Now SOLD to Samuel in Alabama! Thank you, our 350th sold!!!!
Our latest offering is “Mooney” (AN5L 17816), a 1959 Bugeye that was a bare bones autocrosser, last run in the late 80s. It’s a solid car, with good panels and floor. We got it started this week and it runs well, with good oil pressure. You can expect to need to do a thorough mechanical refresh on this car should you choose to make it your own. She will need all new hydraulics to make the clutch and brakes actuate and a new wiring harness would be really nice, as well as rebuilt carbs (these work but would run even better once rebuilt), and new oil pressure gauge line. All these bits are the typical Bugeye replacement items after a long hibernation.
The tires are too old and too wide for all but a teenager who puts grip above all other attributes, and as you know if you are reading this, you probably value a little bit of comfort at this point in your life, so we would suggest a slightly narrower, more supple tire to add a little bit of ride quality. We can build out this car for you, or fill it with the necessary parts and ship it to you so you can go to town building your very own Bugeye!
The seats are worn out, but we have revived them with our seat covers as a stop gap measure. These covers may be all you want to have installed, but of course the seats could also be rebuilt with new foam and covers. This interior is pretty well stripped of any sort of floor covering, meaning this would be a good candidate to either leave it as-is or install one of our available flooring options, such as our hardura floor covering kit.
The floor is excellent; in fact, the entire underside is in excellent condition in comparison to most Sprites that have been sitting as long as this car has. There is one moderate area of rust-through that is less than ideal behind the driver seat. The rest of the floor area is quite good.
Note the wide track and wheel spacers behind the front tires for autocross grip. Spacers could perhaps be removed to calm it down just a bit. Four wheel drum brakes are also fitted; since the hydraulics will already need to be replaced, this car would be a good candidate for our front disc brake conversion kit, also! The possibilities with this car are nearly endless; it is about as close to a blank slate as someone could ask for.
To our delight, a 1275 has been installed in this car, and after several decades of in-operation, the engine woke right up! All we did was change the distrubutor. We ran it off a remote fuel supply for our test just to ensure this engine is still good, and she runs well (See the video above). A new fuel tank will be needed, as this one is past antique; a new fuel line will be needed stem-to-stern also, as a previous owner has run a rubber fuel line the entire length of the car. We also strongly recommend a full wiring harness; the wiring in this car has been modified and is old and brittle.
This Bugeye is a bomber/beater/screamer as it sits-the choice is yours. It is always ultimately up to our customer what they would like their new toy to become. I personally would not invest in a repaint, as the coat she currently wears looks fine for what it is. If shiny and smooth is more your speed, we have several other cars available that sparkle. “Mooney”, instead, is the car for someone who smiles at less than perfect cosmetics, who prefers the “lived-in” look of an older automobile, and who wants to rip around the neighborhood with minimal upfront cost.
This car presents a great opportunity to get into a Bugeye with minimal upfront dough! Call or email if interested!
