Remember the Bugeye we had for sale this year called “Atlanta?” This mostly stock iris blue Bugeye was purchased by Todd and Donna Lassa in Michigan. Todd is the Detroit bureau chief for Automobile Magazine, and here is his great feature on his own personal car. Todd drives a lot of different cars every week as part of his job, and we are honored that he has adopted this Bugeye as a full-time resident in his garage. That’s Todd above–click his car to read his story or visit their site by clicking here.
Stolen Bugeye Sprite in Redwood City, California
RECOVERED! Found a few days later at the SFO airport, safe and sound!
Sometime between Thursday night May 12, 2016 and Friday morning May 13, this Bugeye Sprite (AKA Drucilla) was stolen in Redwood City, CA. Keep an eye out for this unique Bugeye Sprite, especially if you are in The Bay Area.
The car has a number of quite distinctive markings, including unique flip forward nose latches that are white plastic and flush mounted (these latches are visible in the photo above, behind the front tires). The paint is pearlescent white. More pictures are linked below.
Of the 175 Bugeyes we have sold, this is the first that has been stolen, and I am guessing it was taken by vandals, a “crime of opportunity.” It was parked behind an auto stereo shop overnight awaiting it’s new sound system.
Anyone with information can email me (david@bugeyeguy.com) or contact the Redwood City Police department. The car’s vin number is AN5L-39165, identified by the plaque on the frame beneath the carburetors. I have the body numbers too, but it should be very easy to identify a pearlescent Bugeye with wire wheels and other external features as shown. It’s also configured with a Datsun five speed transmission.
Our second Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car cover!
I was ecstatic to open my mailbox recently and find myself driving a Sprite on the cover of my favorite car magazine. Hemmings Sports and Exotic car #123 (November 2015) includes a great feature about our 1965 Sprite club racer. I knew Hemmings would eventually run a story about the car, but to see it on the cover, (with me driving!), was quite a wonderful surprise!
This is the second cover to feature our cars and quite an honor for me, since I routinely read every issue from cover to cover (Click here to read our first Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car Cover story from Sept 2013.) This new piece is our third feature by the way, with a story in July of 2014 about our Supercharged Bugeye which you can read by clicking here.
Our whole staff is nuts for this magazine… Bob our welder reads these mags carefully one page at a time, in sequence!!! I asked him if he saw our Sprite cover, and he said he hasn’t looked at the current issues yet, as he is still reading the May 2015 issue and hasn’t yet caught up.
I purchased this car from the builder roughly a year ago. We sorted a number of issues, improved a number of systems, and then sold it to Ron from Tennessee who you see featured in the story. Dave LaChance from Hemmings had visited to drive the car when we had it, and it took about 18 months for an opening for this story to run.
Click here to read this new cover story “Sprite Done Right.” If you haven’t already subscribed to this publication, I hope you will do so, as the magazine would certainly appeal to anyone who enjoys our site, and you’re invited to support what I think is the best car publication for vintage sports car enthusiasts!
Bugeyeguy in Automobile Magazine!
Automobile Magazine’s Jamie Kittman came to our shop recently, in the 641 HP McLaren 650S you see parked in these photos, to ponder the rise and rise of British sportscars from Bugeye to McLaren. He drove two Bugeyes; the 43 HP box stock Nevada Beige Bugeye barn-find we recently restored for a client from Ohio (above), and the modified Sprite “Cole,” with a 110 HP 1380 cc engine and five speed transmission (below). Then he let me drive the McLaren (two Bugeye drives for every supercar ride? Perhaps a fair trade…).
I never drove anything quite like this $332k supercar, and while it was blindingly fast, I felt more like I was sitting in a moving computer than driving a sportscar. It shifted for me, and teased me with some paddles which didn’t really do what I wanted, unless I kept pulling to keep the car from shifting. Perhaps if I read the manual I would figure out how to find manual mode. But for now, I would have to say that the big orange Mac was a bit like a smartphone driven thermostat that requires a proper WIFI hook up before you can lower the air conditioner a few degrees (and sadly, I can’t remember the password for the network). Sometimes, an old honeywell thermostat with a big plastic dial works just fine. But then again you might expect such a perspective from a Bugeyeguy.
It was a great visit and we had a blast discussing flings we’ve had with cars. Click here to read his dispatch from our bastion of 1950s technology.
Our supercharged Bugeye Sprite in Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car!
We have another great article in the July, 2014 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car! (you can see their first article about our cars featuring three different Bugeyes at the top of our homepage) This new one is all about the blown Bugeye we built for a great customer in Vancouver. Click the link below to read the article! Thanks to David Lachance for another great Bugeye Story!
In the top picture, you can see the car as it looked once completed. In the picture beneath, you can see David shooting his detail pictures on his visit. The supercharger is a fantastic upgrade. We have kits in stock if you want us to build a blower Bugeye for you!
Click here to read Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car July 2014 “Blower Bugeye” article
Bugeye cover story in Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car!
We’ve had a great year, with our 100th Bugeye sold (more details on that shortly) and also a great cover story in the September issue of what happens to be my favorite car magazine, Hemmings Sports and Exotic car.
Editor David LaChance paid us a visit and drove three varied cars we sold to customers in the US and Canada. All three cars were ready for delivery, and he got to sample them before they left for their new homes. He photographed details on all three cars, and then we drove them around while he hung out of the back of the Hemmings Ford Flex for the action shots. That’s David (at left) checking his images on his viewfinder, with Bob Matcheski, who fabricated the LWB Bugeye, at the wheel of the white Bugeye. You can see the rest of David’s pictures in the PDF file linked below.
For the climax, David configured the cars on the local dock here in Stony Creek Connecticut, a backdrop that may look familiar to you if you have been following the Bugeyeguy site. He captured a great sunset image, and much to our delight, it ended up the cover photo! Imagine my delight when I opened the envelope to see the advance copy!
It was Bugeyed Bliss.
Back in 2008 we started building Bugeyes in my crowded tandem home garage. Now, roughly six years later, here are three Bugeyeguy Bugeyes on the cover of a premier international magazine. We rebuilt all three cars in our 5000 sq foot shop, which is chock full of Bugeyes and parts.
What I love most about Bugeyes is that no two are the same, and this story covers a great three car spectrum of Bugeye possibilities. From stock to modified and everything in between, we look forward to building the next 100 Bugeyes… and beyond!
On any given day, more than 100 Bugeyes we prepared, restored, resusitated or just simply made-work-properly are bombing around their neighborhoods, with lots of smiles on faces of drivers and watchers. We’re doing all we can to make these cars as wonderful for new owners, and we continue to get better and better at doing it. Thank you to our staff, and to all our subscribers, supporters, and wonderful customers who have propelled us to this moment in our journey. It has been a great ride!
Click here to read the Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car Cover story Sept 2013