Austin-Healey Sprite

Austin-Healey Sprite
Overview
Manufacturer	Austin-Healey (BMC, later British Leyland)
Also called	Austin Sprite
Production	1958–1971
Assembly	Abingdon, England Enfield, New South Wales, Australia
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door roadster
Layout	FR layout
Related	MG Midget

Mark I
Overview
Production	1958–1961
Designer	Donald Healey
Powertrain
Engine	948 cc (0.9 L) A-Series I4 43HP
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,032 mm (80.00 in)
Length	3,480 mm (137.01 in)
Width	1,346 mm (52.99 in)
Height	1,200 mm (47.24 in) (with hood up)

Mark II
Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II
Overview
Production	1961–1964
Body and chassis
Related	MG Midget MkI
Powertrain
Engine	948 cc (0.9 L) later 1,098 cc (1.1 L) A-Series I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,032 mm (80.0 in)
Length	3,305 mm (130.1 in)
Width	1,346 mm (53.0 in)
Height	48.25 in (1,226 mm) (with roof up)

Mark III
Overview
Production	1964–1966
Body and chassis
Related	MG Midget MkII
Powertrain
Engine	1,098 cc (1.1 L) A-Series I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,032 mm (80.0 in)
Length	3,461 mm (136.3 in)
Width	1,397 mm (55.0 in)

Mark IV
Overview
Also called	Austin Sprite
Production	1966–1971
Body and chassis
Related	MG Midget MkIII
Powertrain
Engine	1,275 cc (1.3 L) A-Series I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,032 mm (80.0 in)
Length	3,492 mm (137.5 in)
Width	1,397 mm (55.0 in)

The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small open sports car which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1971. The Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation on 20 May 1958, just before that year's Monaco Grand Prix. It was intended to be a low-cost model that "a chap could keep in his bike shed", yet be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken at the MG factory at Abingdon. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down.

In 1961 the Sprite was joined by a badge-engineered MG version, the Midget, reviving a model name used by MG from the late 1920s through to the mid 1950s. Enthusiasts often refer to Sprites and these later Midgets collectively as "Spridgets."

The Sprite quickly became affectionately known as the "frogeye" in the UK and the "bugeye" in the US, because its headlights were prominently mounted on top of the bonnet, inboard of the front wings. The car's designers had intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use; a similar arrangement was used many years later on the Porsche 928. But cost cutting by BMC led to the flip-up mechanism being deleted, therefore the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position, giving the car its most distinctive feature. The body was styled by Gerry Coker, with subsequent alterations by Les Ireland following Coker's emigration to the US in 1957. The car's distinctive frontal styling bore a strong resemblance to the defunct American 1951 Crosley Super Sport. 48,987 "frogeye" Sprites were made.