With our recent focus on the first production Sprite and concours accuracy, I thought you might find the following article particularly interesting. The April 1961 issue of Car and Driver Magazine featured a road research report which is reprinted below. I found it very interesting to read Bugeye driving impressions from 61 years ago.
The article makes it abundantly clear that Bugeyes are a very malleable platform. In the report, you’ll see the stock Sprite reviewed, and a pile of parts offered to transform your Bugeye into a capable rally or race machine. The author made it quite clear that the car was designed to do many different things with simplicity and grace. (Check out the end of this post to see the article in its entirety.)
Since 2007, we’ve transformed hundreds of Bugeyes; just as the article predicted in 1961, some folks enjoy the stock version, and others prefer to customize their ride.
Gumby, my personal car and the company’s flagship Bugeye, is one that has been extensively modified. I have owned Gumby since 1978, but in its current state it is completely impossible to tell that this is the same car I acquired the same year I bought Billy Joel’s 52nd Street album on vinyl.
Gumby is currently configured with a supercharger, four-wheel disc brakes, twin piston front calipers, and a custom interior with superb detailing. The car also is fit with a chopped windshield, cockpit hard tonneau and head fairing with a custom diamond-stitched leather pillow. There isn’t much on Gumby that hasn’t been upgraded, from the header and exhaust system to the color-matched wheels (its most recent upgrade). Gumby was a basic Bugeye in primer when I purchased it for $1100, but now it’s been molded into a stunning show car, a running, driving monument to what we are capable of producing with this simple platform. I thought you’d enjoy seeing the contrast between Gumby and 501, our concours gold medal-winning Bugeye (read the latest on 501 here).
Gumby was awarded “Best Sprite In Show” at the National Austin-Healey club meet this year, the same event where 501 received its gold medal certification. It was humbling and fulfilling to have a 600-person Austin Healey club audience decide that Gumby and all this hard work was worthy of the “best” Sprite in show award.
Ready to build your own personal Gumby? We have two new Super Sprites in the pipeline and we are happy to customize one for you. Below you can see “Gray,” a Bugeye we’re building up now with a 1380 performance engine and five-speed transmission. Gray is available and can be built out to the new owner’s specifications.
“Blue” is also available (although we have one customer pondering his Bugeye dream ride, he has first dibs…). But I wanted to show you that more custom Bugeyes are coming soon. Get involved early and you can customize the features as you like; we’re delighted to partner with you to create your own personal delightful interpretation! We have one more car at the paint shop. Give us a call if you are interested in a custom build!
Scroll through the pages below to read the entire article from Car and Driver April, 1961. In the article, you’ll notice gentle encouragement to build your Bugeye any way you like!
Article credit: Car & Driver, April 1961
