in the Alpine Rally, a notoriously tough event it won in its first year.
In 1959 it went to Sebring – and took all three podium places in its class.
The small but mighty Sprite proved that a car could be so much more than the sum of its parts, and never before had so much fun been had for so little expenditure.
Can be seen on Hotrod collection web site
We welcome trades