bugeyeguy – Page 64

The Quest For Gold!

June 10, 2022 by bugeyeguy

As I write this, AN5L 501 should be loaded on its second container ship and on its way from Cartagena, Columbia, to Edison, New Jersey, where we can retrieve it after the long voyage from Australia and begin our quest for concours gold! The gold medal we seek will (hopefully) come when we bring the car to the Austin-Healey Club Enclave in the Pocono Mountains this September, where the car is entered in the Concours judging competition. Our goal at this event is to attain “gold” certification which means that out of 1000 possible points, we are able to attain 950 or more, as determined by a team of four judges and a roughly two-hour stem-to-stern inspection.

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All about the “L”, Part 2

June 10, 2022 by bugeyeguy

You may not remember that I had a chance to buy AN5L 501 in about 2012. At that time, the car was a basket case. It was also located in California, so I was not able to physically inspect it, nor did I have an abundance of photographs. There was also an additional anomaly… the number plate. The vin plate pictured above read “AN5 501.” But left-hand drive cars for export were all supposed to include an “L”(for left-hand drive) after the AN5.

This car was stamped as if it was a right-hand drive car, yet it was configured as a left-hand drive car. All documentation stated that the first production Frogeye was built for the USA market, so there should’ve been an “L” stamped into the number plate. Everything else (that I could see) checked-out on the car, but this numbering issue was unsettling, especially once I factored in the magnitude of work that lay ahead and the (at the time) outrageous price that was being requested for such a rough car; so I passed. (See my prior post about the number plate by clicking here.)

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Proper ’59 Cherry Red Frogeye For Sale! NEW Driving Video!

June 9, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Dan in Kansas! Bugeye #355 is heading to the Great Plains!

We finally had a minute for a new driving video this week! Ride along below as we take Wayne on our train station test loop!

We are pleased to introduce you to “Wayne”, a stunning 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite. AN5L 16729 was a multi-year restoration completed in about 2016. The car has mostly sat idle since then. We’ve just refreshed the interior, and now we have a very striking cherry red on red Sprite that looks very much like an original showroom example. BMC’s “cherry red” was a deep red just like what you see here, and as such, we have an excellent mostly stock example. Remember, you could have your new Bugeye in blue, green, yellow, beige, white or red. This car is the correct shade of red offered on new Bugeyes.

The carbs have been upgraded to HS2s (a smart move) and we have just added an electric fuel pump in back. A spin-on oil filter was also added during the restoration. Otherwise, this is a mostly stock drum brake 948-powered four speed car. The paint is excellent. The carpet is brand new.

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Top Shelf 1960 Bugeye Sprite For Sale! Driving Videos!

June 8, 2022 by bugeyeguy

NOW SOLD to Eric in New York! Our 353rd Bugeye sold!

This is AN5L 33167, a 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I we call “Cinnamon.” Cinnamon is one of the nicest restored Bugeyes in the United States, and if you are looking for an upper-echelon Bugeye, give this one a serious look!

Part of what makes this car so special is that we have already been through it and upgraded it for a prior owner, so dozens of the usual punch list items have already been addressed. We started roughly two years ago with a fantastically restored car with excellent body and paint work, and sorted every last detail for its first owner after the restoration, who lives in Florida. He had us upgrade the car with an aluminum radiator, three point retractable seatbelts, a GPS speedometer, electric tach, and all the reliability improvements that are most common for cars prepared in our shop. That owner later added Ford five-speed conversion to upgrade the car even further!

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There’s Always A Catch

June 7, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Here is an essential item we’ll make sure is present on our Concours restoration of the first Bugeye, AN5 501 (which is projected to arrive in our building some time this July). This is the bonnet safety catch that was built-in at the factory. It was installed just in case you failed to latch the nose properly with the twist latch, so that the nose didn’t fly up at speed.

If you’ve lifted one of these conventionally hinging noses recently, you know all too well that it would take typhoon-like wind speeds to lift the nose even an inch; and with a realistic (if not ambitious) top speed of around 100 miles an hour, there’s just no way that a steel Bugeye nose is going to lift on the highway.

As a result, we remove these catches.

The bonnet safety catch has caused trouble with many a paint job in the past 65 years.

Aside from their redundancy, another main reason is because of what you see in the picture above; they are commonly not aligned with the square hole they cut into the bonnet, and, consequently, they bend and scratch the daylights out of the underside of your nose.

So, if you have one of these things installed, you’re invited to remove it. Your nose will thank you, and no one will ever know!

If, however, you’re into Concours details and wish to keep your Frogeye 100% factory correct, then you’ll need one of these latches. We just so happen to have good stock! You can purchase yours here!

Newly-Improved 1959 Bugeye Sprite Survivor For Sale!

June 3, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Bob in New Jersey! Congratulations on making Muffin our 354th Bugeye sold!

Since we checked in last, Muffin has enjoyed some major upgrades to prepare her for a new home. We pulled the engine and addressed the weak third gear that came in this car by installing a good original smoothcase transmission and also added four new lever shocks and rear dog bones, new slave cylinder, new transmission and motor mounts, new clutch, new water hoses and heater valve, new pinion seal and a new, more handsome radiator.

We have also put in the proper turn signal switch. The car is now ready for a new home. There’s also a nice tonneau included- as shown in the new photos.

If you are looking for a great mostly original Bugeye (with much improved HS2 carbs) Muffin is your girl!

This is AN5L 12856, a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I we affectionately call “Muffin.” If you are the sort of person who likes mostly original cars, this one is for you! She’s a drum brake car with the original 948 engine, which was upgraded with HS2 carburetors. This setup is exactly the arrangement you would find installed on the Sprite mark 2s. HS2s are a great upgrade for any 948-powered Spridget, superior in most every way to the original H1s.

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