Modifications Already Done: 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite
Earlier this week I wrote a story about a rough but solid 1969 Austin-Healey Sprite that struck a chord with fans of these simple, honest sports cars. There is just something about a sports car that provides everything you need for motoring fun without being encumbered with the trappings of luxury. Now, another example has popped up that looks like it could be a fun project for someone with a lot of time and a small budget. This 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite for sale on eBay in Albuquerque, New Mexico has been previously modified and comes with some speed parts. While the ad says this was a race car, the absence of a roll bar and the presence of door glass and lights suggest otherwise. However, at a current bid of $2,025, there is no reason why this can’t be your entry into vintage racing or just a backroads racer around your hometown.
By reading the ad, this car appears to be the property of someone who is a temporary owner. We are told that this was a race car, but it has a stock motor that may or may not be original to the car. It is described to be completely rust-free and very straight. It currently “yard drives,” and the seller tells us that the clutch, brake, and everything else involved in both propulsion and deceleration appear to be fine.
Perhaps the racing theory is due to the fact that the car sits low to the ground and has a set of non-standard wheels and fatter tires bolted on. While Sprites make fantastic entries into amateur and vintage racing, the lack of a roll bar and a complete absence of body damage suggest the car was modified for the street. There are additional performance parts included with the sale so that the new owner can continue down the path of making this car faster and better handling no matter what their intention.
While it could easily be made a race car, it would be a shame to endanger such a solid example. Rust has not made inroads into the body, and there is an obvious lack of collision damage. The seller tells us that the seats are in great condition, the tires are perfectly acceptable, and a new convertible top is included with the sale. One negative is that the windshield has a crack in it. The previous owner must have noticed, as a new windshield is included in the spare parts.
Inside we see that the cockpit has been gussied up with an aftermarket wooden steering wheel and a matching shift knob. All of the gauges and a few extras are sitting in the dash, but we have no idea as to their operational status. Also interesting is the gaggle of toggle switches set in the dash. Were any of these stock? The picture also reveals the seats that the seller mentioned. They look great and even somewhat comfortable. The white piping looks perfect for the car.
As for the engine, it looks as if someone has spent a great deal of time getting everything sorted out. The issue that will light up the comments in this story is the lack of air filters. Hopefully, those yard drives haven’t been too extensive without the proper protection in place. The seller tells us that a Mallory dual-point distributor and a matching high-performance coil will be included in the sale along with three original shop manuals and several parts not seen attached to the car.
In all, this is probably a better project than the 1969 Sprite posted earlier in the week. This car is rust-free, is coated in a patina-laden British Racing Green hue, runs and drives, and must have been halfway towards becoming a potent little street car. If you want a solid Sprite and don’t have dreams of AACA Senior awards, then this may be the auction to watch.
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Comments
Nice. Love the turbines. Just add a supercharger…
Except for the wheels this looks like a nice car. As for the switches, they originally came with black plastic shrouded toggle switches now replaced with aircraft type. Upper left is the headlights, lower left windshield wipers, lower right instrument lights. This could have been a former race car as there is a hint of a bolt-in roll bar hoop being removed and the holes in the front valance would have had an oil cooler in it. Looks like the bases for bolting air filters on but don’t see any in the parts boxes.
Correction: Air cleaners are on the floor shots of the other parts. Engine looks to be the original 1098 cc.
Not a reply, I must have hit a button to initiate the comment placement as a reply. That said, in junior high school my English teacher, Bill McInerney, fresh out of Vanderbilt had one of these in pristine condition. I even got to ride in it to a track meet once. Cool ride!
Looks like a fun project, but was a gulp valve (and associated parts) originally installed on a 1965, or was that a CA emission thing?
19sixty5, you caught the gulp valve and it gave me a big clue what the engine isn’t. That hose to the valve is coming from the hole in the block below the front carb where the fuel pump on the 948s and 1098s went. The manual pumps were cam driven. 1275 block has the outline of the casting for the pump but no holes because they went to electric pumps.
I had this car when I was 21, in Manhattan Beach. I could never ‘fix’ any old car I got, but I did love this one. It did zoom along really well and would fly a little over certain good bumps. If I shifted fast, a bit of oil would leak out of stick . I considered it endearing. Really would be fun to get to have someone fix it up. All the yard driving stuff makes me wonder if it can’t be registered. Hmmm. I’m now geezered out, but still want the bit of rush. This little car seems fast even if you’re not speeding.
There is a lot of car there for the current bid money. Many of the little things look like the have been done for a good solid driver. Its my kind of Sprite project. I prefer the 1275 motor though but really can’t tell from the picture. Definitely not a ‘bank breaker’!
Yeah, my big question would be does it have a 1275. Not stock, but it was very common to swap the bigger motor into the earlier cars, and it makes quite a difference.
This looks like the perfect base for an autocross car, aftermarket Vega or Monza wheels were a common modification back in the day.
That’s not a 1275 engine. The 1275 head has the front extended and squared off. No doubt that the 1275 is a great substitute for the earlier engines.
I’m guessing someone thought it was a race car because it’s painted British Racing Green…
Has to have wire wheels! Even if they are painted.
Could have been done up for autocross or some such. Decent little spridget.
The windscreen and doors are from a later model car. 65’s still had side curtains. neat little car though.
It is pretty easy to swap out the doors.
The roll up windows are a definite improvement. If I’m not mistaken the cars without the roll up windows did not have door handles or door locks either.
I have a 1500. A rust free car commands $8000.00 or more in Canada
I had a girlfriend whose brother had a ’65 Sprite with a nice aftermarket wooden steering wheel like the one shown here. He went off to Vietnam and left the car in the care of his sister. She came rolling up in my driveway one afternoon and honked the horn. She had stuck her finger through one of the holes in the wheel and it was absolutely not coming back out. I had to take a hack saw to the wheel in order to extricate her finger. She replaced it with one of those cheapo steering wheels you could get from the auto parts store. When her brother returned home he was not amused!!