Click Here To Visit Our Parts Catalogue

CURRENT INVENTORY IS SHOWN IN THE SMALL PICTURES JUST BELOW THIS TEXT!
(if a car is not pictured here, it has been sold)

Modified Bugeye Sprite with uprated performance. Check out the NEW AND IMPROVED tire squealing videos!

by

Now SOLD to Jim in Massachussetts! Congratulations on Bugeye #402!

This is a AN5L 48202, a modified 1960 Bugeye Sprite we call “Bart.”

If you like the old-school converted race car vibe, this is a great car to consider. The car is totally street legal and very useable on the street, with a bunch of performance upgrades to give it more grunt and better performance. You can drive this car anywhere. You can drive it to the autocross and play for the day. You can drive it to the supermarket. You can enjoy the racing heritage of all Bugeyes, and still go out to dinner in this one. It is modified for performance while maintaining plenty of everyday drivability. The car is built with a nice balance of fun and function.

The engine is an uprated 1275 with a performance cam. The idle is a bit lumpy, but still quite tolerable. When you get on the gas, the improved performance is apparent, and the engine pulls smoothly through the revs. The car has a performance exhaust system with a nice header and minimalist muffler. Bart sounds like a sportscar should. The nearly new Weber downdraft carb powers the car nicely.

Brakes are front disk and a rear drum systems from a later Sprite, with an add-on brake booster to lessen pedal effort. The car stops nicely. A slightly larger from sway bar is also fit for more agressive cornering.

Tires are 185/60×13, wider than stock, afforded by the fender flares. They give you a bigger footprint that further improves braking, acceleration and traction in general. These tires squeal and slide a bit more than I would like, because they are aged-out. New rubber would grip a lot better, and we can change the tires for the new owner if so desired.

The car has a flip-forward fiberglass nose with matching fiberglass flares fit on the original rear steel fenders. Two flush dzus fittings hold down each bonnet wing for a nifty bonnet hold-down system that you can open with a small screwdriver or quarter dollar. Engine access is great and the fiberglass nose is a great weight saving over the steel original!

There are a few minor cosmetic flaws but the car presents very nicely. This is a very cool car, great fun to drive, and it has a period-correct feel. We’ve put in all the correct dashboard components to preserve the heritage. The rib case transmission shifts wonderfully. Check out the videos, click “read more” below for a full compliment of photos, and call if you are interested!

[Read more…] about Modified Bugeye Sprite with uprated performance. Check out the NEW AND IMPROVED tire squealing videos!

Our fastest Bugeye ever is for sale!

by

Ever since we got into building and selling classic cars about 17 years ago, we’ve been trying to build the most reliable Bugeye on the planet to provide a headache-free experience for our customers. This electric FrogE is the closest we’ve come to delivering on that commitment. I am well aware there are some people out there who are really resistant to electric classic cars in terms of removing what they see as the soul of the car and replacing it with electric components. For those people, we still have many gas-powered options. But for anyone looking for practicality, reliability and ease of operation, this configuration is worth a serious look. While there is no exhaust note, it’s so fast and smooth that the extra power is an attractive trade-off for many customers. You can have super speed with electric or super sound with ICE. It’s your choice. Regardless, the FrogE gives us one more platform to offer new customers and if it breaks down any barriers to entry, we’re all for it. This is one more way to keep these cars alive for generations. 

This particular car is the fastest Sprite we’ve ever built with a 0 to 60 time of 7.29 seconds, which is at least 30% faster than our previously quickest Sprite (which was gas powered). That’s fast.

We’ve completely restored this Sprite from the ground-up and then added the electric components which include five Tesla batteries from a low mileage Model S (that was totaled). These batteries give us 32 kw of capacity which is good for about 95 miles of range if you use the car in a spirited manner (as I have been). If you are conservative on the accelerator,  you can probably get more than 100 miles of range. Temperature matters too… if you’re in a temperate zone you’ll get more range than we’re getting right now in 40° fall weather in New England.

This car is a dream to drive. It has no bad habits and no issues- it just goes (and will continue to go) for a lot more miles than any gas-powered classic car engine will ever go. You will have to maintain the lever shocks (although we have a tube shock conversion that might help expand the longevity), and there are still rear wheel cylinders to wear out eventually (we do have a rear disc brake upgrade that would increase the lifespan of the rear brakes as well) so there is a little bit of maintenance. You’ll need new tires at some point (they’re brand new now, but they’ll eventually age out) but other than that, the motor is bulletproof, so is most everything else!

