Lot details Registration No: 822 VMU Chassis No: AN5/11884 Mot Expiry: Exempt
- In current ownership for 30 years
- Restoration project completed in 2012
- Part of a small private collection kept in dry storage
Though '822 VMU' has no recorded history, it is an extremely attractive example that has remained within its current ownership for no less than 30 years, as part of a small private collection. A June 1959 model, it has recently been the subject of a prolonged nut and bolt restoration that was eventually completed in 2012, since when the total recorded mileage is just 27 miles. The bodywork was professionally repaired and then painted to what the vendor describes as 'the highest standard' in Iris Blue. All the car's mechanical and electrical components were either restored or replaced - to the original specification wherever possible. The 948cc A-Series engine was rebored and equipped with new pistons, reground crankshaft, new bearings, standard specification camshaft, timing chain and sprockets, rocker shaft, oil and water pumps. The only diversions from standard specifications comprised the common and popular: fitting of the improved cylinder head type 12G295; replacement of the original SU carburettors with 1.25-inch ones; installation of the superior 'ribbed' gearbox driving through a 1098cc type flywheel and clutch assembly.
The original seats and interior trim were all reupholstered in Navy Blue vinyl and a replacement hood made to match. All five original steel wheels are fitted with new Continental tyres. The vendor describes the fully refurbished Sprite as 'meticulously detailed' and unsurprisingly classes the two-seater bodywork, interior trim, paintwork, venerable A Series engine and four-speed manual gearbox as all being 'excellent'. He is now offering the Frogeye complete with V5C, colour-matched storage bag for the sidescreens, BMC toolkit, original jack, driver's handbook, photographic records of various restoration stages and a substantial file of invoices.
The Frogeye was launched in Monte Carlo immediately prior to the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. Some 49,000 were built between then and 1961, when the model was replaced by the more conventional-looking MKII Sprite.
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