1961 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite

The current owner acquired this Sprite in the Summer of 2019. It needed a full rebuild, the body had already been restored but there was still a lot of work needed.

The previous owner had had the car since 1978 and had taken it off the road in 1983. Looking at the paperwork it had sat idle until around 2016 when they started a restoration. This restoration included the aforementioned professional body restoration and subsequent respray back to its original Leaf green. A professional engine rebuild (including rebore and re-surfaced block, unleaded valve seats, reground crank and new bearings, head skim and new valves) was also performed by the previous owner.

Due to ill health in 2019, the restoration was never completed by the previous owner, this is where the current owner stepped in and acquired the car as a rolling restoration. All of the major mechanical components (suspension, gearbox, and engine) had been partly installed but there was still a lot of work left to do.

During 2020/21 they completely re-assembled the car. This rebuild included thousands of pounds worth of new parts, such as a new interior, new brake discs, hydraulics, tyres, stainless steel exhaust, brand new wiring loom, new fuel tank, and hundreds of new nuts, bolts, and rubbers.

This car has an amazing documented history that will come with the car. The previous owner was fastidious with their record keeping and has managed to compile a ring binder full of handwritten notes, invoices, and workshop manuals. We were unable to photograph the entire folder as it was about 6 inches thick of information.

The current owner has also managed to retain a lot of the relevant invoices for their part of the rebuild.

The sale of this classic is rather reluctant, the current owner has loved their time re-building/driving this amazing example. However, through other life commitments, it’s sadly not getting used as it should. So, now’s your chance to get behind the wheel of this beauty.

Classic cars are full of character, but few look as characterful as the little Mk.1 Austin-Healey Sprite. Those amphibian-like looks twinned with its Leaf Green paint make for an adorable classic that never fails to induce a smile when you look at it.

It is thanks to its recent body restoration that the exterior of this Sprite is in near Concours condition. Finished in the stunning leaf green colour every panel of this little car sparkles in the sunshine.

There is also a fair amount of chrome that adorns the exterior of this Sprite. The chrome elements found on the exterior, such as the front grill, headlight/rear light surrounds are all in beautiful condition. There are some minor blemishes to be found on the hubcaps and rear bumpers.

Designed with top-down motoring in mind this Sprite looks beautiful with the no roof fitted. However, should the weather turn all British then you’ll be happy to hear that there is a soft-top roof that will come with the car.

Comprising of a separate frame, roof material, and windows it can be erected fairly quickly once you get the hang of the whole process. The roof section that comes with this example is in great condition. The material looks like new and doesn’t show any signs of damage. Its side windows slot in place quickly and are nice and clear with no hazing apparent, this can also be said about the plastic windows towards the rear of the soft-top.

Overall, the exterior of this Sprite is in very good condition indeed. Thanks to its extensive restoration you will have no exterior work to complete. This leaves you more time to show it off at car shows across the country.

Much like the exterior, the interior was privy to a full restoration and thanks to this work it too sits in amazing ‘like-new’ condition. Its slightly darker green vinyl interior compliments the exterior green very well indeed.

Let’s start our in-depth look at the interior with the two sporty seats. Unsurprisingly the vinyl that covers these two seats fits very well and is completely unmarked. Once you lower yourself into these seats you may be surprised with how comfortable they are, they hold your figure nicely and should be good for those longer drives out. Now, although the interior looks small from the outside, once you’re in there is a lot more space than you may think.

Running throughout the interior a lovely set of green carpets. These tailored carpets have experienced little use since the restoration was completed so they are in great condition.

Lifting these carpets in the foot well reveals the solid floor pans.

An interesting feature of the Sprite is its boot configuration. Unlike a conventional car, the Sprite lacks a conventional boot lid. Therefore, access to the boot is from behind the seats. A little odd but it does keep the design of the rear end nice and clean.

The final area to mention inside this classic is the dash/centre console section. As you can probably guess by now, this is too in amazing condition.

Set into the jade green dash is a set of fetching Smiths dials and a few physical knobs/buttons. The most important dial to draw your attention to here is the odometer. Reset when the engine was rebuilt during the restoration a mere 752 miles have been clocked up since.

Overall, the interior of this Sprite is immaculate. Thanks to the time, money, and effort spent by the current owner to re-fit the interior you are about to inherit an interior that has probably been fitted better than when it was made in 1961.

No stone was left unturned during the restoration of this Sprite and the mechanical elements were certainly not missed out during the restoration.

Let's start with the most important mechanical component, the engine. The 948cc four-pot under the bonnet of this Sprite was removed and sent to be rebuilt. Whilst out of the car it received a rebore, a re-surfaced block, unleaded valve seats, reground crank, new bearings, a head skim, and new valves. Thanks to this work the engine now purrs away beautifully when on tick over. To help it breathe better and sound fruitier a full stainless steel exhaust was fitted.

The current owner has fitted a new fuel tank which looks nice and shiny when you look at the rear of the car.

Lifting the clam-shell bonnet reveals a large portion of the front suspension. From the photos, you can see that a lot of the front suspension parts are either new or have received a nice coat of black paint to stave off any future corrosion.

On the day of the photoshoot the little Sprite drove to and around the location with no problem at all. It would start every time on the first go and thanks to all of the renewed suspension no knocks or rattles were audible even over a cattle grid that was present at the location.

All you need to do is hop in, pull the starter knob, and drive off into the sunset. All the hard work has been done so you can just get on enjoying this car.

Since hitting the road in 1961 this car has only had 3 documented owners. There is little present about the first owner, the 2nd owner (the previous owner) acquired the car in 1978 and would start the restoration in 2016, and the 3rd owner is the Vendor. It isn’t often that you can trace the history of a car that easily.

As previously mentioned, this car has a huge, nay, gigantic history folder. The history from 1978-2019 has managed to fill up a normal leaver arch folder. Invoices from 2019-now have also been kept by the current owner to help document its restoration.

The paperwork doesn’t just comprise invoices though the up-to-date V5 is present, as is an old Austin Healey Sprite driver’s handbook, a photocopy of the heritage certificate (the DVLA kindly lost the original along with the old logbook as well), the car will also come with two keys.

You must have already fallen in love with this beautifully restored classic, right? Well, if we haven’t convinced you yet, then just think of all of the memories you can create with this stunning little classic.

You’d find it very difficult to find another Sprite presented in such a condition. There have been hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds spent on getting this car back to showroom condition. You now get to come in and enjoy this perfect classic sports car from your first day of ownership. What’s not to love?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located Moggerhanger, Bedfordshire. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.