Sprite: Not Just Soda in the Car World
The Austin-Healey Sprite was a hit during its three-year production run in the U.K. It was just so darn cute.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
Great Britain is a reliable producer of excellent cars.
Brands
like Aston Martin, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce all call the UK home, and many past stars have been forged on British soil as well. One 20th century standout is still a fan favorite. Read on to revisit the adorable Austin-Healey Sprite.
A bright start
In the ‘50s in England, a few car conglomerates were competing for the attention of the public. Britons were finally recovering from the systemic shocks of World War II, and they were ready to flex their growing financial power. Recognizing this, companies like the British Motor Corporation (BMC) were looking for ways to market a bit of fun.
In 1952, a subsidiary of BMC called Austin merged with the Donald Healey Motor Company, reports
MotorTrend
. From this union the Austin-Healey company was born, and the new firm was keen to build something that would speak to a citizenry that was ready to roam idly around the countryside. Thus was born the Austin-Healey Sprite, which was produced from 1958 to 1961.MORE:
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Cute, slow, cheap
The Austin-Healey Sprite is, in a word, cute. This little sports car has an unforgettable face, with a smile-shaped grille and two close set circular headlights.
The decision to leave the headlights up and staring, as opposed to folded into the car, was at the happy confluence of adorable to behold and cheaper to manufacture. This iconic look even earned the Sprite a couple international nicknames—“Bugeye” in the U.S. and “Frogeye” in the U.K.
The Bugeye was also pretty inexpensive for a sports car, true to the manufacturer’s promise. It cost a little less than $2,000 in the U.S., which is about equivalent to $23,000 in today’s dollars. You’d be hard-pressed to find a sports car that costs the same as a Honda Civic in 2022.
But before you swoon too much over the Sprite, keep in mind that inexpensive Bugeye wasn’t going to win any races, nor was it the most comfy carriage. Underneath its beautiful monocoque design was a 948cc Austin A-series inline four-cylinder engine, which put out a whopping 43 hp, notes MotorTrend. (Consider that sports cars of today top out somewhere in the four digits.)
And with your cost savings came no door handles on the outside of the car, no radio, no real windows, and a tiny trunk that could only be accessed by moving the front seats forward. But if you were in the market for a painfully cute little cruiser, and didn’t mind going 0 to 60 in 20 whole seconds, the Bugeye was for you.
MORE: 3 Reliable Sports Cars From the Past Few Years
A bug-eyed legacy
Austin-Healey made 50,000 Sprites in their three-year run, and to this day they have an avid fan club.
The New York Times
recently reported on a couple who took their Bugeye all the way across the U.S., the little yellow car looking proud of itself in the photographs. And though they cheated just a little by making some pre-trip modifications to “Ducky,” so as to avoid any reliability issues that sometimes plague Bugeyes, they did complete their journey. Another Sprite charms America.Got a Ducky of your own in the garage?
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