1959 Austin Healey Sprite Mk.1

The seller and his father bought the Sprite as a bare shell from a well-known Forgeye specialist a decade ago. Sadly, his father passed away shortly afterwards, at which point his son decided to continue with their plan of restoring ‘XWP 535’, taking ten years to bring this Austin Healey Sprite MKI back to its former glory.

And what a cracking job he made of it. Said to be running well, it benefits from some judicious upgrades including a 1098cc engine with electronic ignition, a front brake disc conversion, and uprated dampers and an anti-roll bar.

Only for sale because he hasn’t got anywhere to store it – it’s currently being kept in a friend’s garage – he’s sad that it’s got to go but hopes it’ll go to someone who’ll be able to enjoy it more than he can.

With a stripped-down simplicity that hints at the fun the diminutive Sprite offers, the lack of extraneous decoration allows the red coachwork to shine.

And shine it does. The Cherry Red paintwork gleams in the sun and shows off the panels to good effect. The lack of a front bumper cleans the lines up too, and the result is a wonderfully minimalist example in which every element plays a part.

The chromed front grille, for example, is super-clean and perfectly aligned. It sits beneath those famous headlamps too, which contribute to the Sprite’s somewhat cheeky visage. True, you might want to swap the yellow numberplate screw cap for a black one but that that is the extent of our nitpicking here speaks volumes.

The flanks are just as neat. Free of ripples, the absence of external door handles contributes to the Sprite’s café racer looks. It’s not a car for regular use in wintry conditions, of course, but we can’t imagine anything better suited to a quick run to the beach or pub when the sun is out.

The rear view is no less attractive – or unassuming. With just two simple overriders, a fuel filler cap, a numberplate, and the tiny rear lights, it’s a sportscar reduced to the bare minimum and all the better for being so.

The rest of the details – lamp lenses, badges, and the windscreen – are all good.

As a lovely and hitherto unmentioned bonus, the seller tells us that the bodyshell had been galvanized when he bought it, which significantly reduces the chances of it rusting later in life and helps explain its condition today.

As for the wheels, you’d hope to find good steelies plus chrome hubcaps, wouldn’t you? Which is exactly what you get. Plus matching tyres, of course, in this case 145/80R13 Uniroyal RainExpert3, all of which are date-stamped 2017 but still look like new.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The Sprite comes with a good tonneau cover as well as a hood frame - but no hood – and the two side windows. The tonneau is a neat arrangement that would let you drive the car with just the driver’s seat exposed, which would be ideal in colder weather. You can then zip it all up when you park, protecting it from the sun and even the odd shower.

As for flaws, there are some chips in the paint beneath the windscreen, a deep scratch on the offside rear wing, some paint loss on the driver’s door aperture, a hole in the offside front wing area, a small dent on the nearside front wing, and the windscreen frame isn’t to the same standard as the rest of the car.

On a slightly larger scale, the bonnet could possibly be massaged into fitting better on the offside, and there is some orange peel to the finish, so a machine polish to smooth things out wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Open to display in a way few cars are, the Sprite’s interior is every bit as lovely as the exterior. 

The seats are trimmed in red with white piping and are set off by deep red carpets and a similarly coloured dashboard.

Starting with the obvious, the seats are in an excellent, near-new condition and are free of any marks much less anything more serious. They look terrific too and capture the Frogeye’s summer mood perfectly.

It’s still got the original steering wheel too – none of your thick-rimmed, dinner-plate-sized nonsense here – and natty rubber floor mats protect the underlying carpets; both are in an excellent condition.

The spare wheel is fitted with a new and matching tyre.

As for flaws, there are some small rips in the top of the door cards and the gear lever pedestal needs finishing.

That’s not bad, is it?

As you can see, the Sprite’s replacement 1098cc engine bursts into life and revs well with good oil pressure. It might seem to fluff a little at low engine speeds, but the seller assures us that this is only because the car was cold when the video was shot.

Other mechanical upgrades include electronic ignition, a front anti-roll bar and uprated dampers, and a front disc brake conversion. 

The only fault we are aware of is the rev counter, which doesn’t work. The seller admits to tightening the reduction gearbox down too hard which stripped the gears, so you’ll need to buy a new one, after which all should be well.

The engine and underbonnet area are both very nicely presented, and the whole front end pivots up to give unrivalled access for servicing and maintenance. 

The underside is very clean and well finished, with shiny fasteners still and plenty of evidence of new parts.

This delightful little sportscar was first sold to a Graham O’Hara of Rhyl in North Wales in September 1959 by Harrington Garage of Quinton in Birmingham. 

Clearly not short of a few bob, Mr. O’Hara loaded his new sportscar with a heater, rev counter, front bumper, windscreen washer, tonneau cover, and a locking petrol cap.

The Austin Healey doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies… 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate that forms part of the Frogeye’s history file confirms it left the factory finished in Cherry Red with a black hood and a red interior, just like now.

Other paperwork includes a few invoices for parts, the V5 registration document, and a photocopy of the original sales receipt. 

Cars like the Sprite form the backbone of the British classic car scene, and with good reason; they’re easy to drive, even easier to own, and go on forever with only the merest whiff of an oily rag. Providing, of course, that you buy a good one.

Restored to a good standard, the work has clearly been done with more than the usual love and care, which means you get to benefit from all his hard work at a fraction of the cost – in blood, sweat and tears as well as pound notes– that it would set you back if you were to do the work yourself.

And in this case the price of entry is very reasonable indeed because we expect this delightful example to see for between £11,000 and £15,000, which is probably only pennies on the pound.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.