Thank you for the fun video!I am a couple of months away from completing the restoration of my '59 Bugeye. I owned one nearly fifty years ago,and it was so fun to drive!
I loved my MK1 frog eye Sprite, It's not about power, it's not about road holding. It's about how it makes you feel, you cannot help smiling when you drive it! Everywhere you go people smile and take pictures, when you pull up anywhere everyone wants to talk about the car. I drove all over the UK in mine, it would be happy at 60 mph on the motorway. Mine was in Leaf Green with white wall tyres, and she is still running.
Even as a Porsche fan I have to be honest. Seeing nothing but 911's gets a bit boring after a while. These non-Porsche videos are really refreshing. There's so much more about car culture and history to enjoy other than just cars with the engine in the wrong place.
Thank you for posting this video. I'm a big Porsche guy, but a ride in a bugeye when I was in high school was all it took to fall in love with these gems. Thank you again!
Jack, many years ago I drove a frogeye from London, though Spain and Italy to Malta , with one of my best mates. Great trip and your video brings back memories! Thanks for the great content.
I owned a 1967 Mark 4 version, I believe, and it was a mechanics dream or nightmare, depending who was geting paid. Driving it was and is the most(almost) fun I ever experienced in a vehicle. Country roads, city street, or travelling down the highway were all enjoyable rides in this wiz of a toy car. You get what you paid for and this car delivers.
I just read that Looong, but great comment... I'm in Edmonton, AB Canada... I grew up in Saskatoon, Sask. One day, while there a buddy took me into his garage and showed me his Bug-eyed Sprite. I loved it and had to own it. I got it for CAN$350.00 and drove it 350 miles back to Edmonton... That was 1968. From then, as I had problems, I fixed them. Like you, fuel Pumps kept failing so, I got an Electric fuel pump... Then, I had ignition problems, so I put in an electronic Ignition... Then the SU Carbs kept getting worse, so I changed the intake manifold and added Side Draft Webers... Woe! That little engine was cranking out almost 100 hp, by the time I finished my modifications... My very first car was a Triumph TR2... I've owned Austin Healeys, Jaguars, Corvetts and many other sports cars, but still have a bond with Bug-eyed Sprites... After the Sprites (I had 2), I bought a MG Midget out of the Showroom as it was so similar to my Sprites, but for the body... It was fun too, but I was tired of working on it constantly... Oh! I also owned a Porsche 912 (4 Cyl), but it wasn't as much fun as the Sprites... To own a Sprite and enjoy it means, you have to enjoy getting dirty and covered in grease... I knew my Sprites so well that I could tune the SU Carbs by Sound (no vacuum gauge) and my ignition I tuned with a Transistor Radio... When the Static stopped, it was tuned... I don't know if there is anything I didn't learn about my Sprites... Awesome little cars :-)
Great to hear, thanks for you story!! I do love Fred and am about to start an engine and gearbox rebuild plus discs at front and adding an anti roll bar. Cant wait!!
I had a 1959frog eyed sprite❤ ( baby blue)in 1970 when 20 and despite owning some quite exotic cars since the frog eye it’s still evokes some of my best motoring memories 😎
I love my Bugeye Sprite, lots of history, dad gave it to mum as a wedding present in ‘68, I was driven around in the passenger seat in a bouncinet when I was born in 71, found it laid up in the shed when I turned 15, restored it and drove across Australia to meet Geoffrey (and Margot) Healey at the Melbourne Austin Healey National Rally in 1990 Continued rolling restoration and still my favourite vehicle. Currently sporting 1330cc a-series built for torque, disk brake front end, sway bar, uprated lever arm shocks from Worldwide, r-comp rubber and a leather interior. Drives like it’s on rails, stops on a dime, smiles per mile over the top! Thanks for sharing your video :-)
I have a 62 MK2 Sprite. It is an absolute delight to drive around like you say. A simple car assembled in some brilliant way to make it handle, and feel fast when it's not. I've actually been daily driving mine for a few weeks now, and you start to realize that you don't really need more car. Right now in the middle of summer, it can get hot, but with the roof down its still a good drive. Every one you pass, loves it
These simple cars make you feel like you're part of the driving experience rather than just a passenger. There's a joy in maintaining as much speed as you can through corners and, as your face shows, cresting that hill! Happy motoring!
