Austin Austin-Healey Sprite History
History
Introduced in 1958, the Sprite was the small, cheap Austin-Healey, built to put open-top sports-car fun within reach using humble A-Series running gear. The original Mark I is beloved for its raised, pop-up-looking headlamps, earning the nicknames 'Frogeye' in Britain and 'Bugeye' in the US.
Later Sprites (Mark II onward, from 1961) adopted more conventional styling and were sold alongside the near-identical badge-engineered MG Midget. The Sprite name ran until 1971.
Body styles
- Roadster
Notable special editions & performance variants
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Sprite Mark I 'Frogeye' / 'Bugeye'
The original Sprite with fixed pop-eyed headlamps and a one-piece front-hinged bonnet; a cult classic.
Related models