Description
I love this car.
Slicing down country lanes on a warm Summer’s evening, the distinctive wail of an A series on song and handling so sharp it’s almost telepathic.
A truly visceral experience.
Owing and driving a Frogeye Sprite was on my bucket list for over 30 years and I was beyond excited when I finally got my hands on this one.
It was a truly lucky find as the previous owner had listed it in the wrong section of Car & Classic (Austin Atlantic) and I just happened to stumble upon it while browsing unusual classics.
That was two years ago and I have loved every minute of ownership since.
So why am I selling “Olive”?
Just over six weeks ago, my wife was involved in a no fault accident in our Vauxhall Corsa Electric lease car (a hateful vehicle by the way). She was hit from behind by one of the numerous tankers carrying carbonate from the local quarries and pushed into a stationary car in front of her.
She is now terrified of travelling in the Sprite in case something similar should happen.
Olive was always going to be the car in which we would do some road trips around the UK and hopefully Europe, but I now accept this will never happen.
So Olive has to make way for a bigger, modern convertible.
THE CAR
Olive is no ordinary Frogeye, as I didn’t fancy pootling around in a 948cc car with brakes that may or may not bring me to a stop down the steep Peak District hills.
So here’s the spec:
1959 Austin Healey Mk. 1 “Frogeye” Sprite in Leaf Green.
Originally restored in the early 2000s, a respray was carried out in 2010 including a new steel bonnet.
Fitted with a tuned 1275cc A series engine with twin 1. 25 inch SU carbs, +40 thou pistons and a fast road cam that gives peppy performance.
Frontline Developments Ford Type 9 (Sierra) 5 speed gearbox gives slick synchromesh changes in all gears and much quieter effortless cruising at motorway speeds.
Maniflow tubular exhaust manifold with full stainless steel exhaust system gives excellent performance and a fruity soundtrack under power.
Lumenition electronic ignition gives easy starting and consistent timing
Frontline Developments suspension with front anti-roll bar and adjustable telescopic dampers front and rear gives fabulous roadholding and body control with super sharp, accurate steering.
Front disc brakes with servo assistance give assured braking from high speeds.
Original steel wheels painted white with 145/ 60 14 tyres (as seen in some of the photos)
Recent brand new Weller Steel Racing wheels in black fitted with 175/ 60 14 Uniroyal RainExpert tyres (unbelievable grip in all conditions).
Black tonneau in reasonable condition - I use this most of the time but would probably replace if I was keeping the car.
Black soft top roof and frame (never used as far as I can tell).
Excellent (new when I bought the car) sliding windows.
White GRP factory hardtop in good condition - ideal if you plan to venture out in the winter.
BODYWORK
Olive is not a garage queen and I bought her to drive not to show - although appearances at a few classic car shows have drawn lots of attention.
Underneath, she’s in good condition and retains her original floorpans.
There are a few little bubbles in the paint appearing in the usual places.
There are a few scratches, stone chips, etc here and there.
The petrol cap was run over by another car when I forgot to replace it after refuelling (doh!) but it still fits and works.
RUNNING COSTS
Obviously, Olive is MOT and Road Tax exempt.
The tank takes about 15 litres of petrol and will do around 150 miles on a tank with a mixture of town and country driving - I have used Esso 98 octane fuel (with Wynns additive) exclusively while I have had the car.
My insurance (through the Midget & Sprite Club Peter Best Insurance policy) gives me unlimited mileage with Business/ Commuting/ Social/ Domestic costs around £180 per year.
SERVICE HISTORY
There’s a folder with a bunch of maintenance receipts from way back when.
In my time I have had a service carried out each year and the last one (June 2026) included replacing steering gaiters, a new clutch slave cylinder, brake/ clutch fluid change, oil and filter change, gearbox oil, diff oil and all grease points done.
Most recently (last month) the electric fuel pump was replaced.
SUMMARY
To spec a car like this now would cost you (in addition to a standard Frogeye):
Frontline Developments Type 9 5-speed gearbox conversion: £4411. 90
Frontline Developments Front suspension: £971. 50
Frontline Developments Rear suspension: £472. 00
Lumenition electronic ignition: £387. 00
Tuned 1275cc A series engine: £2000. 00-ish
Maniflow tubular exhaust manifold: £400. 00
Full Stainless steel exhaust system: £450. 00
Factory GRP Hardtop (used): £600. 00-ish
Total (approx): £9600
In summary, once you have driven a sensibly uprated car such as this, retaining the original "Frogeye" looks, you won't want a standard car with its rather limited performance.
Well worth a look “in real life”, the car is based near Buxton in the Peak District National Park.
