Other Classics Recently Sold

The most elegant MGA in the world– amazing restored car, NOW SOLD!!

June 24, 2016 by bugeyeguy

THIS CAR IS NOW SOLD!

I love MGAs. Have two in my collection, a 58 coupe and a 62 Mk2. We have owned and sold many of them.

I bought this 1958 MGA because I thought I might want to keep it, but the truth is I barely drive the cars that I have, so I am reluctantly offering this car for sale for someone who will use it. This one is the product of a masterful and obsessive owner who improved the car in every way. Call it a resto mod if you like, but I would say this is just a pure MGA made into an ultimate driving machine. It has multiple impressive upgrades to make this car both visually spectacular and a delight to drive, courtesy of disk brakes in front, supercharger, Ford five speed conversion, lower rear end ratio and many more modifications.

The colors, while non stock, is exceptionally elegant, and based on the reactions I have witnessed out on the street, Champagne is the perfect color for an MGA. People go nuts when they see this car.
Most of the colors of the era were without metallic, and perhaps a bit flat. Take your average Olde English White MGA, for example, and while elegant, the paint is often somewhat milky. This car is vibrant and alive, much more to modern standards. The elegant MGA form is dramatically enhanced by this elegant color… and the result is outstanding.

The rebuilt 1800 MGB five main bearing engine is excellent, and it benefits from an Eaton modern supercharger and new HS6 SU carburetor. Power is excellent, even though boost is low to keep engine longevity in mind. The exhaust is an upgraded stainless Flowmaster system, quiet but with a deep roar. The five speed ford gear box is a delight in every way. The ratios feel right, first gear is fully synchronized, the overdrive is dreamy.

There are quite a few other wonderful touches as evidence of the commitment of the builder to build the ultimate MGA. For example, he fit a custom cockpit wind block screen for the back edge of the cockpit, to reduce wind noise. It’s an exceptional custom build, that is artfully integrated with the edge of the cockpit so it looks like it belongs. The head pillows on this wind blocker match the interior perfectly. The steering wheel is custom wrapped in matching leather. The underside of the trunk lid is artfully covered with carpet, to simply make a nicer finished product. The hood/top is matching stay fast deluxe material, as are the amazing side curtains, works of art by themselves. A back up electric fuel pump is fit, with a switch behind the seat in case it is needed. Two twelve volt battery are fit (instead of the stock twin 6 volts to make 12) for a more robust electrical system. The list goes on, but unlike a lot of “improved” British cars, this one is simply done right. Click “Read More” to see video and pictures.

Exceptional 1959 Austin Healey 2-seat 100/6 for sale! $59,995 for a restoration that cost a lot more!

May 13, 2016 by bugeyeguy

We sold this gorgeous Healey last year to a great client in Maryland, who has now asked us to sell it for him on consignment. It’s a fantastic car so we are happy to offer it to again! He is a collector with multiple cars so this one hasn’t moved much since we had it last, he put less than 500 miles on the car so it is still in tip top shape and ready for a new owner!

We have serviced and improved this car since you saw it last and now it is completely sorted and outstanding in every way. We have replaced the hydraulic parts prone to wear, rebuilt the carburetors, repaired the heater and replaced the wheels and tires with new painted 72-spoke wire wheels and Vredestein Sprint Classic tires (the former 48-spoke chrome wire wheels are pictured).

This is BN6L 2795, fully restored and very useable with the correct original matching engine. As you might have seen in prior posts, I am partial to the two-seat big Healeys, like this one. The two seaters are just more elemental, more authentic, more sporting, more clean. This one was extremely well-restored and drives beautifully! Spend five minutes with this car in the video below… (and click the “read more” text below the video to see the photo album!)

1965 Austin Healey 3000 for sale-1 owner/just 39k miles! New Video!

March 31, 2016 by bugeyeguy

Available for $39,995.

This car is a remarkable time capsule. Fifty years ago this past October, this BJ8 was purchased for $2835. Just a $25 deposit and $3 registration fee was all that was needed!

