NOW SOLD to Dale in Ohio! Congratulations!!!! Time to enjoy a summer in a driving Bugeye! Bugeye # 413!
Meet “Penny Lane” (AN5L 49553), a unique survivor 1960 Bugeye you don’t see every day. This car is a time capsule, with original floor mats and tons of other original features that are generally missing on the cars we usually see. For example, we NEVER see cars with the original regular paper tags still attached to the regulators. (Check that out in the photo gallery.) If you like lightly restored patina survivors, give this one a serious look!
Check out the dashboard backside picture below… I love this photo because you can see the original grease pencil factory marking. This is the original blue dash board for this car 49553 (you can see the first four numbers “4944”below), and it was built with a rev counter (R/C), windshield washers (W/W) and MPH speedo (MPH). These are the markings used in the factory for the original build. Every original dash on these cars is matched to the chassis number, as shown here.
You can also see the original perforated dashboard cut-out for the radio, still intact just like when the car was new.
Per the included heritage certificate, Penny was originally sent to Vancouver, Canada on December 8th, 1960. Either this is a relatively low mileage car or it was just driven by a single occupant, but somehow, the original rubber floor mats survived reasonably nicely and the passenger floor mat in particular is still in pretty good condition. Check out the video tour below in which I walk you through a bunch of nifty original features still present on this car.
Penny was repainted once, as evidenced by some overspray on the license plate plinthe gasket, and there is some Rustoleum paint on the wheel arches, all evidence of what we all did back in the ’70s with inexpensive sports cars… tried to save them with whatever budget and (lack of) skill that was available. These cosmetic scars and amateur restoration efforts are exactly what you would expect on a survivor Bugeye, and that’s what makes this car so charming.
Allow me to paint a mental picture: It’s 1971 and your Bugeye is starting to show a little surface rust in the wheel arches. You’re not going to take it to the Pebble Beach Restoration Shop (no one ever even considered “restoring” a Bugeye in 1971); instead, you’re going to slather on a little Rust-oleum on the sheet metal and keep on driving. That “old-fashioned” way of thinking is exactly what is (refreshingly) showcased on this Sprite.
The car drives well! We put on white wall radials which we love with the current look, but we can also put on new black walls if the new owner prefers. Alternatively, we could install new bias plys if the new owner prefers accurate tires to match the originals.
The car is fit with the original 948 engine called out in the heritage certificate and the original drum brakes. You can see the original carbs above too, as well as other original features such as the original paper tag on the voltage regulator. The radiator and master cylinder are recent replacements.
Penny Lane is fitted with an older white soft top that matches the general motif of the car, as well as an older black tonneau cover. A set of correct original sliding side curtain cores are also present.
This is an awesome piece of Bugeye history! You don’t really see Bugeye Sprites in this type of elemental condition, so this is your opportunity to buy one! Click “read more” below for more pictures and give us a call to learn more about Penny Lane!
