Lot details Registration No: YTC738D Chassis No: HAN864489 Mot Expiry: April 2019
- Comprehensive overall restoration
- Excellent condition underneath
- MOT'd until April 2019
This delightful sprite is offered in its original colour of Teal blue with blue , piped white interior and comes with the green log book. Complete with hood and spare wheel. In current ownership since 2008. The car presents extremely well and a photographic record of the body restoration is on file. The car was off the road from 1975 until 2010 so the mileage of 35000 could indeed be correct though not warranted. The 1098cc sprite is lively on the road and drives , handles and stops very well.
Thanks to its prominent, bonnet-mounted headlights, the original Sprite quickly became known as the 'Frogeye' - a moniker that has stuck to this day. The little two-seater, designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company and built by BMC at the MG factory in Abingdon, was launched in Monte Carlo immediately prior to the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. The unique, one-piece bonnet covered a mildly tuned, 43bhp 948cc version of the BMC 'A' series engine already found in the Austin A35 and Morris Minor. The suspension was coil spring and wishbone at the front and quarter elliptic springs at the rear, with lever arm dampers all round. The construction was 'integrated' rather than a full monocoque and featured forward projecting chassis legs of the type used in the E-Type Jaguar. The minimal specification excluded exterior door handles and boot lid. Some 49,000 Frogeyes were built between 1958 and 1961. The Sprite was quickly adopted for competition by both privateers and the Works - the latter's first major success being the win of John Sprinzel and Willy Cave on the 1958 Alpine Rally. The model is still proving handy in rallies, races, sprints, hillclimbs and autotests to this day
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