1959 Austin Healey 'Frogeye' Sprite

Vendor Brian bought this example from a friend of a friend at work five years ago. “I did meet the original owner (he’d subsequently moved to Hungary) and he owned the original donor Sprite when it was metal. To be honest I didn’t really know what it was when I bought it; I only realised later once I’d read up on it. They’re better than the original one; you don’t get any creaks. It’s really well built and there are no worries about rotting as the chassis is galvanized.”

Although the car is an Isle of Whyte Healey Frogeye, the company didn’t construct it; instead, another specialist in the first owner’s vicinity used all the correct parts to complete the build. “The firm that did it was quite well respected and did a very good job.”

That said, when Brian bought the Sprite it didn’t look back then as it does now. “I spent the last five years going through the car from top to bottom. It’s been re-sprayed; all the front suspension has been rebuilt with new kingpins; the brakes were overhauled with calipers receiving new seals; and I rebuilt the carburettors. In fact, the only things I didn’t touch were the engine and gearbox as they didn’t require any work.”

As you may be able to deduce Brian’s hobby is restoring cars and through the years, he’s taken on all manner of projects including a Mini Traveller and most recently a Renault Alpine GTA.

“That’s the main reason this is for sale. My grandson is into Eighties cars, so I completed the Alpine for him and we’ll now be driving around in that. The other reason is that I’m now getting on a bit and while getting in and out of the Sprite with the hood off is fine, you need to be a bit more agile with the hood on.”

The Sprite has recently gained a fresh MoT certificate, which runs until Feb 25, 2022.

We’ll let you into a secret: one of our photographers is not really into cars. Cue shock, horror. But after taking this out to shoot, he returned our Abingdon HQ and promptly stated, “that’s just a brilliant little car.”

From an exterior perspective it is absolutely glorious. Brian says that the original paint had dulled somewhat, so he had his chap (he uses the same quality body man for all his projects) give it a full re-spray and as a result it positively gleams. As such there are no cracks, crazing or stars that tend to appear on glass fibre finishes after decades of use and abuse. It is superlative.

The glass fibre body is of a very high standard and the design was renowned when new for being incredibly strong; just as in period, you’d be hard pressed to spot any differences with a metal car, at least until you gave it a tap with knuckle. The Frogeye Car Company’s prior expertise lay in boat building and its comprehensive skill-set is certainly in evidence here; it’s panel perfect, and again you get the added bonus of the fact that it is never, ever going to corrode.

The new Frogeyes ran on cast alloy wheels in period but, as here, chrome wire wheels could be specified and they lend this car a nice period aesthetic. There’s a limited amount of other brightwork on the car but what there is all remains in very decent nick.

As with all Frogeye variants, catching a glance of this stunning car simply makes you smile.

The cabin has a few differences of note from an original. First of all, transmission tunnel is a touch bulkier due to the replacement backbone chassis; you also get a smaller diameter Moto-Lita wooden steering wheel (very pleasant it is, too) and the fascia, an almost exact replica, has a few extra switches.

Brian has fitted new seats and Securon belt-type harnesses are also fitted. The hood is very good condition but if, like us, you’re of the hardier classic car owner nature, then the three-piece tonneau cover will see much more action than that.

The boot meanwhile… oh, wait…

“It drives really nicely,” says Brian. “And is quite a nippy little car. Of course, you always feel like you’re going faster when your backside is near the ground. It’s got quite a quick engine – I had a Mini Cooper S, and this doesn’t feel far off that in terms of oomph.”

For those who have piloted an original Sprite the biggest differences come in the ride and handling departments; don’t get us wrong, it hasn’t lost any of its point-and-shoot go-kart like nature, it’s just that it jars less over imperfections and that chassis feels superlative.

The front disc brakes offer superior stopping power and they’re reliable here thanks to Brian’s rebuild of the braking system. He’s right about that engine it’s perky in the extreme and the gearbox shifts with a pleasant and slop-free action.

The underside presents very well and a quick look allows you to marvel at, and send thanks up to god of Frogeyes for, the galvanized chassis. It all looks excellent. The only thing we can pick up on is that there are one or two small areas of overspray (on the fuel tank and a chassis rail), but then no one will ever see that.

Pop the large one-piece front clamshell bonnet and you’ll find a very pleasant engine bay, which demonstrates a good level of attention to detail in its finish. The twin SU carburettors sport K&N pancake-type air filters and that gives a lovely gruff intake noise to accommodate the rorty little exhaust note.

The Sprite comes with a comprehensive history file, which is in two main parts: a number of invoices for works completed during the custodianship of Alan Goss, who commissioned its ‘re-birth’ and owned it for 29 years; and secondly page after page (after page) of parts invoices for its second re-birth (re-birth II) at the hand of Brian. These are mainly from Frogeye Spares of Walkden, Manchester, although there are others.

It’s certainly worth having a good flick through the latter as they detail all the new bits and pieces that he has fitted, whilst restoring the car, over the last five years. For a classic car owner thinking about buying a new (old) car there’s surely no better feeling of security than knowing which parts have been replaced – and with what.

There are also many expired MoT test certificates, as well as the car’s V5 document that shows a total of two owners from new (that is of course, since its reincarnation).

There’s also a written valuation of £16,000 from West Sussex-based Batemans Performance & Restoration, dated 21st April 1997.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been converted and restored to the very highest of standards.

“I’ve always thought it’d make a really good hill-climb car” says Brian. We agree, but thanks to his restorative works it’d be equally as good as a Sunday blaster, daily driver (unlike many a classic car!) or regular show pony.

Remember this, it is NEVER ever going to rust or rot. That’s one of the biggest of any classic car owner’s fears simply removed from the equation. You could drive this every day and it’d simply never blink.

Gloriously presented in Red (along with White, one of our favourite Sprite colours), with chrome wire wheels and chrome spinners and a nice period number plate, this little perk-meister is absolutely ready to go… what’s that sound? I hear the summer fast approaching.

We think this little beast will sell for somewhere between £11k and £17k. For that, the next owner will be getting a thoroughly smart example of the breed; in fact scratch that, we’d argue that this rare Sprite is one that’s even better than almost all other examples out there.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.