1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite

Convertible

948 cc 4 cyl

4 speed

AN5L 5365

Clear

Gasoline

Here's a great Bugeye driver, that's remarkably just a two-owner car, purchased by the last owner on March 24, 1964!We have the original clear title that confirms these dates and comes with the car. "Cecil" owned this car for 48 years and it was his pride and joy. So we named this car after him.This is an early car that was built in late 1958. It was the 4864th Bugeye to be built, to be exact, out of about 49,000 Bugeyes that were built. While built in '58, It was not sold and titled until 1959, and this is reflected in the date listed on the original title.Cecil sold us his car due to health issues, and we have put the car back into service by performing an extensive hydraulic system restoration which included new wheel cylinders all around, new brake hoses, shoes as needed, new slave cylinder and a new sleeved master cylinder. Now Cecil (the car) drives and stops flawlessly. We also replaced the heater valve and hose. The engine and engine bay are freshly cleaned and look great, very tidy! Bonnet is off for engine pictures shown, but it's bolted back on now and hinges conventionally with proper support struts just as it did when new, and works great. Take a fun drive by clicking the video image below! The car has some great modifications like a new solid state electronic fuel pump and new downdraft Weber carburetor. Some people prefer the simplicity of the Weber, as it eliminates the need to synchronize twin SU carbs (and it's nice to have a new carb). The engine is the original 948 and it's strong, and starts right up and runs well… check it out running and driving in the videos. The underside is very good with great floors, footwells and spring perches.This car is ready to drive and enjoy. I would install new front shocks and rear radius arm bushings for an even better ride. This is not difficult service to perform and fun stuff if you like to tinker. Or we can change these parts for you (for an additional fee) or sell you the parts if you prefer to do this on your own. We stock everything to restore Bugeyes. The key must have been lost, as Cecil rigged a toggle switch to activate the ignition and fuel pump instead of the key. Bugeye keys aren’t exactly high security anyway! New Key and lock cylinders are also available, for about $30, if you want to return the system back to original (we have those in stock too). The original "S" knob still works as it always did to engage the starter. We’ve just covered the cockpit trim over the dashboard in new black vinyl, just as it looked when Cecil was new, a nice enhancement! The rest of the cockpit trim has been chromed, and looks nice. The paint shines nicely. There are a few scratches and blemishes, but the car presents quite well. Watch the video below for a closer look.Cecil comes with a top, tonneau and side curtains, all of which are older and need restoration. We also have these items new in stock and can fit new weather gear to the car for an extra fee. The original top bows are fine and included. Take a video tour in by clicking the image below! ! If you want a solid and fun Bugeye that won’t break the bank, Cecil is for you.This car is sold without warranty or guarantee, in "as is" condition. Shipping is at your expense and we can organize that for you, and get you a great rate, although you are more than welcome to pickup and/or drive home the car from our Branford, CT location, conveniently located near the Interstate 95/91 merge in New Haven, CT. Feel free to ask questions, and we are also face- time savvy, so we would be happy to do a virtual tour of this car if you need more information.Bugeyeguy.com specializes in the restoration and sales of Bugeyes and British cars. We are arguably the largest Bugeye-dedicated workshop in the world. We routinely ship cars all over the world so feel free to email for a quote to have this car towed directly to your door. Feel free to email or call 203 561 6929 with questions. Thanks for visiting!On Nov-17-12 at 06:16:21 PST, seller added the following information: A few people have asked about the tape on the dashboard... many of these cars have had radios at one time or another and so Bugeye dashboards come with all sorts of modifications. The last owner removed his radio and taped-over the hole. There are quite a few ways to address the taped-up area, which I am sorry we left the way we received it, because this patch done by the prior owner is not at all indicative of the overall condition of the car. The easiest fix is for us to make a black vinyl covered plate with a Sprite emblem on it, remove the tape and fit that new blanking plate over the former radio hole. MGAs and MGBs use radio blanking plates, and this is a similar idea. The next option is to install a vintage radio and use that to fill the hole. Even a non-working vintage radio looks nice. And of course a modern unit can be used, with a working stereo. The fanciest option is to remove the dashboard and weld a patch behind the radio hole, then fill and smooth the dash and recover the whole thing in black vinyl, and then fit all correct gauges and switches so that the dashboard looks like it did when it left the factory. We can do this for the new owner if they so desire. So there are many choices, and we left it alone so that the new owner could decide. And leaving the tape over the hole is also a fine option! Here's a picture of a dashboard with a Sprite blanking plate in another car we sold (which recently won a trophy at a car show with this plate installed)