Just one of those vehicles that is fun while not moving very fast. One of my neighbors, two doors down, as a kid had a bugeye. My next door neighbor had a Sprite MkIII. This was in an American suburb. The Northern Ireland immigrants across the street had Renault Dauphins! Neither Sprite was very fast, but you looked great getting there. It so much reminds of my 74 X1/9. I know, this is sacrilege to British car owners, but consider: The original X1/9 was not beast. Yes, the rack and pinion steering, and four wheel disc brakes were appreciated (and not common for the times), but the four speed transmission without overdrive, and the limited power band of the 1.3 liter carbureted engine meant you had to think and plan, because the unfamiliar American would be in the wrong gear without fail. Truly unsuited for the Interstate, and barely suited for main roads as your were limited to about 45 mph on hills. But get out on a country back road, without a number, and you could have a blast, even on those standard 145SR13 tires.
I used to own and work on both a Frogeye Sprite and a Sprite Mark II. Sometimes frustrating to work on but, as you said, everything is easily understood. My main gripe with working on the Sprite was that many nuts and bolts were often difficult to access. I think this is due to BMC using parts from other cars in their line. When I finally sold the Sprite and bought an Alfa Romeo Giulia Spyder 1600, lo and behold, most of the parts were easy to access and the car was easy to maintain. I still wish I had both the Sprite AND the Alfa and the later Lotus Elan Series 4. Dang- all those good cars but I could not keep all of them, so now I am happy with my 2006 Porsche Cayman S (987.1). I enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work.
Loved the video. As a model A ford owner I can appreciate that it is not always about how fast you get there but the journey. Looking for a Sprite as the next project.
25 years ago, Mom brought home a '69 Sprite that she bought on a *whim*. She loved cars and she'd wind out anything with a stick and clutch. We had a lot of fun in that little Sprite, and I fell in love with that car. Sadly, it stayed behind when we left my father, who was becoming less and less stable (bipolar, alcoholic, paranoid delusional). She passed away from cancer in November 2020, and left me her life insurance. I don't want to fritter it away on meaningless little knickknacks, so I decided to spend some of it on something that would please her, to honor her memory. A bad infection in December put me in the hospital. When I got out in February, I started thinking about that little Sprite from my childhood. I looked online for weeks. Most were mid-60s and bug-eyes. Some were hotrodded racers. And they were all $13-24,000! My dream was still to get a 68-70 in relatively stock condition, something ready to drive yet not a flawless showroom display car, either. Most were also 12+ hours away from me in Michigan or Illinois. Then I found a 69 Sprite just 2 hours away! It was also less than $8k, which leaves plenty of cash leftover for any repairs. That sweet little Sprite is mine now, still wearing the original "Primrose Yellow" paint. Sadly, it doesn't have a top, so I can only drive if the weather is nice, and my state takes 2 weeks to issue a license plate, so I can't drive at all (legally). Oh, and it doesn't have an antenna, rear bumper, or radio antenna, either! So yeah, she's far from mint condition, but her only problems seem to be some easily replaceable parts, which I hope to do myself. Even after the repairs, it will be much more affordable than the $13k+ that most Sprites cost. I think Mom would be pleased :)
I really adore the old brit sports cars, and have had my fair share of them. From MG's, Triumphs, Austin Healys, sunbeams, I really do love and appreciate each and every one for what it is and does.
