The Austin Healey Sprite had so many nicknames it is nearly hard to keep track of them all. This was the original bike shed car. The ultra low cost and size of this sports car was made so a chap could just store it in their bike shed out back of the house and drive it occasionally. This car was also dubbed the first modern affordable sports car.
This car was first seen by the public on May 20 1958, just before at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. This affordable little car went on sale for 669 British sterling pounds or about $1500 USD at the time. It was originally designed to have movable headlights on the bonnet that would rotate up to give it a sleek appearance during the day. Because of weight and price concerns, this was removed and the headlights were made to be stationary, which lead to the famous bugeye or frogeye look, and nicknames.
This unique looking, 2 seater sports car took both England and America by storm because of its low price and it was fun to drive. The low cost was mainly contributed to the parts that made up the car. While the body was original, that was the only part made specific for this car.
The power plant of the car was originally an Austin A-series engine with a displacement of 948cc. It produced 43 bhp at 5200 rpm. The code of the engine was 9CC. Both the Austin A35 and the Morris Minor 1000 had this same engine, with a few modifications. The Austin Healey's version had a set of larger win 1 1/8" SU carburetors that supplied the fuel.
The rack and pinion steering was the exact same that was used in the Morris Minor 1000. The rest of the suspension parts were taken from the BMC's parts bin, which significantly reduced the cost of manufacturing this car.
The body and frame work was a first of a kind for a British sports car. This was the very first unibody or monocoque, as the British put it, which was used on such a small car. This design was inspired by the much larger Jaguar D-Type.
To make the car more structurally sound, the bonnet and front fenders was a one piece design that was securely attached to the firewall. Another feature that was unique to the bugeye was that no trunk lid was available. This made the rear of the car stronger and reduced the cars flexing when in motion. To access the rear compartment, the driver would have to lean his seat forward.
What would appear today as an aerodynamic feature was actually a cost saving feature back when this car was introduced in 1958, this was the absence of exterior door handles. For access to the car, the driver and passenger could either reach inside and use the interior handle or just climb over the car door.
This first Austin Healy Sprite was the Mark I model. There were a total of 48,987 cars of this model produced from 1958 until 1961. The top speed was only 82.9mph, but getting there was fun.
