Every Bugeye rolled off of the factory floor in England with four-wheel drum brakes. When maintained properly, drum brakes are perfectly adequate for stopping a Bugeye, as long as they are properly installed. We had a car arrive this week with the backing plates reversed, which might be hard for some people to recognize, but this is a problem that can dramatically reduce braking performance.
“That is one awesome f***ing automobile right there,” exclaims the traffic guy. “I gotta have a picture of that!”
Traffic stops. Everyone waits.
What is it about this car? After 389 sold, you might think this is getting old, but the reverse is true. We still marvel.
This is Sea Biscuit, and we are getting ready to ship this Bugeye to Jeff in North Carolina, the proud new owner. The final test drive yields great comments and smiles. People pause. They pull alongside and ask questions. The world slows down a little bit. And that is such a welcome relief, when it seems like EVERYONE is always in a rush these days. There is, for all of us, just too much to do and not enough time.
[Read more…] about One F@#$ing AutomobileNOW SOLD to Sean here in CT! Congrats on taking home car # 391!
If you are looking for a hot-rodded Bugeye, check this one out! “Lilly” (AN5L 49238) is a well-patinaed 1960 Bugeye with some souped-up goodies under the hood!
Lilly was built by a very skilled restorer, who had a very clear vision of the best blend of fast, original, patina, and fun. The result is a car that feels like that Bugeye you saw sometime in the ’70s, when it was the ’70s. In other words, it looks and feels like a Bugeye time capsule, one you might have designed in high school on your notebook during class, or built with your dad, or cobbled together from hot rod parts you accumulated… the car has the look and feel of a great beachside parking lot car that got your attention back in 1974.
[Read more…] about 70s-style 1960 hot rod sleeper Bugeye for sale!We had a 1275 “A” series engine come to the shop attached to a Bugeye this week that was making an unfamiliar grinding noise that got a little bit worse when you stepped on the clutch. We determined that it was coming from the bell housing and figured there was a clutch issue.
We were also having irregular difficulty starting the car, and we were suspicious that something in the engine was binding. Much to our surprise, when we removed the bell housing we found the flywheel ring gear displaced on the flywheel. The ring gear had become a saw that was grinding into the oil pump cover.
We’ve never seen this sort of problem before. A new flywheel and oil pump cover fixed the problem and the engine is going back together next week.
[Read more…] about Don’t do this to your Bugeye Sprite!
This Bugeye was in rough shape when it arrived here at Bugeyeguys world headquarters, having not seen the light of day in over a decade. We were tasked with mechanically resurrecting this car, which had belonged to a relative, so the current owners could drive and enjoy it and now The Great Pumpkin lives again!
NOW SOLD to Chris in NJ. Bugeye # 393 is headed to a new home!
This is “Sawyer,” a 1960 two owner Bugeye with a great story. The car was purchased in Germany in 1960 (note the German badge on the boot) by a serviceman who brought the car with him to multiple countries for each assignment during his 50 years of ownership. In 2011, he moved to Cairo and sold the car to our client in New York at that time, where that second owner had the engine and transmission rebuilt, and the car mostly sat until this week, when we brought the car to our shop.
This car is the perfect car for someone looking for a good-running, well-preserved Bugeye with a “lived-in” aesthetic and a great story!
Sawyer is a very original car, one we would dub a “survivor” in every sense of the word. The original 948 engine runs strong, courtesy of the recent rebuild. The original (and rebuilt) smooth case transmission shifts nicely.
The interior is a bit weathered, and while we could redo it for the new owner, I would be inclined to leave it as is. The interior suits the car, and looks right given this car’s particular story.
[Read more…] about Very special 1960 two-owner Bugeye Sprite for sale!