My first two cars were bug eyes. I taught myself to drive in it on the dirt roads of the time around MCAS New River, N.C and it completely affected my driving style. Clutches and gears bring out something in me. I flipped it on the night of my 21st Birthday. Two months later, I was driving my second one in a large Midwestern city. I loved that car. And traffic was just a rallye every day! I LOVED to downshift and hear that rolling exhaust come out of the mufflerless pipes. One sunny summer morning, I awoke to find myself sliding along a steel freeway barrier after a long night of ethanol excess. The left front wheel cone was slightly bent which I didn't notice for a time until it became hot enough to smell. On the way to the repair shop, the wheel fell off, no brakes, fortunately the curb was high enough to scrape the bottom when I veered onto the sidewalk and came to rest a couple of feet from a light post. I was devastated. Then I found a 1961 Citroen DS nobody at the time (~1968) wanted, $110. THAT WAS A CAR. And, in my youthful ignorance, they were all 'just cars'. Now, I'd seriously give a toe or two to get any of them back.
Fun video. I had an MGB, which was also a perfect country lane car. Fortunately I worked at a car parts store back then, and much of my take home pay was in spares rather than cash. But your message is spot on: You almost can’t get more of a connection to the mechanical essence of a sports car than with a Mk 1 Sprite. That said… the German cars are so much more reliable. I also had a 356, which is a simple, satisfying car, and incredibly well made. If you can accept a lower performance envelope than that of a classic 911, the 356 is an ideal vintage sports car.
I was happy to stumble on your site. When I was 21, in 1969, and just arrived in California I had a semi clapped out '57 Sprite Bugeye. I was working for the Honda motorcycle dealer at the time and was a confirmed anglophile. The car wouldn't run cleanly at all but luckily the service manager I worked with was a Brit. He schooled me in the science (?) of synchronizing S.U. carbs. Holy crap it ran great! Later on I got a '65 MGB but then had to move on to more modern cars. I still have the little pouch with the pair of wire pointers plus my UNISYN vacuum tool.....Just in case . Thanks
Thankyou for your video, having had the pleasure of owning both cars and therefore can totally identify with your opinion. I will never forget the look on a guys face in a 911when I undertook him twice through the Brooklands complex at Silverstone. We were almost touching door mirrors. I was in a Mark 3 MG Midget. The only time I have ever broken down in a Sprite or Midget it has been the fuel pump. In the end I moved away from the traditional SU fuel pump and replaced with a Japanese electronic pump. Sorted. Unfortunately my days in Sprites, Midgets and Porsches are in the past as a serious spinal prevents me from getting in and driving them. So make every moment count the good when they are going and the bad when you are putting them back together again. I had 40 years of fun in these cars so I can’t complain too much. I hope you get Fred sorted so you can trust him to behave and enjoy their unique driving pleasures. I look forward to seeing Fred in more articles.
So good to hear from you and sorry to hear about your health difficulties David. There is a whole playlist of Videos on Fred on my channel, including and engine swap. Do give it a look if you’re interested!
My wife and I own a 1960 "Bugeye" as we say in the States. It always attracts a crowd at the local car show in Colorado Springs, CO for the past two years since I got the car back on the road. I had to give up on the mechanical fuel pump issues and just install an electric fuel pump to solve the fuel feed problem to the carbs.
Thankyou for your efforts at this time in our collective lives. It really helps to get to see other enthusiasts working on there cars and getting there hands dirty.
In the U.S., we call them "Bug Eye" Sprites, but they were and are a fantastic little car. Very simple, but very satisfying car to drive. The slightest thing you do as a driver, has an immediate and direct effect on what the car does. In my mind, this would the PERFECT car to teach kids how to drive and how cars work.
Here in Australia they are also a "Bug Eye". I own a US Bumpered, LHD MG Midget which has a Tifosi Bug Eye front added, and bumpers removed, in order to make a 1500cc Sprite. The front gives it that cute "bug eye" appeal in a better performance package. So much more character than the original Midget. .
In university I had a 1962 Sprite. It was the first year with wind up windows, but still had the old erector set roof. It was in bright royal blue and I called it Daphne. That was 55 years ago and was so much fun. After decades of boring cars I got a first year 1989 Miata and now have 2003 SLK320 with a manual 6 speed. I would love to have a sprite again but fear that I could not get in and out of it.
