1960 Austin Healey SPRITE

Little is known about the car prior to it being re-imported into the United Kingdom other than it left these shores painted Cherry Red in 1960, but that’s okay because all the interesting stuff has happened to it since coming back here a couple of years ago anyway!

And the interesting stuff is very detailed: the vendor has converted it from a left-hooker to right-hand-drive - and fully restored the car inside and out while he was at it. He’s done a fabulous job but, like so many of us, he derives his pleasure from the doing rather than the driving, so it’s up for sale to free time, money and space.

We always recommend getting someone else to do the heavy lifting if at all possible, so the lucky new owner will be able to enjoy trouble-free motoring in a freshly restored Austin-Healey Sprite at a fraction of the cost of doing it themselves.

An ex-California car, this particular Sprite has escaped the fate of so many of its contemporaries and still carries all its original steel panels; no nasty after-market fibreglass jobbies for this Austin.

Despite its status as a largely rust-free example, the owner stripped the car back to the bare shell before painstakingly reassembling it anyway. And when we say painstaking, we meant it because just look at those flanks! The last time we saw surfaces as smooth and free of wrinkles as that was during the Oscars… 

Seriously though, the panel fit, consistency of the panel gaps, and the overall fit ‘n’ finish is impressive, not least for a home restoration.

The steel wheels have been painted, and the chrome wheeltrims have had the AH picked out in red, which sets the whole ensemble off very nicely indeed. The rest of the chrome is very good too, as is the hood, which is new.

The underside has been thickly undersealed to protect it, so it’s unlikely to need any further work for the foreseeable future.

There are no problems as such, but we’d like to see matching, high-quality tyres. If the new owner is as picky as us then they will need to set aside a couple of hundred pounds to fit new rubber all round. Given the limited power and featherweight build, these would likely time-expire rather than wear out, making them a worthwhile investment on a pounds-per-year basis.

The interior has been as nicely done as the exterior. New seat squabs, covers, door trims, and carpets complement the car’s original switches and steering wheel, resulting in a delightful combination of patinated old world charm and straight-from-the-showroom chic.

The seats, black vinyl and edged with white piping, are utterly lovely and a very pleasant place to be. We admit that tall folk won’t be able to get in, much less drive it, but anyone of sensible height shouldn’t have any problem, and those lucky enough to own one tell us that the cockpit’s intimacy is a large part of the charm of driving a Sprite.

A new black vinyl cover allows access to the useful boot area from behind the seats; the boot houses the spare tyre and the neat, all-metal boot conversion allows you to get at it in only a couple of minutes without having to remove all your luggage first. This is a professional conversion that’s been properly done and adds to the car’s usefulness in a way that only those who’ve ended up with their luggage getting soaked at the side of the motorway at night will be able to fully appreciate. We don't know how long ago this conversion took place, but it does appear to be a period modification.

An electrical cut-off switch has been fitted underneath the steering wheel for an added layer of security and theft prevention.

The owner stripped the car’s major components down to their constituent parts before rebuilding them, refurbishing or replacing any worn items as he went along. 

So, the engine has new main and big-end bearings, plus a new Duplex timing chain and cover. A new water pump has also been fitted, as has a new exhaust system, fuel tank and fuel hoses and pipes.

An electric SU fuel pump is a worthwhile upgrade; while the owner was keen to keep the car as original as possible, he’s no fool and was pragmatic and sensible enough to add extra safety, reliability and performance when he felt he could do so without compromising the car’s character.

The gearbox is the original and correct ‘smooth’ casing version and the owner tells us that the synchromesh works fine on it. The braking system has new cylinders, shoes, hoses, cables and pipes, plus a twin master cylinder for added safety in the event of problems.

The front and rear suspension assemblies were stripped down, cleaned up and painted before being reassembled with new bushes as necessary. This work included new Silent Bloc bushes at the rear.

The electrical system was similarly disassembled and carefully put back together with new wiring, plus a new fuse and control box. An electrical tachometer was fitted for extra accuracy and reliability.

Photocopies of the original invoices for parts are shown in this listing, and the owner would welcome prospective bidders inspecting the car for themselves. It appears to be a car without a sordid past or anything to hide.

The car is UK-registered and comes with a V5 registration certificate in the owner’s name. It also has photocopies of the American paperwork it came with plus a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate showing its original build details.

The car also comes with a lovely photo album that faithfully records the many hours that were lovingly lavished on it.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork that come with the car.

Cars like the Sprite form the backbone of the British classic car scene, and with good reason; they’re fun and easy to drive, even easier to own, great to look at, create smiles wherever you are and go on forever with only the merest whiff of an oily rag. Providing, of course, that you buy a good one.

And this is a good ‘un. Restored by a highly competent home engineer, the work has clearly been done with love and care. More importantly, he clearly knows what he’s doing too, which means you get to benefit from his skill and experience at a fraction of the cost – in blood, sweat and tears as well as pound notes – that it would set you back if you were to do the work yourself.

And in this case the price of entry is very reasonable indeed because we expect this delightful example to see for between £17,000 and £21,000. That’s just pennies on the pound, so this is a purchase you can make with your head and your heart.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in High Wycombe; to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.