NOW SOLD to Roger in Oregon! Congratulations!!!

Carmine is a special Bugeye for anyone looking for all the right modifications. You can see more about this car by clicking on the photo above on the top row of the home page. This week, I’ve added a short video to showcase some of this car’s exceptional attributes.

People often wonder if modifications like the ones here diminish value on a Bugeye. Since these cars have been customized and modified since they were new, people give them a lot of leeway. Of course some clients insist on originality. Others insist on tasteful modifications like the ones shown here. One of the reasons we have so much fun with these cars is that there is a very strong market for both types of Sprite. From accurate original to well prepared custom Bugeye, we do it all.

Summer is upon us and Carmine is ready for a new home!

Gumby got first place on the first day out. It was a small Sprite class at this years’ British by the Sea, but nonetheless a nice acknowledgment of the hard work that went into this build. Lots of people wanted to see more so I made a video of the interior details that were unique to this custom tribute Super Sprite. Which you can see below.

Gumby represents a custom interpretation of what a Bugeye Sprite can be. It was particularly exciting for us to make this car after our last similarly massive project of building a gold concours all stock and all accurate Councours car. If you missed that, car AN5L 552 was a Concours project we built for the national Healey conclave, which made Gold standard after two hours of judging by a team of four judges. 552 and Gumby were big undertakings and completely different kinds of projects. You might enjoy seeing the judges diligently inspect 552 in the short video below.

Several people asked if they could buy Gumby… it’s not for sale, will be with me for life, since I have had this car since 1979. But Gumby is a demonstration of what we can build and thus a model of what we would love to build for you! Feel free to give a call to discuss your dream Sprite build! From Concours to one-off, we would love to build it for you!

Gumby’s rebirth is complete! This is our idea of the ultimate Bugeye.

For years we have been adding various accessories to these cars, to make them more user-friendly. With this car, we pushed the bar a whole lot higher, by building a completely custom leather interior with custom needlework. It’s our most elegant car yet. We used multiport fuel injection for smooth and reliable running, coupled with an A series 1275 engine to be authentic. Only the best materials were used to make this car a cut above the rest.

Gumby is not for sale… it’s my personal car that I have owned since high school. But this car is the template for future Super Sprites we will build. Please get in touch if we can make one for you!

Come see Gumby at the British by the Sea car show, this sunday June 4 at Harkness Park in Waterford, CT. It’s a 300 car all British show at a stunning location! You’ll have another chance to see Gumby at the Sunday in the Park Concours at Lime Rock Park on the Sunday of Labor day weekend. I hope to see you at one or both of these events!

Many thanks to the incredible team that meticulously assembled, acquired or crafted the components of this car. Thanks in particular to Russ P, Russ M, Kenny, Kilian, Martin, Ryan, Rob, Trevor, Josh and Ole. These ten people worked hard to uphold a very high standard to create this ultimate Bugeye Sprite and I am forever grateful to each of them!

We’ve been building a supercharged Bugeye for a customer and while testing this week with the nose off, I was able to make the under-the-hood video above. I love this configuration, with a new single 1.75 SU carb. It’s fussy to set-up but works great once it’s sorted out. The kit doesn’t add a lot of boost but it makes the engine more lively and feels just right to me. If you add more boost, the car stops being true to it’s DNA. I’ve found these cars work best when you don’t try to eek-out the last 10%. Instead, this is a just right power improvement that allows the car to retain great drivability.

We have done quite a few supercharger upgrades and we welcome the opportunity to do more conversions on customer cars. Let us know if we can pick up your car and bring it to our shop to add this wonderful Bugeye enhancement!

Click “read more” to see the listing for our Black Bugeye “Carmine,” supercharged in the same configuration as the black Bugeye you see here in this video. This car is for sale, if you would prefer a turnkey supercharged Sprite.

[Read more…] about Supercharged 1275 Bugeye Sprite under-bonnet video

Albert Armstrong struck quite a pose with his new cherry red Sprite, somewhere in LA in 1959, shortly after taking delivery of his new car.

Many thanks to son Alan for sharing this photo of his dad and the car that was used, among other things, for successfully winning over his future mom. We regret that Alan passed away in March of this year, and hopefully Alan will one day have a Bugeye of his own, next to which he too can strike a similar pose!