Registration - RSK 173

Chassis No. - ANSL2789

M.O.T. - April 2024

Odometer - Odometer reads 4,500 (Speedo has been changed)

This tidy-looking Frogeye is finished in Old English White and trimmed in black vinyl. It has had four keepers since being imported from the USA in 1991, the most recent of whom, a member of the Midget & Sprite Club, has retained the car since 2014. He informs that it is still powered by its original 948cc A Series engine, but that the speedometer was renewed in 2012, the bodywork restored in 2014 and, over time, the brightwork and steering wheel refurbished and the seats recovered. He presently regards the powerplant, four-speed manual gearbox, two-seater bodywork, paintwork and upholstery to all be in ‘excellent’ order. The little Sprite is now offered complete with soft top, tonneau in excellent condition, standard hard top and sports hard top, both in need of renovation. Further desirable extras to accompany the car include Philips radio/cassette, aftermarket voltmeter, a stack of invoices and selection of old MOTs, plus a current certificate valid into April next year.

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 by coil springs and wishbones 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.

In summary:

• A tidy-looking example imported from the USA in 1991
• Has remained within the same ownership since 2014
• Comes complete with MOT valid into April next year