NOW SOLD to Lanny in California! Congrats on giving Suzie (our 377th Bugeye sold!) a happy new home!
This week we have a great Bugeye driver called “Suzie” (AN5L 13844). Suzie is named after the wife of the prior owner. We were able to purchase the car from the family that has owned the car since new. The owner had purchased it from his uncle, who bought it new in 1963. He restored it in the early 2000s.
A Particularly nice feature of this car is the 1275 Engine which runs beautifully, mated to a ribbed-case 4 speed transmission, which shifts beautifully too. The exhaust system has a wonderful note, like a true sports car from back in the day. You can hear it below, in the driving video we made to showcase how wonderfully Suzie drives.
The body is quite solid and she’s finished in pearlescent white that shines very nicely! The doors open and close flawlessly. We just changed the door latch and striker plate on the driver’s side and installed matching blue door seals on both sides.
The interior is beautifully appointed, as the pictures attest. These are leather seats, which are a nice upgrade over the standard; all the originals were vinyl, but occasionally we get a car that has been indulged with a leather seat cover such as this one. These are also seat covers from a later Sprite, which have a different piping pattern than regular Bugeye seats, and they happen to be more comfortable than the originals; there’s a little bit more lumbar support in these seats than normal. Regardless, it’s a beautiful interior; it also comes with a matching blue stay fast convertible top and toneau, which are premium upgrades, fit well, and look stunning on the car.
The tires are a little bit wider 165s, so there’s a little bit more traction to be had with Suzie. One interesting feature this Bugeye has is it is fit with a brake booster; this helps the drum brakes stop with a little less pedal effort, and can be stopped a bit more abruptly than stock brakes, which you can see a couple times above in the driving video.
We’ve taken this car to the next level by restoring a number of its systems in recent weeks. We ripped out all the hydraulics, which had aged out because the car had been sitting for a while, and replaced them with fresh premium parts. Suzie sports brand new premium wheel Cylinders, hoses, a new master cylinder, and an upgraded aluminum Slave Cylinder that should last much longer than the stock cast-iron version. So all the hydraulics have been refreshed, and this is one of the key maintenance areas. We’ve also removed the engine and replaced the worn and broken carbon throwout bearing with a new and upgraded roller throwout bearing We have found that the roller throwout bearing lasts much longer than the original design, is much more durable, and creates less rolling friction than the standard friction-type throwout bearing, which in turn makes for a more efficient application of the clutch and lower temperatures.
Suzie is now ready for a new owner, and it’s a really good car… you’ll enjoy nice drives in this stylish Bugeye!
