Lot details
Registration No: VOT 124
Chassis No: AN515244
Mot Expiry: July 2012

Thanks to its prominent, bonnet-mounted headlights, the original Sprite quickly became known as the 'Frogeye' - a moniker that has stuck to this day. The little two-seater, designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company and built by BMC at the MG factory in Abingdon, was launched in Monte Carlo immediately prior to the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. The unique, one-piece bonnet covered a mildly tuned, 43bhp 948cc version of the BMC 'A' series engine already found in the Austin A35 and Morris Minor. The suspension was coil spring and wishbone at the front and quarter elliptic springs at the rear, with lever arm dampers all round. The construction was 'integrated' rather than a full monocoque and featured forward projecting chassis legs of the type used in the E-Type Jaguar. The minimal specification excluded exterior door handles and boot lid. Some 49,000 Frogeyes were built between 1958 and 1961. The Sprite was quickly adopted for competition by both privateers and the Works - the latter's first major success being the win of John Sprinzel and Willy Cave on the 1958 Alpine Rally. The model is still proving handy in rallies, races, sprints, hillclimbs and autotests to this day.

'VOT 124' is a standard and apparently very original 1959 Frogeye that is said to have had just two keepers from new. The vendor informs us that while Green at birth, the Sprite was resprayed Red early in its life. He says the fascia, steering wheel, steel road wheels, Austin-Healey hub caps etc are all original, "the engine runs very sweetly and the drive train is quiet", and that "although the paintwork is in need of restoration, the panel fit is good and the engine bay very original". In summary, he regards the bodywork as "needing tidying", the paintwork as "aged", the interior as "needing new carpets", the engine as "very good", and the gearbox as "serviceable". Manufactured fifty plus years ago, most Frogeyes have by now either been restored or scrapped, and 'VOT 124' therefore represents an increasingly rare opportunity to acquire an unmolested example to either enjoy as it is or restore from scratch. Fun per pound doesn't come much cheaper than this.