'Bugeye' Sprite brightens Heartland British Autofest

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By John Willard | Saturday, August 12, 2006 12:18 AM CDT | () comments

Photos by Kevin Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES Greg Sprott enjoys his 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite for its simplicity and drivability.

As a youngster, Greg Sprott served as “crew” for his older brother as he raced a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite.

More than 40 years later, Sprott has completed a full-scale restoration of that very car just in time for Sunday’s 19th annual Heartland British Autofest in the Village of East Davenport.

His classic British sports car, making its first appearance in the show, should turn heads. With distinctive headlights mounted atop the bonnet, or hood, which give it the nickname “frogeye” or “bugeye,” the roadster has become an automotive icon.

His Sprite along with such marques such as Jaguar, MG, Triumph, Rolls-Royce and other British cars and motorcycles will help transform the historic neighborhood of Victorian storefronts overlooking the Mississippi River into an English village. The free show, presented by the Quad-City British Auto Club and sponsored by Lujack’s Northpark Auto Plaza, is expected to attract between 80 and 100 vehicles from throughout the Midwest.

Sprott, a 49-year-old iron worker from Taylor Ridge, Ill., enjoys his Sprite for its simplicity and fun of driving. Growing up in a family of car buffs, he has fond memories of helping his brother, Lawrence R. “Larry” Sprott, ready the Sprite for racing. His brother, who acquired the car in Florida, sold it to him after he graduated from high school. After he got married and began raising a family, he put the Sprite in storage.

Then tragedy struck. On July 10, 2001, Larry Sprott was killed in a motorcycle accident. The car the brothers had shared on the racing circuit suddenly became a beloved symbol of their bond, and Greg Sprott decided to return the car to original stock condition.

With some research assistance by daughter Lisa Sprott, he learned the car was assembled on Feb. 16, 1959 and shipped on Feb. 19. 1959. Her research, which began with the car’s serial and engine numbers, also revealed its original white color and interior details such as red vinyl upholstered seats.

Introduced by the British Motor Co. in 1958 as a small, low-cost sports car, the original bugeye Sprite was powered by a four-cylinder 948 cc engine that was accessible by a sheet-metal assembly that combined the hood (bonnet) and fenders into a single unit. When you raise the hood, you also raise the fenders.

The car also has no boot, or trunk. Access to rear storage is gained by tilting the seat backs forward and reaching under the rear deck. Another quirk is the absence of door handles. The door is opened by reaching inside to grasp the handle. It is a true roadster, with side curtains instead of roll-up glass windows.

The bugeye Sprite was produced until 1961 when it was replaced by a version with a square body and more conventional headlight treatment. Produced until 1971, the later Sprites also were badged as the MG Midget.

Sprott did all of the restoration himself. As he tore into the car, he found such details as crayon markings on parts that helped workers identify them during the assembly.

In honor of his brother, he preserved some of the car’s racing heritage by keeping the smaller steering wheel, the shortened gear shift lever a racing seat belt.

“This car never will be for sale,” he said.

John Willard can be contacted at (563) 383-2314 or jwillard@qctimes.com.