BugEyeGuys – Page 54

Wonderful Restored 1275, Front Disc Brake Bugeye Sprite For Sale

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now SOLD to Tom in California! Congratulations on giving our 374th Bugeye a happy home!

If you are looking for a top-shelf Bugeye that has all the right modifications to keep up with modern traffic, “Kasey” is a great choice! AN5L 46944 is a 1960 Bugeye and she is in exceptional shape. This is a very nice restoration, with great body lines, great paint and a handsome interior. We’ve just gone through and serviced the car to prepare it for the new owner, with new hydraulics and a new electronic fuel pump. We have made the car run beautifully, and with the 1275 engine currently on board, this car drives beautifully with upgraded power!

The transmission is a ribbed case four-speed. HS2 carbs are present, and tuned, fit with K & N lifetime air filters. A high output starter is fit, as is a spin on oil filter and front sway bar. All great options!

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“Socket” To Me! (This Week’s Tech Tip, From Nick)

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Electrical upkeep is a very important component of classic car ownership. After 60 years of dirt, dust, snow, rain, heat, and cold, electrical components, such as light sockets, fuse blocks, and even entire wiring harnesses, deteriorate and become not only non-functional, but also a fire hazard. British cars have a particularly sketchy reputation when it comes to their Lucas electrical systems; mechanics and owners alike either swear by their designs or detest them. I personally believe that if they are maintained properly, the Lucas electrical systems found in a Bugeye are just as reliable as any other. The issue is that most of the time a car comes through our shop, the maintenance has either not been performed at all or was performed incorrectly.

We removed these turn signal sockets from a client’s Bugeye this week. Blue Painter’s tape is NOT a safe insulator for electrical sockets.

A perfect example of this comes from one of our projects this week. I cannot begin to quantify how many times we have seen amateur electrical work performed on Bugeye wiring systems, with some particularly creative solutions being deployed in times past. The work in question in this post revolves around the turn signal sockets in the nose. Due to their loacation low in the bonnet, these sockets are frequently the source of corrosion, which causes them to stop functioning. This is undoubtedly what happened here, as whomever did the work last replaced the sockets with new ones. Unfortunately, as the pictures above and below suggest, they did not do it properly.

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Project Cars Revisited! Two Bugeye Projects To Sink Your Teeth Into!

November 11, 2022 by bugeyeguy

This week I would like to bring back to the forefront two great winter project candidates. Each of these Bugeyes are great starting points! One of these cars is a running, driving car with a 1275 engine that is in need of floor pan repairs, and the other is a completely blank slate which can be transformed into the Sprite of your dreams! Take a look at each car below and give us a call if you are interested!

This Frogeye called “Fuller” (AN5 47899) is a 1960 running and driving project Bugeye. This is a good looking car that was a stalled restoration when we got it, and we got it running so we could find it a new home. The foundation has been laid and Fuller now runs and drives with a new master cylinder and good brakes. The 1275 engine runs strong! Paint is quite good! Read more here!

This is a Bugeye we call “Fritz” (AN5L 32663). Fritz is a rolling project that came to us from Iowa. A restoration was started long ago but didn’t really get off the ground and has sat for some time, waiting for a new lease on life. If you’re looking for a “blank slate” starting point for a Bugeye build, this is the car for you! This past week, we cleaned out the car and made a brand-new walkaround video so you can better understand this project. It has a lot of potential! Read more here!

AN5L/501: Museum Showpiece or Drivable Dream?

November 4, 2022 by bugeyeguy

Now that we have the very first production Bugeye Sprite gold medal certified for Concours accuracy, we have been asked what we are going to do with it; are we going to put 501 in a museum? Or can it be driven like any other classic British sports car?

As I describe in the videos below, most of the time we get a Sprite into our shop to recondition it, we look for drivability upgrades to make it more reliable for its future owner. In the case of this car, we actually removed a lot of reliability upgrades that had been installed in Australia in order to conform to the Concours guidelines and to accurately re-create the first production Sprite.

Much to our delight, configured exactly as new, these cars were quite capable and quite special to drive. It’s very refreshing to have a Bugeye in its purest form so quick to delight the driver. Sure, we’ll continue building 1275 Supercharged and custom decorated Bugeyes (and there are also more electric Sprites in our future), but this one, perfectly set up just like the day it left the factory floor, demonstrates that in their purest form, Bugeye Sprites are still wonderful and complete machines. I thought you might like to come along with me for a drive in this beautiful car. Click below for the drive video.

