Caitlyn Jenner has done a lot for Bugeye Sprite awareness. I can’t think of any other 60-year old British classic car that is enjoying such great publicity, all courtesy of Caitlyn. (EG in People magazine recently, as shown here.) Her new memoir features the story of the family Bugeye from the 60s, and also includes pictures of the new Bugeye she purchased recently from us, as shown.

All of us who love Sprites are lucky to have Caitlyn’s support for our cars (and for collectible cars in general), and her notoriety will only continue to support enthusiasm for the car we all so dearly love!

Here’s one of our best new products yet! These new mats will transform your Bugeye Sprite cockpit! This rubberized floor mat set is true to the heritage of a Bugeye Sprite while adding durability and style. It’s easy to clean and a perfect match for original Bugeye trunk mats.

For years we have tried to develop a practical non-carpet solution for Bugeye Sprite floor covering. The original cars came with thin rubber footwell and tunnel mats which were not very durable and did not last. They have proven difficult to manufacture.

Instead, we have now developed a new kit that uses the same material used to make the original trunk and rear shelf mats, which allowed us to create an elegant yet authentic extension of those rear mats. Now, you can cover your entire Bugeye floor in a non-carpet material that looks correct. It’s durable, lined with horsehair for sound deadening, and it also looks more appropriate in a Bugeye than carpet.

Carpet is nice, we’ve been selling our own carpet sets for years. But this new material looks to me like what a Sprite should have on it’s floors. I love this product so much, I have built it into my personal car. I think you will feel the same way and want to add it to yours!

The tunnel mat is the centerpiece. It’s molded into a single central cover, unlike the usual two piece carpet kit seen on most cars. It’s then French stitched with contrasting thread for an elegant longitudinal detail. These seams are inspired by the ribs that were molded into the original rubber mats.

We have also improved upon the layout that’s common in carpet kits. These front footwell mats are one piece, thereby eliminating the need to glue in the small inboard triangular pieces found in carpet kits. It’s one more improvement to make installation easier.

Above you can see our green kit installed in my Bugeye “Gumby.” Contrasting thread helps to produce a high-level result. A heel pad is also available for the driver’s footwell, which are available in rubber or deluxe wool sisal-just ask. Color combinations are extensive, each kit is made to order. We stock the most common Bugeye colors, Black with white stitching, red with white stitching, blue with white stitching and green with silver stitching as shown.

All the photos shown do not show panel kits in place. Once installed, the stock vertical panels will cover the edges of the mats and secure those edges. So please excuse these prototype photos. We’ll have more pictures once Gumby’s custom leather green seat and panels are built, which will further finish off the edges. All edges that remain exposed once the panels are installed are finished-off with matching binding bound in contrasting fabric.

We’ll also add pictures of our red and blue prototypes shortly!

Transform your Bugeye cockpit today, get your set by clicking here!

Pause Play Play Prev | Next

This week we heard of a Bugeye with a front wheel bearing failure. That particular car had the original type of ball bearing wheel bearings and the issue occurred (fortunately) as the owner was approaching his house. As a preventative measure, we are now recommending everyone switch to tapered roller bearings on their Sprite. I’ve had ball bearing front wheel bearings on Gumby since 1979 (as many of you have) so they work fine. But when you look at the magnitude of improvement the tapered bearing provides, there is little reason not to upgrade.

If you’ve been around, you know that roller bearings are superior. If you are unfamiliar, the original design features ball bearings riding on races whereby only the apex of the ball contacts the race. The tapered design allows a vastly greater contact patch whereby each roller contacts the tapered race with much greater surface area doing the same amount of work. The result is greater longevity and peace of mind.

If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the tiny stripe on the outer race of a used ball bearing set-up. This is the shiny thin path of contact from each ball as it rotates in the race. This is the race from “Sara,” one of the cars we recently upgraded to the roller set-up. It’s not particularly worn, it just visually illustrates the small footprint of the ball bearings.

With the roller set-up in the picture above, you can see how the force is dispersed over a much greater area. The rollers contact the tapered race over a much bigger footprint.

This upgrade requires proper shimming to fit the bearings. While it may take a little trial and error to get the right fit, the original ball bearing type is not adjustable, and often shows excessive play. The tapered bearings are completely adjustable to eliminate play.

Each kit includes instructions, inner and outer bearings and races, hub oil seals, a packet of various shims and packets of grease. It’s a very simple design and any garage can help if you choose not to do it yourself.

Click here to order a conversion kit!

We have sold our 200th Bugeye! (Actually 201, Delores is now sold too)

Ten years ago, we never imagined this would be possible. And now it’s clear we have lots more Bugeyes to come.

Look for lots of new products in our catalog, as we celebrate this milestone. And look for exciting improvements to the cars that come through our building. Many of these new innovations will be field tested on “Gumby,” my Bugeye since 1979, which should be ready to show by June.

Here are some pictures of our 200th Bugeye Sara, which will soon head to new home in Tennessee. Sara is a well modified five-speed car, and she’s getting a few more choice improvements before she departs. Of note are the PL 700 tri bar headlights as shown, our twin-tipped muffler, a new chrome front bumper bar and a new matching tan top. This is a fitting 200th for us, as it has already been loaded with dozens of other options found in our catalog.

Congratulations to the new owner, Bruce! And thank you to our exceptional staff and the many customers who have supported our growth!

And if you like the new products we have featured on Sara, you can order them by clicking here…

Gumby’s new dashboard is now done, and we can now put in the gauges and start driving the car.

This is a huge milestone for us and the result of much color and material sampling as we push the envelope on Bugeye interiors. Remember, this was once a $1,795 simple sportscar so the vinyl seat and dash coverings were basic at best.

This is our first completely custom dash and a demonstration of what we can do on Super Sprites going forward. Our goal is to tastefully accent the stock dashboard and make it a bit more elegant without deviating too far from originality. All the gauges and switches will be in the stock locations so it looks like an original dash, albeit with upscale touches.

To build this, first we chose a custom leather hide, custom stamped for more texture, and custom dyed “Aloe Thorn” to contrast with our Aston Martin green paint scheme. Next, we set out to add tasteful details, including a double stitch outline along the front cockpit trim strip and a single contrasting thread outline on the dashboard, all to accentuate the graceful curves of the dashboard. Above, you can see Ken stitch the contrasting silver thread he then carefully aligned with the contour of the dashboard.

If you are unfamiliar, the original cars had matching vinyl on the dashboard and center cockpit trim piece (door tops were uncovered), as you can see at left on the recent dashboard restoration we did on “Motor Mike, which needed a new red vinyl covering. The leather and custom stitching makes Gumby’s dashboard just a little bit more special, a fitting acknowledgment of the 20o Bugeyes we have now sold, and the car that started it all.

BTW, the ratty shift tower in Gumby’s interior is in place so we don’t scratch the nice green one while we finish building the interior…. we are saving the new green tower for when the dashboard work is done.

We’ll have more pictures next week, after the original gauges and switches are installed.