Austin-Healey Sprite (MarkIII, MkIII, MK3) Parts 1

Austin-Healey Sprite

Austin-Healey Sprite Cars (Mark III, Mk III, MK3) Parts 1

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Austin-Healey Sprite Cars

Austin-Healey Cars

Austin-Healey Cars Parts 1

The Mark III Sprite was also marketed as the Mark II MG Midget – differences between the two were again restricted to minor trim detailing. Although still 1098cc, the engine had a stronger block casting, and the size of the crankshaft main bearings was increased to two inches (engine code 10CC).

A new (slightly) curved-glass windscreen was introduced with hinged quarterlights and wind-up side windows. Exterior door handles were provided for the first time, with separate door locks. Though the car could now be secured, with a soft-top roof the added protection was limited. The rear suspension was modified from quarter-elliptic to semi-elliptic leaf springs, which gave a more comfortable ride for a near-negligible weight penalty. Though scarcely sybaritic, these changes helped the Sprite and Midget compete with the recently-released Triumph Spitfire.

related : Austin-Healey Sprite ~ Austin-Healey Cars Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 1

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Austin-Healey Cars Models Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark II, Mk II) Parts 3

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Austin-Healey Cars // Austin-Healey Sprite

Austin-Healey Sprite Parts 1

Production : 1961-1964, 31,665 made
Engine(s) : 948 cc later 1098 cc A-Series I4
Wheelbase : 2,032 mm (80.0 in)
Length : 3,305 mm (130.1 in)
Width : 1,346 mm (53.0 in)
Height : 48.25 in (1,226 mm) (with hood up)
Related : MG Midget MkI

Few cars have been more adroitly timed or more right for their time than the original Austin-Healey Sprite, the beloved “Bugeye.” It was conceived to fill an obvious market gap that existed by the time the genuinely small sporting MGs, the Midgets of the 1930s and 1940s, had evolved into the larger, costlier, more modern and “mature” MGA of the 1950s.

BMC chairman Sir Leonard Lord rarely missed a commercial trick, and invited the Healey family to design a small, back-to-basics sports car that would complement, rather than compete with, the popular MGA. As this collaboration had already led to the Austin-Healey 100, which was selling very well in the U.S., Lord was convinced that the new small Healey would have similar success. As it turned out, he was right.

Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Austin-healey Cars Parts 1

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Used Austin-Healey Cars Models Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark II, Mk II) Parts 2

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Austin-Healey Cars // Austin-Healey Sprite

Austin-Healey Sprite Cars Parts 2

Innocenti also produced their own version of the Austin-Healey Sprite, using the standard production underframe (initially shipped out from England), but clothed in the sharpest of Italian suits, styled by the American Tom Tjaarda, then working at Carrozzeria Ghia. The Innocenti 950 Spider and later 1100 Spider were produced from 1961 until 1968.

A Cars with hardtop tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 had a top speed of 85.8 mph (138.1 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 20.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 43.5 miles per imperial gallon (6.49 L/100 km; 36.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test Cars , which was to de-luxe specification cost £705 including taxes of £208.

Engines

* 1961–1964 - 948 cc A-Series I4, 46 hp (34 kW) at 5500 rpm and 53 lbf·ft (72 Nm) at 3000 rpm
* 1962–1964 - 1098 cc A-Series I4, 56 hp (42 kW) at 5500 rpm and 62 lbf·ft (84 Nm) at 3250 rpm

Used Austin-Healey Cars Models Austin-Healey Sprite Cars (Mark II, Mk II) Parts 1

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Used Austin-Healey Cars Models Austin-Healey Sprite Cars (Mark II, Mk II) Parts 1

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Austin-Healey Cars // Austin-Healey Sprite

Austin-Healey Sprite Cars Parts 1

The Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II used the same 948 cc engine (engine code 9CG) but with larger twin 1 1/4 inch SU carburettors increasing power to 46.5 bhp and a close-ratio gearbox. The bodywork was completely revamped, with the headlights migrating to a more conventional position in the wings, either side of a full-width grille. At the rear, styling borrowed from the soon-to-be-announced MG MGB gave a similarly more modern look, with the added advantages of an opening boot lid and conventional rear bumper bar. The result was a much less eccentric-looking sports car, though at the expense of some 100 lbs extra weight. In contrast to the 'frogeye', the later Austin-Healey Cars are often collectively referred to as 'square-bodied' Austin-Healey Sprite by enthusiasts.

An MG Cars version of the Austin-Healey Cars was introduced in May 1961 as, 'the new MG Midget,' reviving a model name which had been a great success for the MG Car Company in the 1930s. The MG Midget was to prove more popular with the public than the Austin-Healey Sprite and by 1972 had completely supplanted it within the BMC range. In October 1962 both Austin-Healey Sprite and MG Midget were given a long-stroke 1098 cc engine (engine code 10CG), which was also fitted in single carburettor form to the Austin A40 and Morris Minor 1000 (which nevertheless remained the Minor 1000). A strengthened gearbox with Porsche Cars (baulk-ring) synchromesh was introduced to cope with the extra power - a heady 56 bhp. Front disc brakes were also introduced at the same time and wire wheels became an option.

