Heroshot

1959 Austin-Healey Sprite

Mk I Bugeye
$21,280
Sale Price
$35,000 - $50,000
Est. Range
No
Reserve
27 January 2023
Sold Date
144
Lot Number
#2-
Older restoration
Bonhams
Auction House
Chassis no. AN5L16797. Red over black. 1275/65hp, single Weber, 4-speed, Minator wheels, Dunlop tires, tonneau cover.

Evaluation: Good paint and chrome, but there is some cracking along the creases running down the nose. Clean wheels and tires. Tidy and restored underneath. Solid Bugeye with a forgivable (and common) swap to larger 1275 power.

Bottom Line: Held in October 2020 by order of US Bankruptcy Court, the RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection auction realized more than a few exorbitant prices at a high point in the pandemic collector car boom. Some of the cars sold there have since changed hands again at a notable loss, and this Sprite is one of them. In 2020, it sold for $33,600.

In a little over two years, its odometer has added just 315 miles and it is in the same solid, lightly used condition. Bugeyes haven’t shed a third of their value in that time, it’s just that bidders are being more restrained now than they were when there was more money flowing. This car could have brought another few grand without being expensive but it wasn’t a steal, just a good bargain on a peppy little roadster.

by Andrew Newton
10 February 2023

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