I purchased this 1965 3000 mk III (hbj8L 28548) from the husband of the original owner, who I met at the Healey club Enclave in Gettysburg this past summer. He had driven the car there from the Poconos with the intention of selling it. I have three big Healey already in my small collection–I love these cars–and could not resist purchasing such an interesting example. He told me the history of the car and shared with me the original bill of sale, as well as some pictures of the car throughout their 50 years of ownership.
[Read more…] about 1965 Austin Healey 3000 for sale-1 owner/just 39k miles! New Video!

Wonderful 1960 BT7 Austin Healey 3000 Mark 1 for sale!

May 23, 2015 by bugeyeguy

Now sold! Way to go Scott, congratulations!

Of all the big Healeys we have had, this car is one of my favorites. It’s just right, gorgeous and impressive, but not so nice you would be afraid to drive it. This car was owned for 14 years by someone who did just that… they drove it about 10k miles, and loved every minute. Test drive video below!

How to fully sort an already great British Sports car

February 2, 2014 by bugeyeguy

It was very hard to part with this amazing modified 1965 Sprite, but we recently sold it to a great new owner in Nashville, where it will certainly have a great home. After the purchase, we were tasked with improving any weakness in the car, and so we further upgraded this already wonderfully upgraded car. Each improvement made the total package that much better, and now the car is TRULY ready for it’s next chapter.

As with most of the cars we purchase, there is an initial punch list of mechanical issues that need to be addressed, so we handled those first. No matter how well restored a car may be advertised to be, there are always issues that the prior owner either didn’t know they had, or couldn’t address with their resources for whatever reason. That’s why we get so many calls from people who have made recent EBAY purchases, because the listing seldom matches the actual car, no matter how good the photos look. We have the luxury of a fully stocked shop and a whole lot of experience knowing what is truly possible for these cars.

So here is the list of what we did before we could let this car go… first, the brakes were not operating at their potential. Even though they worked OK, I could tell from driving a lot of Sprites that they could be better. The rear brakes, it turns out, were assembled with the springs on the wrong side, so the rear brakes weren’t doing much, and the shoes were wearing at an angle. The Ebrake linkages were also installed incorrectly, so the rear brakes were compromised. Add to that a pair of leaking rear wheel cylinders and so there was brake fluid on the rear shoes. In total, the rear brakes needed to be completely redone.

Next the master cylinder had started weeping a bit, and the new owner elected to have us put in an upgraded sleeved master for improved longevity. There was a plug in the slave cylinder with no bleed screw, so we addressed that, bled the whole system, and that took care of the hydraulic system.

We next tuned and synched the carbs, and changed the ram air inlets to K and N lifetime air filters. I couldn’t tell that there was any degradation in performance but we feel a lot better now that the incoming air is filtered. We did notice a flat spot at about 3500 rpms, and a rich pair of needles fixed that, which was not surprising given the upgraded power plant in this car.

Next we moved on to modern drivability, and enhanced all the lighting, with LED lights on all four corners, and LED brake and tail lights. Cibie-style headlight bulbs also improved the look and lighting on the front end. We needed to convert to negative ground for the LEDs to operate, and that meant converting the electronic tach for negative ground. Complete disassembly of the tach is required for this.

We then added an air horn to replace the “road runner” style “meep meep” horn that was in there.

Another issue was a loose baffle that was rattling in the handsome twin tip muffler. The new owner opted to replace that with our slick Sebring Sprite muffler we have developed, with more petite tips that look more to scale on the car, and a deep and serious exhaust note.

Next were three-point retractable shoulder belts, which really help to make the driver feel more secure.

Shifting was difficult, especially when cold, so we added MTL synthetic, which I love in these Datsun five speed transmissions. It is a magic cure for difficult gear engagement in this particular gearbox.

Add to all this complete service of all the other routine items, and the car is ready for it’s new home. You can see me and Bodhi take our final February test drive here before loading the car into an enclosed trailer for (much warmer) Nashville.

I am not sure what you get when you pay for “dealer prep” shown on the window sticker of every new car. But at Bugeyeguy, dealer prep means 20 or 30 hours of careful enhancements for modern roadways and a thorough diagnostic discussion with a new owner to make sure that the car that arrives is exactly as expected. We’ve had customers who want to do it themselves, and customers with great local mechanics who they want to use for any enhancements. But most of our customers want to take advantage of the expertise that comes from now 120 Sprites we’ve shipped to new homes. With every car we learn something new, and we leverage that experience to make the next car even better!

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