Original and Unrestored Austin-Healey Sprite | Jay Leno's Garage

23 Replies to “Original and Unrestored Austin-Healey Sprite | Jay Leno's Garage”

1. That’s the chassis my dad has his 64 VW body on. 383 with a low profile B&M blower, Muncie 4 speed…etc.
   He built it back in the early 70’s and back then it had a 327 with the cross ram intake.

2. I bought mine ( a '61 model ) as my first car back in '68 to commute to college…loved it. Sadly a woman in a '69 Ford LTD 4 door made a left turn right in front of me (I was doing about 35mph ) and I T-boned her. Stacked it up to the firewall & didn't die ! I then lost my student deferment & wound up in the 'Nam… miss that car.

3. It’s a sports car for men who don’t need to “compensate”.

4. Why can’t someone build these little cuties again? They’ll make a fun little first car, easy to work on and little to go wrong.

5. I remember in the 80's these would go for $1200 tops in the Seattle area. Fun little cars.

6. Who's gonna tell him the car's 60+ years old and not 50…?

7. This "BUGEYE" is so darn cool and cute, I would love to have one. Way to leave it as is Jay.

8. Are you seriously running dexcool or was that a joke

9. I love originality and am so glad Jay kept this as original as possible. Over restored cars are not really my thing

10. Wow one of jays coolest cars

11. The car had some serious engine work. Tut, tut! An oil leak?

12. That car must be a great fun. I was smiling just from watching the video.

13. I hope u don't have to change a lite bulb under the dash.

14. My mother had one in the late 50's. I don't know how she got two lads to school every day with it.

15. Jay I bought a rusted out Riley 1.5 saloon and a fiberglass frogeye kit in 1969. I ended up with a Riley 1.5 frogeye. The fastest frogeye in s.w. England at the time.

16. At the time of the late '50s, you actually could buy a more simplistic and smaller, "cute" British sportscar: The Berkeley 328 or 492. They were all the rage at the Riverside Raceway for a minute and raced Bugeyes. I have one I drive around Marin County.

17. The son of the owner of Moore Motors VW here in Philly had one of these. They sent you the VW's for free, if you bought enough English cars. (Owner also had a Rolls/Bentley/Jag Dealership) They kept pageing the son to move his car. My Dad (a roofer) asked,"you want that moved?" Grabbed the back bumper, and lifted it to his belt, then drug it across the driveway,, just as the kid showed up. Dad was there to buy a new VW bus. They wanted $2,199, but Dad said not a dime over $1,400 or he'ld sail to Germany and bring back his own! It was $1,400.00, they were so afraid of what he could do. I can still see the saleman shaking, handing him the paperwork. Dad was a pussycat, but they had no idea. lol!

18. I've always called them 'Sprog-eyed Fright". The the gearbox whine is frightful.

19. I bet the son of the former owner is kicking himself today!

20. The friendliest sports car ever. My dad worked on a lot of British sports cars when I was growing up in the 1960s, including Sprites. I had the most fun riding around with him during the test drivers. My only regret is that I was too young and didn't have my driver's license yet. Oh well.

21. I remember driving one of those across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco in 1968 , It was a Teenagers $400.00 car

22. I hate to ask but, do you have any diesel cars?

23. Bug-eyed Sprite

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