These batteries should degrade no more than 10% after 10 years and we made the system modular so that in 50 years the batteries can be removed and upgraded or replaced. Other than that, you’ve got an amazing reliable and consistent platform. All you have to do is charge it and we’ve made that easy as well with the flip-up fuel cap on the rear deck. 

Is this the future of classic cars? Time will tell, but in the meantime, we’ve got a really impressive way to live with a Bugeye. You can drive it with one pedal. The regenerative braking is impressive and all you have to do is regulate how much you back off as you decelerate for a stop sign to increase or decrease the regenerative braking and alter your rate of deceleration. It’s a lot of fun! You don’t need the brake pedal often and that will also increase the lifespan of the brake system. 

I’ve become quite a convert; I spend my days driving gas-powered bugeyes and other classic cars, but there’s something very refreshing about this electric platform because it feels very low stress and peaceful, especially the traffic lights where there’s no fumes and no oil spots on the ground and no vibration and no carburetors to manage there’s just a deep well of torque anytime you want. 

If you’re interested please give a call. We are selling E3 and we will also be happy to do a conversion of your classic British car to make it electric powered as well. People ask me for kits all the time and unless you are a highly qualified builder, I don’t recommend a kit… it’s very difficult to make these work, and we’re lucky to have the experience to be able to do that for you. Rather than purchase a kit, I’d encourage you to send your classic to us and we will do the conversion here and leverage our experience to get the job done promptly and safely!

Click “read more” below for a full compliment of pictures and give us a call if you’re interested!

[Read more…] about Our fastest Bugeye ever is for sale!

A beautifully Rescued Bugeye! Land speed record candidate?

by

Here’s a special car that we’ have’ve been working on for a long time here at The Bugeyeguys World Headquarters. The car has moved to its home in Indiana, but I have reposted this because it’s such a cool build, and fun to revisit!

This car started as a Bring a Trailer auction vehicle that needed just about everything repaired, tightened-up and/or replaced. We bought it on behalf of a client who wanted us to create a Bugeye capable of competing for a land speed record attempt in the under one liter class, which was a tall order for a car with so many worn components. 

[Read more…] about A beautifully Rescued Bugeye! Land speed record candidate?

Most comfortable shoes

by

We are always looking for small details to make these cars just a little bit more exciting … and this week, we wanted to point-out the superb tires we used on the Nevada Beige Bugeye called “Jesse.” These Dunlops are a personal favorite, as they wrap the tread so nicely, and look just that little bit extra macho. They seem to fill the well wells just perfectly. This is one of the little details that makes Jesse a favorite.

These 165 series tires are 80 series, a bit tall, and you may have to trim the front of your nose a tad for clearance on turns. (This is common with larger tires, and somewhat routine our shop.) If you are uncomfortable with this, then go with 155/80s that we sell here. Noses sometimes move aft from old crash damage, and so nose trimming is common regardless of the tire size you choose.

Note the small air gap between leading edge of tire and nose. Sometimes, you have to relieve material here or these tires will scrape on turns. Check before driving!

These are also the tires that I have on my personal Bugeye Gumby. If your tires are out of date (and most of them are!) consider ordering a spiffy set of new shoes by clicking here!

The future of electric sports cars

by

It’s not hard for me to imagine a time when people are intrigued by our classic car hobby but are thwarted because they grew up on (and demand) electric vehicles. Those of us in prior generations may struggle to understand, but automotive expectations are changing fast, and we are proud to be on the cutting edge of what I believe will be inevitable. Whether you love or hate electric cars, at some point, gas powered cars may be a liability. I’m sure they will always exist, but we want to make sure our little car survives, regardless of what powers her. If electric power keeps people interested in classic British sports cars, then we are very interested.

I know a lot of people out there are kicking and screaming about this possible transformation and maybe I’m wrong… perhaps gas cars will continue to be a big part of our lives, but given the number of new electric vehicles coming down the pike and the massive marketing investment major auto brands are making, I don’t think anyone has much of a choice. EVs are going to be a big part of the rest of our lives. Let’s all watch the next Super Bowl together to see if I am right… I’ll bet we will see many commercials that relate to what I think is an inevitable EV future. 

Thus, I am proud to share our new electric frogE, our attempt to help classic car folks get excited the forthcoming transition.

[Read more…] about The future of electric sports cars
Contact us at customercare@bugeyeguys.com or call (203)-208-0980 Monday - Friday | 8 am - 5 p.m. EST