Bike Shed: ’58 Austin Healey Sprite

We are sort of in the tank for cars created by Donald Healey. Yesterday we featured one of his creations in collaboration with Nash-Kelvinator. Today’s featured post is at the other end of the spectrum. Donald wanted a car a bloke could park in his bike shed. His own words, not ours. It was introduced to the press in 1958 and quickly became a success in sales and on the track. Most readers won’t know this but the Sprite – Frog Eye in the UK and Bug Eye in the States – was the first mass produced car that had a unitary construction. Not a full monocoque but close. Not bad for an inexpensive sports car. Today’s featured Bug Eye has had lots of life breathed into it. It has had an amazing amount of performance enhancements from an almost race motor to a Datsun 210 5-speed gearbox. This little shoebox must fly! The exterior looks worthy of the sophisticated underpinnings. Everything about this works and although we normally shy away from cars that are heavily modified, the Sprite is a perfect candidate for making a car your own. If you want to have loads of fun, go quickly to this eBay auction by clicking here.