Emma is a Bugeye that has been here twice before, and a great one, since we have been through the car for two separate customers over the past ten or so years. And if you’re familiar our work, you know that each time we run through a car, it gets better!!!
Emma was our 294th Bugeye sold five years ago to a great client in Georgia and Florida. She represents a unique chance to own a fully-sorted five-speed, 1275 and disk brake equipped car that we fully prepared for a prior customer. She’s a blast to drive and well-fettled for maximum reliability, with all the best tricks from our tool box applied, so you can have the most drivable classic car possible.
We spent a full two months making this car wonderful for Emma’s prior owners (Bob and Sean, respectively) and now you can enjoy the fruit of all that labor. Bob owned the car for about 13 years and then Sean owned it for another five.
Our first massive project list of about 75 items for this car was completed in March of 2019, when the car left here with 25 miles on her new GPS speedometer. Repairs and upgrades of note installed at that time: we replaced the entire front end, installed tapered wheel bearings, replaced the steering rack, installed new front shocks and bushings, new tie rod ends, new alternator, new water pump and aluminum radiator, ideal for hot climates.
We also replaced the slave cylinder, installed a new solid state fuel pump, replaced the fuel tank sender float with a metal one, changed the oil, replaced the carburetor needles and seats, installed a new heater valve, battery kill switch, three point seat belts, LED lights, electronic tachometer and Speedo, new distributor with electronic ignition and most importantly (and expensively) a Ford five-speed transmission. This transmission conversion is a great asset to every Sprite, as it makes highway cruising quite pleasant, and provides a fully synchronized first gear. The gear box is stout too, and much more durable than the original product or the Datsun conversions we sometimes see.
Give us a call if you would like a copy of the build sheets from the $14,000 upgrade performed in 2019 for Bob. We also have the build sheet for Sean from December of 2020 for another $9,000 in improvements… like a new Moto Lita wheel (as shown), compact air horn, front sway bar, new seats and foams, upgraded door pockets, new carpet, top and side curtain pouches, and more. That said, there’s always more we can do; the tires are 20 years old and its time to replace them. We can also replace the “pots and pans” air filters that were typically installed on later Spridgets with more modern K&N filters… the choice is yours! We are happy to do both for the new owner!
She now shows just under 2400 miles, so only 2300 or so miles were put on the car since more than $23,000 was invested in upgrades (that’s what makes this car so attractive, the last owners were very generous and the new owner will enjoy all the upgrades already installed). If you want a well-sorted Bugeye that has already been run through our our multiple checklists and filters, this is an excellent choice.
Click “read more” below for the full compliment of photos and call or email to take Emma home today!
