'Bugeye' became Sprite's nickname
by BILL VANCE
The 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite. In three years, almost 50,000 Bugeye Sprites were produced. Most were sold in North America.
The arrival of English sports cars introduced North American drivers to a new form of automotive fun after the Second World War.
They came in the late 1940s, the MG TC roadster first, followed by the more civilized MG TD in 1950.
The MG immediately became the personification of the sports car, enjoyable to drive and almost totally impractical.
The fabulous Jaguar XK120, Triumph TR2 and Austin-Healey 100 followed.
In the inevitable progression of cars, the MG gradually become larger and more expensive. And in the process, what had been the entry-level sports car became less affordable for the first-time buyer.
By the mid-1950s, Sir Leonard Lord, head of the British Motor Corp. (BMC), formed in 1952 with the merger of Britain's two largest automakers, Austin and Nuffield (Morris and others), saw the need to return to sports car basics.
Something was needed for the young enthusiasts who had formerly purchased MGs.
HEALEY'S ADVICE
Lord decided to approach his old friend Donald Healey, an experienced and practical engineer who had organized his own firm, the Donald Healey Motor Co. of Warwick, England, in 1946.
Healey built sporty cars in limited quantities, notably the Silverstone model, and had collaborated with Nash Motors of the United States on the Nash Healey.
He had also worked with Lord on the development of the popular Austin-Healey 100.
After hearing Lord outline his vision for an entry-level sports car, Healey realized that to keep the price down, the design would have to be simple and basic. He would have to use as many existing components as possible. And fortunately, BMC had plenty to choose from.
The tiny Austin A-35 sedan provided the A-arm-and-coil-spring front suspension with lever-type shock absorbers, plus the four-speed transmission and rear axle.
Power came from the 948 cubic centimetre (58 cubic inch) BMC A-series overhead valve Morris Minor/Austin A-35 inline four.
To increase power for the Austin-Healey Sprite, as the new car was to be called, the single-barrel Zenith carburetor was replaced with twin SUs, which helped boost horsepower to 43 from the Minor/Austin's 37.
The Sprite's rack-and-pinion steering came from the Morris Minor and the rear suspension was basic quarter-elliptic leaf springs with trailing arms, courtesy of the Austin A-35. These quarter-elliptics concentrated rear suspension loads near the middle of the car. And with the rear end of the vehicle freed from having to support much weight, it could be kept quite light. The Sprite's curb weight was only 662 kilograms (1,460 pounds).
This simple but proven hardware was wrapped in a steel, unit-construction roadster body that had rudimentary but attractive lines. The only jarring note was the headlamps, which although semi-recessed into the hood, stood up like a frog's eyes. They were somewhat reminiscent of the late Crosley Hotshot, which the Sprite recalled in spirit.
Almost immediately the Sprite was given its "Bugeye" nickname.
The original design had called for concealed flip-up headlamps, but cost considerations eliminated them. As it turned out, the chosen lights would rebound to the Sprite's favour and become its most distinctive feature.
Further cost-cutting was evident in the elimination of a trunk lid. This made it awkward to reach the spare tire and the limited luggage space behind the two bucket seats, but it did make the body more resistant to twisting, a common problem in open cars.
Access to the engine, front suspension and steering was excellent because the whole front section of the body hinged upward, looking for all the world like it was going to "eat" the attendant.
TRULY SMALL
The Sprite was truly a small car, riding on a 2,032-mm (88- inch) wheelbase and being only 3,480 millimetres (137 inches) long. It stood just 1,219 mm (48 inches) high with the top up.
Bugeye Sprites were built from May 1958 to April 1961, by which time almost 50,000 had been produced. They were an instant success, both on the road and the track, because of their reasonable initial price (under $2,000), ease of maintenance, excellent yet forgiving handling, and quick precise steering. They were often the first racing mounts of future successful racing drivers.
Performance, according to Road & Track (August 1958), could only be termed moderate. The magazine recorded a zero to 96 km/h (60 m.p.h.) time of 20.8 seconds and a top speed of 126 km/h (78.5 m.p.h.). But aftermarket parts were readily available that could bring the Sprite into the 161 km/h (100 m.p.h.) class.
Most Sprites were exported to North America. When production of the Bugeye was discontinued, it was replaced by the Mark II version. Its headlamps were conventional, although not nearly so distinctive. A "badge engineered" corporate clone, the MG Midget Mark I, was also spun off at that time, so the Sprite lost its exclusivity. While Sprite production continued until 1969, countless sports car enthusiasts still look back on the Bugeye fondly. In their eyes, it's the "real" Sprite.
Reflections on Automotive History by Bill Vance, Volumes I, II & III, is available from bookstores. Or online at www.billvanceautohistory.ca or by phone at 1-519-856-1065.
