Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I. Why?

This small sports car powered by Austin-A 948 cc engine was advertised as a low-cost model that 'a chap could keep in his bike shed'.
Mark I Sprite, aka Bugeye or Frogeye, is Mark Toma's personal mount for at least four years. Its fate is sad - smashed by drunken owner on a December night in 1971, hastily repaired and sold. But Mark is still proud: long before others he spotted the trend and opted for a British roadster when everyone was buying German cars. In OTL it was in production from 1958 through 1961. Arrested development factor (explanation to follow) places it in the mid-60s. So if you see a Sprite in our text, please associate it with the first model and forget about less spectacular Marks II-V.

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