Craig and Karen Thornton from the CWCC have recently bought this cute little convertible sports car to enjoy some classic car driving so I caught up with them to find out a bit more about it.
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"It's a 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite commonly known as a Bugeye" Craig said. "We bought it late last year."
As I later found out, the word 'we' has been used rather loosely here.
As Craig confessed andKaren confirmed: the deal was that Craig would sell some of his motor bikes to buy the car.
When the Bugeye turned up and Karen asked Craig if he'd sold some bikes he chuckled with "I don't need to now -I've got the car".
Craig told me that he's mostly grown up with motorbikes and was keen for he and Karen to get a classic car.
A friend mentioned that he had a Bugeye which struck a chord with Craig.
"My boss in Condobolin when I was an apprentice owned a Bugeye Sprite and I remember him telling me about getting trapped under it when he crashed it.
For some reason I was still keen to buy one " he laughed.
"This car came from an old friend in Dural" Craig said.
"I thad been restored to original condition about 17 years ago with white duco and red interior.
Only the 948 cc twin carburettor engine has had some custom work to maybe give it a little more than its original 34 horsepower."
The Austin-Healey Sprite was produced from 1958 - 1971 by BMCin the UK at their MG factory hence the later affiliation with the MGMidget.
The Bugeye nickname is obvious and in some countries it was also commonly called the Frogeye.
According to research, the Austin-HealeySprite was built as a low cost model that "a chap could keep in his bike shed" - perfect for Craig.
The headlights were apparently intended to be pop-up but in keeping with budget that idea was shelved and they were simply mounted in place which ironically ended up giving the car it's popular, iconic looks.
If you look closely there's no external doorhandles - they open from the inside, and no boot lid either.
To provide body rigidity there's no opening boot, instead access is through the cabin behind the seats.
Keep your eyes peeled for this little beauty on the streets of Parkes or at one of the regular CWCC Street Meets held on the second Friday of each month at the outdoor Coles carpark.
There's always more information on our Facebook page or at www.centralwestcarclub.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/centralwest.carclub/.
