It has begun! We’ve hit day number two, or as we call it at Bugeyeguys, “disassembly day!” We ripped apart a perfectly fine and restored Bugeye to get it back to 1958 specifications, as it would have been the day that it left the factory.
In the video below, we point out some of the differences between the very early Bugeyes and the later versions – take a look and follow along!
The most important result this week is that we now have our proper red oxide coating in the boot of our 501 Sprite and can begin to next assemble all of the rear end components. If you’re unfamiliar, original Frogeyes had red oxide on the interior of the body that was then painted body color on top of that which meant that looking inside the boot you would see traces of this red oxide, particularly on the top of the boot. Our car was painted green throughout when recently restored in Australia so this was technically incorrect and we wanted to repair this and that’s a big reason why we took everything apart especially in the back end of the car.
Now that the red oxide is laid down we can layer on top all of the various fabrics and bolts that would have come later in manufacturing to make it an accurate car for the Concours Judging to come.
[Read more…] about AN5L /501-The quest for gold! Just add red oxide!
Last December, I announced at our company holiday party that I had purchased the first production Bugeye Sprite. Never did I imagine that we wouldn’t be opening the box with this car in it until mid-July 2022, but here we are! Seven-plus months after its journey began, AN5L/501 has arrived, and this special Sprite does not disappoint.
501 is a car that has been restored to Concours condition while also being made into a driver at the same time. This is perhaps one of the best interiors we’ve seen in a Frogeye, one that is both accurate and usable. The builder of the tunnel mat included the ribs that would’ve come on the original rubber mat on the tunnel into a hardura piece and did so with great skill and artistry. Many other small details involving the interior were done with the utmost precision, as well.
[Read more…] about The Eagle Has Landed!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.
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.)
[Read more…] about All about the “L”, Part 2In case you missed it, I bought the first production Bugeye Sprite back in December, and have been waiting patiently for supply chain issues to resolve so that 501 could get a ride out of Melbourne, Australia where the car was parked at a dealership, waiting in limbo. We are exceptionally excited to have acquired this amazing piece of Bugeye history. Now we just need to get her here!
Our boat date was finally confirmed as April 30, and much to my delight, the car has been packed in a 40 foot container and she’s ready to go. You could put a lot of Foster’s Lager in there with our little Bugeye, and I have to believe that something must have been packed in there with it. I’d imagine that we don’t just have a tiny 11 foot long Bugeye luxuriating in such a big box, but I will never get to see the container, as I will not be present when all the kangaroos jump out when our box arrives in New Jersey.
[Read more…] about AN5 501 is Finally on the Move!
