Now that we have the very first production Bugeye Sprite gold medal certified for Concours accuracy, we have been asked what we are going to do with it; are we going to put 501 in a museum? Or can it be driven like any other classic British sports car?
As I describe in the videos below, most of the time we get a Sprite into our shop to recondition it, we look for drivability upgrades to make it more reliable for its future owner. In the case of this car, we actually removed a lot of reliability upgrades that had been installed in Australia in order to conform to the Concours guidelines and to accurately re-create the first production Sprite.
Much to our delight, configured exactly as new, these cars were quite capable and quite special to drive. It’s very refreshing to have a Bugeye in its purest form so quick to delight the driver. Sure, we’ll continue building 1275 Supercharged and custom decorated Bugeyes (and there are also more electric Sprites in our future), but this one, perfectly set up just like the day it left the factory floor, demonstrates that in their purest form, Bugeye Sprites are still wonderful and complete machines. I thought you might like to come along with me for a drive in this beautiful car. Click below for the drive video.
I’ve also included below a promotional video next (you’ve seen it before on our site, but it’s worth revisiting). I watched this video with a smile the first time years ago, because I couldn’t imagine that a pre-production Bugeye as shown would be such a blast to drive. It seemed to me that the hyped-up announcer was simply trying to promote the Sprite for the product launch. But after driving 501 today, I don’t feel that way any longer. In the driving video from 1958 and in the driving video from 2022, both drivers are smiling for the very same reason.
This little car, in it’s purest original form, works!
Show your appreciation for 501’s concours gold medal! 501 merchandise available now and for pre-order! Click on the photos below to get yours today!