Austin-Healey Cars Models Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 1

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Used Austin-Healey Cars Sprite Models Austin-Healey (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 3

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Austin-Healey Cars

Austin-Healey Cars Parts 1

Austin Healey Sprite : Frogeye 1960
Production : 1958-1961, 48,987 made
Engine(s) : 948 cc A-Series I4
Wheelbase : 2,032 mm (80.0 in)
Length : 3,480 mm (137.0 in)
Width : 1,346 mm (53.0 in)
Height : 47.25 in (1,200 mm) (with hood up)
Designer : Donald Healey

Austin-Healey Cars Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 1
Austin-Healey Cars Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 2

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Used Austin-Healey Cars Sprite Models Austin-Healey (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 2

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Austin-Healey Cars

Austin-Healey Cars

Austin-Healey Cars Parts 1

The Austin-healey cars Sprites's chassis design was the world's first volume-production sports car to use integrated construction, where the sheet metal body panels (apart from the bonnet) take many of the structural stresses. The two front 'chassis' legs which project forward from the passenger compartment, however, stop the shell being a full monocoque. The design is said to have been influenced by the Jaguar D-type.

Engine

* 1958–1961 - 948cc cc A-Series I4, 43 hp (32 kW) at 5200 rpm and 52 lbf?ft (71 Nm) at 3300 rpm

Austin-healey cars was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958. It had a top speed of 82.9 mph (133.4 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 20.5 seconds. Fuel consumption of 43 miles per imperial gallon (6.6 L/100 km; 36 mpg-US) was recorded. The test Austin-healey cars cost ?678, including taxes of ?223.

The BMC Competition Department entered Austin-healey cars Sprites in major international races and rallies, their first major success coming when John Sprinzel and Willy Cave won their class on the 1958 Alpine Rally. Private competitors also competed with much success in Austin-healey cars Sprites . Because of its affordability and practicality, the Austin-healey cars Sprites was developed into a formidable competition Austin-healey cars, assuming many variants by John Sprinzel, Speedwell and WSM. The Sebring Sprite became the most iconic of the racing breed of Austin-healey cars Sprites. Many owners use their Austin-healey cars Sprites in competition today, fifty years after its introduction.

Austin-Healey Cars Sprite (Mark I, Mk I) Parts 1

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Austin-Healey Sprite Cars (Mark I, Mk I)Parts 1

Austin-Healey Sprite Cars (Mark I, Mk I)Parts 1

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Mark I

The little Sprite quickly became affectionately known as the 'Frogeye' in the UK and the 'Bugeye' in the US, because its headlights were prominently mounted on top of the bonnet, inboard of the front wings. The car's designers had intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use. A similar arrangement was used many years later with the Porsche 928. However, production cost-cutting by BMC led to the flip-up mechanism being deleted and so the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position, giving the car its most distinctive feature.

The front sheet-metal assembly, including the bonnet and wings, was a one-piece unit, hinged from the back, that swung up to allow access to the engine compartment. The 43 bhp, 948 cc engine (coded 9CC) was derived from the Austin A35 & Morris Minor 1000 models, also BMC products, but upgraded with twin 1 1/8" inch SU carburettors. The rack and pinion steering and suspension were derived from the Morris Minor 1000. The front suspension was a coil spring and wishbone arrangement, with the arm of the Armstrong lever shock absorber serving as the top suspension link. The rear axle was both located and sprung by quarter-elliptic leaf springs, again with lever-arm shock absorbers. There were no exterior door handles, with the driver and passenger required to reach inside in order to open the door. There was also no boot lid, and access to the spare wheel and luggage compartment was achieved by tilting the seat-backs forward and reaching under the rear deck, a process likened to potholing by many owners.

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Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark I, Mark II, Mark III Mark IV) Car Parts 1

Austin-Healey Sprite (Mark I, Mark II, Mark III Mark IV) Car Parts 1

Picture Of Austin Healey Sprite Cars

The Austin Healey Sprite is a small open sports car which was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) on 20 May 1958, just before that year's Monaco Grand Prix. It was intended to be a low-cost model that "a chap could keep in his bike shed", yet be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, which received a royalty payment from the manufacturers BMC. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a mildly tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down.

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The Sprite was made at the MG sports car factory at Abingdon, Berkshire (actually now in Oxfordshire) and it was inevitable that the success of the design would spawn an MG version known as the Midget, reviving a popular pre-war model name. Enthusiasts often now refer to Sprites and MG Midgets collectively as 'Spridgets'.

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