Classic Cars / Austin-Healey / Car for sale

1959 Austin Healey Sprite THE ULTIMATE BUGEYE 1275, 5-spd Disc Brakes and more

Sale price: $12,500.00 make an offer

Sale type: Fixed price listing

Technical specifications, photos and description:

Year:
1959
Mileage:
99,999
Engine:
1275 mildly built
Trim:
1275 / 5 speed / disc brakes / tilt bonnet
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1959 Austin Healey Sprite THE ULTIMATE BUGEYE 1275, 5-spd Disc Brakes and more for sale

Current customer rating: current rating for this car(2.1) based on 436 votes



Greetings. and thanks for looking at my auction.  I'm a lifelong Bugeye fanatic.  I drove one to college in the 60's. when they were plentiful.  Now you never see them . . .   I've probably owned a dozen over the years. and this one's the nicest of them all . . .  My latest obsession is a Caterham/Lotus Super 7. and the Sprite doesn't get driven as much as it should . . .  so here's your chance!  
This 1959 Austin Healey "Bugeye" Sprite was the subject of a ground up. nut and bolt (all UK fasteners -- no Dorman bolts anywhere!). body off. bare metal restoration by the previous owner around 5 years ago.  Every aspect of this car has been restored. tested. and well sorted.  The car has great gaps. excellent finish. and has received numerous upgrades to make it a superior car for around town driving. weekend touring or vintage car events.  Taking into account that a Bugeye was never intended to be a luxury vehicle. i think mine is one of the nicest available anywhere.   Please see the pictures and the brief description below.
Body: ExcellentStock except for a tilt-forward fiberglass bonnet that is held down by a pair of Dzus fasteners on either side.  Plexiglass wind wings (just like a Cobra!)
Paint: Very nice. certainly better than stock . . .  . . .  but nowhere close to "show" condition.  Who would "over-restore" a Bugeye? . . .  I walked around the car looking for chips and found a few:  two little ones where the bonnet meets the body on the passenger side; a smaller-than-match-head size chip above the driver-side blinker; and an already-touched-up little chip on the driver's door.   Nothing that would bother someone who intends to actually drive the car.

Engine: ExcellentEngine was rebuilt by the previous owner to very high standards using the best parts available. with reasonable modifications to keep it completely "streetable. "  Cooper S head. headers. Titan Motorsport intake with Mikuni carb. cleverly mounted fuel pressure gauge. Aldon distributor with Pertronix. Mallory ProMaster coil. MSD 6AL (mounted high up in the passenger footwell -- see pic).  12V Hitachi alternator. custom battery box. and always serviced with Brad Penn 20-50 motor oil.  
Hydraulics: ExcellentNew Master cylinder.  
Electrical system: ExcellentEverything works. even the little instrument lighting switch on the lower edge of the dashboard and the cute turn-signal toggle switch.  FIAMM horns are loud!   Flat lens Hella quartz-halogen headlights.  See pics of the OEM cloth wiring loom. which goes from front to back.  The front part of the loom can be disconnected for easy removal of the bonnet (see pic).  
Cooling: ExcellentNever overheats.  Multi-bladed plastic fan from a later model Sprite.  See pictures of the custom-built shroud.
Interior: Excellent . . . except for the fit of the OEM-type seat covers. which I haven't bothered to replace.  No holes or rips.  Carpets are excellent. as are the door pockets.  The dash is a faux wood finish. with some modification from original.  A JVC KD-G10 AM/FM/CD is in the dash with front speakers in the kick panels and rear speakers velcro'd just behind the seats (see pics).  The antenna is mounted just inside the edge of the windshield on the passenger side.  There are nicely installed over-the-shoulder inertia reel seat belts on both sides (demanded by SWMBO).  
Gauges:  Room for improvement . . .  The speedo. tach and fuel gauge are Smiths from a later model Sprite.  The original two-in-one mechanical oil pressure/water temperature gauge has been replaced by a mechanical VDO oil pressure gauge. and a VDO electric water temperature gauge and a VDO volts gauge have been added . . .  The important gauges all work.  The speedo jumps around like crazy. undoubtedly because the little plastic gear in the 5-speed needs replacing.  This has never bothered me; if I'm not watching out for SUV's. I'm looking at the tach.  Please note that the odometer reading above is a fill-in required by eBay; the actual mileage is unknown . . .  The fuel gauge is "optimistic. "  It goes past full when you have a full tank. and it's empty when the gauge gets down to somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 (don't ask me how I know).
Wheels and tires: ExcellentWheels are 5-1/2" Corvair outers on stock Bugeye centers. a very common upgrade "back in the day. "  They are powder coated black.  Stock hubcaps.  Tires are NOS Uniroyal Rallye 240's that I bought in the 70's and stored ever since.  185/70X13.  No spare.
Tonneau: ExcellentCustom fitted to work with the roll bar (see picture).  No top or side curtains.  Hopefully. you have another car to drive when it rains!   
Suspension: ExcellentSuspension was completely rebuilt with new bushings and new quarter-elliptic rear springs . . .  The front and rear shocks are tube shock upgrades.  Front disc brakes from a later model Sprite.
Glass: Excellent . . .  except for a tiny crack in the lower right corner of the windshield.   You can see it in the picture above the radio.  

Chrome: Excellentwhat little there is . . .  
Exhaust system: ExcellentGlass-pack with dual tips  . . .  I like it. but it's definitely on the louder side.
This is a no-reserve auction . . .  I've started the bidding at substantially less than i expect (hope) to receive -- indeed. you couldn't duplicate this car for double the starting bid.  So bid early and often!  Please check my feedback and bid with confidence . . . Speaking of which. If you have less than 10 positive feedbacks. please contact me before bidding.
That's all I can think of at the moment . . .  please email me with any questions. and if there's something I haven't shown. I can send you more pictures.  Include your phone number if you'd like me to call you.  
The car is located in West Los Angeles and is available at reasonable hours for inspection.  In fact. PLEASE have someone check out the car in person before you bid or buy. because ALL SALES ARE FINAL. and the car is sold AS-IS with no warranties expressed or implied.   A $1000 deposit is due via PayPal within 24 hours after the auction ends. and the purchase price must be paid IN CASH within 7 days.  I'm happy to cooperate in shipping the car to your destination.


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Comments and questions to the seller:

from Mark Curbishley, dated 15 april 2020
Hi is Sprite still for sale?

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