See that Bugeye out in the parking lot? That’s car number one!

I’ve also included below a promotional video next (you’ve seen it before on our site, but it’s worth revisiting). I watched this video with a smile the first time years ago, because I couldn’t imagine that a pre-production Bugeye as shown would be such a blast to drive. It seemed to me that the hyped-up announcer was simply trying to promote the Sprite for the product launch. But after driving 501 today, I don’t feel that way any longer. In the driving video from 1958 and in the driving video from 2022, both drivers are smiling for the very same reason.

This little car, in it’s purest original form, works!

A pre-production Sprite rips around Silverstone in early 1958! Video Credit: Ray English

Show your appreciation for 501’s concours gold medal! 501 merchandise available now and for pre-order! Click on the photos below to get yours today!

And don’t forget, if you love Concours accuracy and would like your very own concours gold medal bugeye, Betty is still available! Click here to take a closer look and give us a call!

Bugeye Sprite Driving Impressions From 61 Years Ago Still Ring True Today!

November 4, 2022 by bugeyeguy

With our recent focus on the first production Sprite and concours accuracy, I thought you might find the following article particularly interesting. The April 1961 issue of Car and Driver Magazine featured a road research report which is reprinted below. I found it very interesting to read Bugeye driving impressions from 61 years ago.

The article makes it abundantly clear that Bugeyes are a very malleable platform. In the report, you’ll see the stock Sprite reviewed, and a pile of parts offered to transform your Bugeye into a capable rally or race machine. The author made it quite clear that the car was designed to do many different things with simplicity and grace. (Check out the end of this post to see the article in its entirety.)

Credit: Car & Driver Magazine, April 1961

Since 2007, we’ve transformed hundreds of Bugeyes; just as the article predicted in 1961, some folks enjoy the stock version, and others prefer to customize their ride.

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Dave’s Faves: Three Bugeyes We Think You’ll REALLY like (with new prices)!

November 4, 2022 by bugeyeguy

This week, I would like to spotlight three Bugeyes currently in our inventory which are my personal favorites and which any Bugeye hunter should really like. Each of these fabulous Frogeyes is looking for its next caretaker! Call us today if you are contemplating a new ride!

All three of these have been upgraded in our shop for prior owners, so you get the benefit of our experience from the hundreds of Bugeyes that have come before. You also get a long list of now depreciated improvements, courtesy of the prior owner. Thus, each of these cars would cost significantly more than the current asking price if you had to pay for the improvements that are already now built-in to these cars. Remember, most of the generic classic cars you see online for sale will come to you with a lengthy punch list. Our job is to eradicate that punch list before delivery, to save you the headaches. These three cars have already had their punch lists (largely) eradicated!

This yellow beauty is a Sprite named “Sharpie” (AN5L 27824). We call this Bugeye “Sharpie” because it was actually last owned by none other than Bob Sharp. If you’re unfamiliar, Bob was a Datsun dealer here in Connecticut for many years, and he owned Paul Newman’s Trans-Am racing team. Sharpie has undergone some upgrades recently. We put in all-new wheel cylinders to restore the drum brakes to their peak performance, and replaced the radius arms to make the car ride more smoothly. Price reduced! $29,995.

Click here to read more!

“Mahoney” (AN5L 19886) is the perfect Bugeye cruiser. This is a 948-powered car, with front disk brakes and upgraded wheels, and you’ll find this Bugeye great fun to drive. We have had the privilege of working on this one a few times for the prior owner, and we’ve repaired and upgraded this car with a new four-speed transmission, so the new owner can now jump in and enjoy it. A different white Bugeye you might find online could look similar, but too often that other car will need upgrades like the ones already done to this car. This one was fully sorted in our shop for the prior owner. This one is available for $29,995.

Click here to read more!

This is “Eggplant” (AN5L 49187), a Bugeye built in late 1960 (near the end of production) and titled as a 1961. The car was originally red and was completely stripped to bare metal in 1999. She was then painted this very deep and luscious color of aubergine. She shines beautifully!

Eggplant has a 1275 engine and just about every drivability upgrade we offer already installed as well as several cosmetic improvements and is ready to drive anywhere TODAY and win shows!

Eggplant is a deep shade of purple; in the sun, she brightens into an absolutely breathtaking hue, one you need to see to believe! It looks even more beautiful with its chrome wire wheels! Eggplant can be yours for the reduced price of $37,995.

Click here to read more!

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