Hello - thanks for great video. I am a long term Porsche owner and I have been captivated by this little car for quite some time now. Your video has inspired me to go ahead and buy one! Looks like loads of simple fun - and after 20 yrs of Porsches, I need simple!
One of my all time favorite sports cars! In 1963, I almost bought one. But, didn’t have all the money and my father wouldn’t help because he thought it was to dangerous due of its size. At least, I became a Porsche guy and have driven them now for 40 years as my daily drivers. Wonderful video!
Hi, That gem was the first car I bought in 1965 and cost me $500.00 from a guy that lived down the street. I then went to MGBs, Xke 2 of them ,Jensen Healey but the bug eye was just the best. Thanks for the flash back. Jim
Back in 1970 a buddy of mine got one named it Aristotle. Woke me up at 2AM to take me for a ride when he first got it. Bad shocks, bad steering, and no breaks but he loved that car and so did I.
My tr3 went through 5 or 6 mechanical fuel pumps in a very short time ,so I got an inline electronic pump almost 10 years ago & trouble free.I went the same way with an electronic ignition because I couldn't get a good condenser any more. Would love to have another bug eye .
I really like your down to earth, honest and straight forward videos. I have a 1972 MG Midget and had (unfortunately had to sell it before a move to the US) a 964 C2 manual coupe, so this video really resonated with me. One is fun slowly the other exciting and fast, both feel totally alive.
I feel your mechanical fuel pump woes. I have been dealing with similar from my Beetle. These old slow cars are still a lot of fun though (when they work ;) ).
Good luck sorting out the issues with this lovely little car. As you say, the engine is fairly simple and parts are all available. It shouldn't be too hard to make this a reasonably reliable little car. Without reliability, any car just becomes an annoyance, however pretty or historic it is. Things are far better now, though I have unhappy memories of cars I had back in the 70s that just broke down all the time - often electrical or cooling issues - and back in the day many cars seemed so unreliable in the UK that car club membership was a must. When I was a kid, we lived near Exeter in Devon. I can remember seeing car after car broken down on the A38 roadside on warm 1960s Summer's day waiting for the breakdown vans - most of them fairly new family cars.
I love the respect and space you get from modern cars/drivers ...trying to get out of a junction in London im my modern car is a nightmare but in my MGA or Willys MB, well what a difference , other drivers give way and become nice humans ... love Fred :-)
I've just agreed to buy a 1960 Frogeye and I am super excited, seeing this video which was really well done made me more excited. As you say its the simplicity. I expect a long restoration but if I could get it looking like yours (well almost would be good) then i'll be happy with that.
It was my first car in college, a used $250 dollar 1961, the last of the Bugeyes as we called them in the US. Originally a sickly yellowish green, we repainted it to the dark British racing green. Perfect! I had a wonderful love hate relationship for 3 yrs before switching to vans. So much fun to drive and such a pain to work on as my hood hinged at the firewall, not at the bumper like some versions. My only fuel issue was adjusting the oil filled carbs on my knees. Jamming 2 or 3 passengers or a 1/2 keg of beer in it with no trunk lid was a challenge and quite painfull but it could be done.. Several years ago I got a 1999 Miata which is a civilized version of the Sprite and just as much fun to drive, but I do miss the that old Bugeye :) Thanks for the drive down memory lane.
I own a Sprite, and yes, you "think" to steer it as the wheel is that sensitive and requires almost no input to turn. But, and this is probably because of it's light weight, it can be dangerous in a fast turn because the slightest cause to bounce will make the entire car leave the road (especially the back end) and you drift while in the air and come back down at the wrong angle, very hard and squiggly. You have to hold the wheel like a bear until the car regrips the road properly and gets back on the correct track. If you panic in that situation... you're a goner. (And it need not even be a sharp curve. I have had it happen going 70 on a highway on what would be considered only a slight curve in the road - when you go airborne at 70 you go a LONG way the wrong way until you come back down) So yes, it steers like a maniac... but it can lose the road suddenly and without warning... so I would agree that it has handling issues you must understand and be aware of to drive it safely. A Porsche has the weight in the rear, and so the back end tends to not bounce and leave the road.
