Well I had a question but...
 

Was watching the movie "Wild Child" (don't ask me why :)) and I fell in love with the car that the dude was driving throughout the movie... didn't know what it was, but surprisingly I found it in google images

http://imcdb.org/images/203/535.jpg


It is a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite 'Frogeye' MkI

...and I REALLY want one! hard to find in the states I bet huh?

AKA Bugeye

i will have one some day... a hardtop... beautiful car.

Love older cars myself. Simple, clean lines, the styling is usually great. Bugeyes are very cool as well......until you have to drive seemingly any older car when it rains, gets really cold or really hot out. Then it's a matter of your own comfort level. ;)

Two words.
 

Lucas electronics.

Saw a T-shirt in London last summer. The front said, "Why do the British drink warm beer?" The back said, "Lucas refrigerators."

A factory hardtop was offered, though rare as Hens' Teeth. A coupe was never offered.

And, it's a Sprite, commonly known in the US as a Bug Eye, not a Frogeye - that's it's UK monniker.

And, it's not technically even an Austin-Healey, it was produced by BMC (British Motor Corporation). It was designed and licensed to BMC by the Donald Healey Motor Corporation. It was produced at the MG plant in Abingdon, Berkshire.

The MkI Sprite is a great car with an Austin 'A' 9CC series 4 banger w/ 948 cc displacement and twin SU sidedraught carburettors producing 43HP and 52 lbf·ft of torque. Larger cams and competition SU's raised the power to 63HP and the addition of a Judson Supercharger brought power to 89HP. All this on a car weighing just under 1000 lbs.

A second gen Sprite was offered, it was so close a cousin to the MG Midget (they were 90% identical and even run on the same assembly line simultaneously) that both cars came to be referred to as 'Spridgets'.

There are still plenty of MkI Sprites out there with project cars going for as little as $1000, while fully restored models go in the $10k-$12k range.

Cheers!

Sorry, but that is just so much swill...! Ignorant people perpetuating a myth!

People often malign Lucas for poor electrics when in fact it was the Car Manufacturers who were to blame.

Most Brit cars used too small a wire gauge for their car's wiring harnesses. This was a throwback to the days when most Brit cars were 6 volt Positive Ground and the wiring was used primarily as the negative pole, where thinner gauge was fine. When things went to 12 volt negative ground, the trouble began.

Most people are not aware that Lucas was the supplier of electrical systems to Ferrari, Massaratti and Alfa-Romeo until the early '80's, yet none of these cars have a poor reputation for their electrics.

The worst electrical system I have ever encountered in my life is the Bosch system used in the early BMWs like my 2002. Lights not working, fires under the dash, these cars are a nightmare until you get them sorted. The guys on the '02 board would sell their sisters to have a Lucas system in their cars!

Cheers!

Keep in mind restoring a many classic British cars will cost you around $30k to $75k and the resale value will be in the sub-$25k ballpark. That makes the restored models a bargain. ;)

-james

kinda like a 914 lol

i still want one! seems like a fun ass car!

Why do the English drink warm beer?
Because their refrigerators are made by Lucas.

I've always thought those were some of the ugliest cars ever built. However, a true Austin-Healey 3000......
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-19...-BJ7-black.jpg

Or better yet, a 100M.....
http://www.vaultcars.com/55AustinHealey/IMG_1295.JPG

THOSE are worthy cars!