1961 Austin Healey 'Frogeye' Sprite

When this car was new it was painted Old English White.

It is now Almond Green, and very fetching it is, too, in our humble collective opinion.

We’re also firmly of the opinion that this particular example is without doubt one of the best you’ll find anywhere and is considerably better put together than anything the technologies of the day might have achieved back in 1960 when it left the Abingdon factory.

Now then.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Good. Then we’ll begin.

This car comes to us from a vendor who specialises in providing parts for original Minis to Japan and other locations around the world.

His father, Graham Paddy, used to work for Downton Engineering (who specialised in tuning Minis) back in the ‘60s.

Graham then went on to become a founding Director of Moss Europe, the automotive parts specialists.

A few years ago, father and son came up with a plan to buy an old Austin-Healey Sprite and subject it to the ultimate nut & bolt, ground-up, bare metal restoration – using both Graham’s considerable engineering skills and experience, and that of some of the other people who’d originally worked on A Series engines and mechanicals at Downton Engineering.

They both have a particular soft spot for the Sprite – perhaps not least because there’s a photograph of the vendor’s mother sitting in a Sprite of this exact colour on the cover of an early 1980s Moss parts catalogue (that particular car belonged to Jack Brabham, no less).

The vendor estimates that around £25-30K has been spent on the car – and that doesn’t include the effectively ‘free’ hours of labour put in by all who worked on the vehicle.

Factor in the cost of all that time and there’s no way you’d get any change from £50K for a restoration of this quality.

The car is currently on display at marque expert Mike Authers’ Oxfordshire showroom, where it has been beautifully detailed.

Mike is unquestionably one of the foremost authorities on Sprites and MGs of this era and, it’s safe to say, he doesn’t let anything but the very best examples occupy space on his premises.

The restoration was completed in 2018 and only 64 shake-down miles have been added to the fully rebuilt engine (including Burlen refurbed S.U. carbs at a cost of £900) since then.

Wherever possible, high-quality original parts were sourced. Elsewhere, the existing parts were refurbished or replaced with the best available replacements.

The only significant (but highly recommended) deviations from full originality are disc brakes and a stronger, ribbed gearbox case.

Fully retrimmed inside, the car comes with unfitted glass side-screens complete with fixing brackets, a new black fabric hood, tonneau covers and a spare wheel.

It is, in short, exquisite.

The bodywork is free of any dinks, dents, creases or other aberrations of any consequence whatsoever.

Even entirely standard amounts of road rash or stone chips are more notable by their absence than their presence – which is unsurprising, given that the car has yet to clock-up 100 miles since being restored.

The subtle shade of Almond Green paintwork has plenty of shine and lustre and manages simultaneously to give the car both modern and retro aesthetics.

The chrome work is good all round, as is the new fabric hood and the full tonneau cover.

As stated, the car comes with currently unattached side-screen windows, which are clearly in excellent order.

The wheels are very good, as are the tyres.

The car’s lights, lenses, badging and other exterior trim, fixtures and fittings are all beyond reproach.

The simple but beautifully fished interior has all the charm of its exterior counterpart.

The door cards are unmarked and pristine.

The pale green carpets, which contrast appealingly with the darker green seats and dashboard, are effectively brand new and only barely acquainted with the ingress or egress of feet.

The dark green leather bucket seats have yet to earn a crease, let alone any patina.

The Moto-Lita steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and other controls look showroom fresh and free from any discernible signs of use or wear.

The hood lining is following the same script as everything else and is, accordingly, very good indeed.

We didn’t press every button, flick every switch or pull every toggle, but everything we did manage to press, flick and pull did as it was told.

The vendor tells us that everything works as intended.

The engine and engine bay are spectacularly clean, dry, shiny and gleaming.

Everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides of the car look as if they’ve never been outside.

Unfortunately, there’s no paper-trail of bills, invoices and receipts detailing the car’s restoration for the simple reason that it got lost somewhere along the way.

That said, the car has a golden thread of associative provenance that runs from the current vendor and Mike Authers, though Graham Paddy and Moss Europe, and back to Downton Engineering.

The people who bought, worked on, restored, rebuilt, curated and are now selling this car are all the real deal: people who know what they’re doing and what they’re talking about.

Besides, these are simple cars from a bygone era. They have nothing to hide and nowhere to hide it.

And the phenomenal quality of this restoration clearly speaks for itself.

This original RHD U.K. car comes with its old logbook, a Heritage certificate and a current V5.

This is a very classy, fully restored, eminently usable and properly sorted Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite Mark 1.

It goes as well as it looks, and it looks fabulous.

It’s really very impressive indeed.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located in Oxford. 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’.