I have owned two.. one as a college student back in the early 1970's in London.. then another years later, in Hove near Brighton. Both I (we) restored and truly fun fun cars to own and drive, be it to the shops to get a pint of milk and al oaf of bread or a long touring rally through England - great memories in such a neat little car. One day I will super-charge one of these.....
I had that powertrain in a 1961 A40 Farina Mk2.... it was fab, but the car was much better when I swapped in a 1098 from a moggy minor... I used to drive up multistorey carparks in top! Simple, light and above all, fun cars!
I have a 1960 frog, with 1098 and uprated to discs and have put back together from a rolling chissis. Now so much fun to drive. (high days and only sunny says!)
I now own a "big" Healey but I miss my Mk2 Sprite. It was gutless and the brakes were not very effective and you felt like a dwarf on the road amongst the huge trucks and 4WD's. 60 k felt like 100 at that height above the road. But the gearbox was magic to use and always had an answer for the engine and brakes' shortcomings. I loved that car and driving one up and down hilly areas was shear bliss.
I, too, had a bugeye(!)...fifty years ago and it taught me why British cars as well as French cars and until very recently Italian cars are no longer sold in America. You work on your car a LOT and it can't even make it to the photo session without breaking down. A British car might be fun to drive, but it's no fun to own. And you can't drive it farther away than you can walk home when it displays its true colors and strands you along the side of the road. In the rain.
I had a chance once to have a good look under a Midget that was up on a hoist. And even as a British car fan, I hadn't had a chance to see an "old school" roadster like this. I was shocked & delighted at how straight-forward and simple it all was! Yeah....I had to own an XJ40, right? Since a Sprite is pretty close to a Midget, it's absolutely understandable why someone would want one. Very similar to the appeal of a motorcycle, really....you only have the stuff you need. Obviously, you have to love the smiley face of it too!
That brings back some memories ! A good friend in high school(1967,1968) had an old happy Frog,a bit rough around the edges,but the most fun one could have with clothes on,probably many more modern little engines that would enliven it now,but it would no longer be it's happy little self,thus loosing far to much(I've sen one with a Corvette 5.7 stuffed in,but that would really despoil the personality in my eyes!)Just loosing that happy little exhaust burble would be far too high a price to pay.
Had a 1958 bugeye sprite bought ln 1973,original 35k,wish I still kept it, your story brought back memories, never had a problem & handled great, Michelin x tires might have helped😂
My first sports car purchase in 1961 was a 1959 Sprite. It was very cute, ran well, and was easy to fix. I once got it up to an indicated 78 mph but 55 to 60 mph was a more reasonable highway cruising speed. Sprites are too small and slow for San Diego freeways so my current British car fix is a 1974 MGB.
I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the "Bugeye." Yes, I'm here on the other side of the pond. My 1st love affair was my 1960 Bugeye at the proper age of 19. As I tell folks I spent more time under the car then in it :) Now that I'm 72 it's a little harder to get out from under my 2nd Bugeye which is a 1959 which I continue to restore and put back on the road. I admit I'm a romantic as I try to recapture that certain something of driving my Bugeye when I was 19. If anything can do it would be my sweet little lady Bugeye. Don't you agree?
I have a 1960 Sprite. Everything you say is true. You failed to mention the attention the car gets in public. Everyone knows an uncle or an old friend that used to have one. Kids love the smile on the front. The original configuration without the rev counter was a very rare version of the delivered car. I would not have changed that. You won't solve the fuel pump issue unless you find an new old stock pump on Ebay or similar. The reproduction pumps made today are only good for six months or so, maybe not that long. Good luck with your car. I have owned mine since 1970. My son gets it when I pass.
Thanks Mike.. I still have the baking plate for the tacho and it is a matter of minutes to bring it back t original but frankly it does not look very nice and the dash is much improved with the tacho.
