Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 1 Frogeye by aRi F. Huber

About "Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 1 Frogeye"

by aRi F. Huber

About the artwork

The little leprechaun with the frog's eyes is today the most sought-after of all four series. A fun roadster like only the British could build at that time and very cheap, but also with very little comfort. The boot could only be reached via the front seats and the doors could not be locked. Due to its headlight arrangement, it was quickly nicknamed "Frogeye", or "Bugeye" in the USA, and was only built for a few years from 1958-1961 in about 50,000 units, because many people did not like the unusual front shape.

Today, however, it is the most popular and also the most expensive of the Sprite series, starting at 20,000 Euros and going up to 200,000 Euros with a motorsport legend, because the Sprite was also very successful in motorsport in its 1.These Sprites were called Austin-Healey Speedwell GT Austin Healey Sprinzel Sebring Austin Healey Sprinzel Sebring Sprite Alexander GT and many other replicas, Sebring replicas and kits with their respective names.

The result was the 1959 12 Hours of Sebring with a 1-2-3 finish in the 1-litre class, the most famous racer being Hugh Sutherland. Later on, Stirling Moss and his sister Pat Moss, Keith Grant, John Sprinzel, Briggs Cunningham and many more raced with him at Le Mans, Silverstone, Goodwood, Brands Hatch, Nürburgring and to this day at Classic Days, the Goodwood Revival and, for the time being, at the Goodwood Members' Meeting at the Nürburgring.In the beginning, the Austin-Healey Sprite was only available in a few colours, but this changed with the start of motorsport and today it can be seen as a classic car in almost all colours.