Austin Healy Sprite 1958 Review

He was only 17 years old and was thrilled to discover that the warehouse next to his work was owned by a guy who was a car fanatic, a car collector and someone who had no problem handing over keys to a teenager.

“The guy had a whole bunch of cars in the warehouse, and one day he asked if I wanted to drive it,” he recalls. "It was so exciting and fun, just a nice little sports car."

And from that day on, he was hooked and wanted to buy himself. Eight years ago, this finally became a reality for Holden.

“I wanted to buy one for a long time, and this one was found in a car park two minutes later,” he says.

Noticing this, Holden resisted the urge, but later walked past to point it out to his wife.

"I was driving by and my wife said, 'Why don't you take a look?' I said, "If I look, I can't leave," but... my wife said, "Look and see what happens."

And when she urged him to get in the car, Holden warned her, "There's no turning back once I put my ass in it."

“Ever since I was a young guy, I have been into cars, motorcycles, tractors and anything mechanical,” he says.

While he couldn't afford "those toys" while starting a family, Holden says that when finances allowed, he jumped at the chance and would also like to buy another Bugeye, this time for racing.

“They actually did it as a good sports car, but they looked at it and said, 'No, we can't afford it,' because they wanted an entry-level sports car. So they removed parts from other cars to make them cheaper and more fuel efficient,” he says.

Bugeye is also called the first unisex sports car to be introduced. Unlike its predecessors, it was built as a simple yet stylish and affordable sports car that would appeal not only to men, but also to enter another slow growing market of the time: women.

To keep the cost down, as many BMC components as possible were involved. It features Morris Minor steering and brakes, an Austin A35 engine, and a four-speed transmission. It was originally supposed to have retractable headlights, but to keep costs down they attached the headlights directly to the hood instead. This move quickly earned him the Bugeye moniker.

And continuing this unique character, the Sprite also has no door handles or trunk lid. The Bugeyes arrived in Australia as a Completely Knock Down Kit (CKD) and were assembled here. Holden says that while it's important to maintain a 50-year-old car at all times, maintaining it is relatively cheap because it does most of the work itself. The 45-year-old tries to ride it at least once every two to three weeks.

“If you can get it on a twisty road or country road, it’s great driving fun,” he says.

“Angles are really good. Throw it into a corner in third gear, it's a lot of fun."

Its handling and engine power are similar to the Mini's 1.0-litre engine.

Holden has even raced his Sprite and says that while the top speed of 82 miles per hour (131 km/h) may not sound like much, it is felt in a car that is so close to the ground and weighs only 600 kg. And over the years, Bugeye has experienced a lot of tender love and care, the previous owner invested $15,000 in it.

“I believe this is the earliest Bugeye Sprite made in Australia,” says Holden.

And while he came close to selling it last year, Holden says he talked the potential owner out of buying it by listing all the "bad things" about owning a half-century-old car.

But while he exaggerated the problems of older cars, such as drum brakes, the lack of a radio, the need to regularly tune carburetors, he at the same time talked himself into keeping it.

“Really, the car drives great, the brakes are great, I can’t… tell you anything I don’t like about it,” he says.

Holden realized that it wasn't really time to say goodbye to his buzzing eye.

"I told my wife that I think we'll leave it."

Today, Sprites in the same condition as the Holden sell for between $22,000 and $30,000.

But he's not going anywhere anytime soon.

SNAPSHOT

1958 Austin Healy Sprite

New condition price: about pound stg. 900 (“Bugey”)

Cost now: approximately $25,000 to $30,000

Verdict: Bugeye Sprite with its insect-like character is a cool little sports car.