Just a suggestion. If that mechanical fuel pump is anywhere close to the exhaust manifold where it can absorb some heat that could be your intermittent fuel problem. I experienced the same thing on a Cobra replica I built with a Ford V8 302 cid. Took ages to figure out what was happening until a friend who had lots of experience with race car building suggested a simple thin aluminium plate cut out of approx 1 mm plate, as a heat shield to absorb and draw the radiated heat away from the pump. Cheap and simple and not a problem thereafter.
I'm surprised you never even mentioned the big Healeys. What wonderful cars they were. All the old English sports cars were wonderful machines. The TR3, The beautiful Jags. Even the TR6 Was a great sports car. It's sad that they’re all gone.
I owned a 60 sprite in 1963 until 1964. It was the best handling car I have ever owned except for my 1966 shelby mustang. It handled better than a Porsche 356 spider i drove and better than a A/H 3000. I also owned a 58 Triumph tr-3 and it was way better than the tr-3. It had more bang for the buck than any other car I owned.
I have a heavily modified bugeye sprite. It's got an sbc 383ci. The transmission is automatic. I've been building this car for years. It has the upgraded front brakes, the tube shock system up front. I'd love it more if it was quieter.
What a beautiful car. In 1986 went to look at black mk2 16 ghia escort which I paid £1600 Sitting beside it was a frog espirt the guy said you can have this for £600 how I kick myself now.
I had a 62 Midget, which is essentially the same car, and I loved it. I would love to have a Bug-eyed Sprite. Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it. :-)
Have owned several MG Midgets, pre-rubber bumper models; one fully restored. Great little cars, loads of fun, sound, looks... had many a great 40 mile drives -- until the piece of crap broke down... always could count on a fuel or electrical Gremlin. I would never plan a drive outside of tow truck range. But all you say is true, they are truly endearing; but I sure love my Porsche!
Wow, yours sure does sound unreliable.. Fred is so simple I hope when fuel issue is sorted he will be good!! I think modern fuel overheats much easier and that's the source of my issues..
I still have fond memories of the one MG, it was gorgeous -- had a once in a lifetime byer come along who bought it for nearly $10K (in 1992)! She was terminally ill, wanted the car and did not care about the cost, make me that offer, I took it -- and ready for this -- she drove it everyday for 5 months, without one breakdown! ... I think it was meant for her.
Am just rebuilding an MGB GT . Its got so much character compared to a modern car , I absolutely love it and I agree wholeheartedly with what you are saying here about the bug eye sprite.
I had a 1960 left hand drive, with an apparently aftermarket bonnet-the headlights were in the wings! Traded it in on the only new car I've ever bought, a Florida Green, 1968 Austin America. (Paid full price, even tho' it was in 1969, because it was the only Stick they had left!)
I’m on my 5th FrogEye now (actually 4 & 5 areboth out in the garage) and my only regret is that 1-3 were sold off in my youth before I went off to Scotland. Of course I wish I had kept them all! :) I really enjoyed your video as it’s great to see how you love the little beasties for all the right reasons. I’ve subscribed to your channel and look forward to your future content. Please revisit Fred often and keep us all posted :) Cheers
I had a 1965 Austin Healey 3000 and it always had fuel problems due to vapor lock. I finally rerouted the entire fuel line and put in an electric fuel pump. Then I was offered $6,000 more than I paid for the car and so it went to a new home; and I adopted a Maserati to fill that garage space.
This is a car I was very aware of as a kid. One look and how could I not! Those headlights! A”Bug eye” we call it is the US. We never had one but my dad was always on the lookout for one.
i’ve owned several British cars unfortunately not a Bugeye yet ! although i do have a Spridget i’ve always love the look of the FrogEye or BugEye depending on what side of the Pond you are on there is something about the Sprites that are just exciting to drive like most British Sports cars you just become a part of the car when driving them as it always feels like you are going way faster than you really are especially around tight cornering and similar conditions
I would come home in my '73 Camaro Z28 which was an amazing performance car just in order to switch into my other preference a '74 MG Mark 1 Midget there was kind of a same comparison I wanted a 911 but they were always just above my budget level
