are austin healy sprites any good?

Question

performance?
gas mileage?
reliability?

Answer 1

First, some background: the Sprite was introduced in 1958 with a 948cc engine (the same basic design as used in the Morris Minor and, the following year, the Mini), producing 48 bhp. Yes, that's forty-eight horsepower. Yes, less than one-fourth the power of a new John Cooper Works Edition Mini.

Fortunately they didn't weigh much -- about 1400 pounds without passenger or gas -- but even so, the 948cc Sprites are considered, ah, leisurely by modern standards.

What they excelled at -- and still do -- is making you feel like you're going a million miles an hour, especially on a narrow twisty road. Steering was less than two turns lock-to-lock, and the rear suspension was designed to give just the hint of initial oversteer, making the Sprite a lively way to go around bends.

In 1961, after selling 48,999 Sprite Mk I models, the British Motor Corporation approached the design staff of Austin-Healey and M.G., two marques owned by BMC. They had each design team work on a face lift for the Sprite, without telling either that the other was working on the project. Fortunately the teams knew each other and fairly soon realized what was going on, so they came up with an update on the original Sprite that ended up being called the Sprite Mk. II and the M.G. Midget Mk. I. The key difference was that the Midget came with a few more chrome bits (shown in the Sources illustration, below) and sold for a marginally higher price. Apart from that, the mechanical specifications were identical between the Sprite and Midget; both continued to use the 948cc A-series with dual SU carbs, same brakes and suspension, and were in fact assembled in the same factory, at M.G.'s traditional location at Abingdon on Thames. This has led to the twin cars being called "Spridgets" by those who know and love them.

One other key change: when the original Sprite's headlight design (originally planned as pop-up, but changed to fixed when the pop-up design would have been too expensive) was changed for the Mk. II, the earlier design was known as the "Frogeye" in Britain, and the "Bugeye" in the U.S. It also is known in Japan, where the Sprite is very popular, as the "Crabeye."

Over the years the engines grew in size and in performance; the final version of the Sprite was either in 1969 (when it was called the Austin-Healey Sprite) or 1970 (after Donald Healey's contract with BMC ran out and they called it just the Austin Sprite for one year). By then the cars had a 1275cc version of the A Series, with about 65 bhp, and were slightly heavier -- all of 1500 lb.

As you can imagine, gas mileage is pretty decent; I could regularly break 35 mpg (US gallons, too, smaller than Imperial gallons) in my '74 M.G. Midget (1275cc). The 948 could apparently break 40 mpg, though that may have been with the Imperial gallon. Still, a Sprite has the classic combination of light weight and small displacement; only its gearing works against it, with a numerically high rear axle ratio to give it nippier acceleration off the corners.

Performance... By the standards of anything you drive today, only the 1275 is worth talking about in the same breath as "performance." You won't be first across the intersection very often, but get away from civilization and onto a twisty tree-lined country lane and you won't care. And not surprisingly, you can build up a 1275 into something that'll propel your Spridget with a fair degree of speed. You can build them fairly easily up to the 90-100 bhp level, which in a 1500-pound open car can be exhilarating.

Reliability is unquestionably better now than when they were new, for the usual reasons. You can retrofit electronic ignitions (the Pertronix Igniter is a popular add-on), removing the need to adjust points; you can use an A+ engine with modern fuel injection for more reliability and more power; and if you want performance, reliability and economy all at once, you can fit a Datsun 5-speed gearbox which gives you overdrive top and closer ratios on the lower gears. While the originals were legendary for dodgy reliability, most of the real failures involved electrical connections and tune-up gear which could be tweaked by any idiot, and usually was.

The Spridget used dual carburetors to get a little more oomph than the plain-vanilla sedan applications of the A Series engines, and this meant they had to be synchronized. It doesn't take long to synchronize a pair of SU carburetors if you know what you're doing; I got to the point where it would take me half an hour. But it takes only minutes to screw them up to the point where the car won't run, and then of course the idiot blames the car. So you either hire an expert or become an expert.

Which means that the people who have been happiest with Spridgets have been the ones who took the time to learn how to make them reliable and fun. They CAN be -- or they can be a constant source of frustration. It's all in how much of yourself you want to invest in them. From 1983 to 1996 I used M.G.s as my daily driver, first with a Midget and later a couple of MGBs, and had to be towed only once during that entire period. They were great years, tremendous fun, and well worth the effort if you are willing to get to know them.

My recommendation: find a club near you and have an owner take you for a ride in a Sprite (or Midget), to see what the experience is like. The one thing I haven't mentioned: they're very small, not only on the outside but also the inside. If you're more than about six feet tall, a Spridget is likely to be very uncomfortable for you, so try one on for size.

Answer 2

1969 Austin Healey Sprite

Answer 3

1965 Austin Healey Sprite

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
are austin healy sprites any good?
performance?
gas mileage?
reliability?

Answer 5

yes and no.

Theyre old an british, so no, it wont be a toyota in reliability.

No they do not have much power, so yes they will be slow in a straight line

Gas mileage shouldnt be too bad, but the oil milage will (fill up the oil and check the gas :) )

they do have a hell of a lot of charm though, and overall are supposed to be a blast to drive, just like all old british roadsters. It wont be quiet, or refined, or particularly practical, but itll prob be the most fun youve ever had :)

Answer 6

A good investment, find someone who can work on it before buying it. They are a death trap on the highway due to their small size.
They handle like a go cart and get good mileage.

Answer 7

I had also asked the same question many times, and not gotten a proper answer

Answer 8

slow
good gas mileage
unbelievably poor reliability

Answer 9

Would be interested in knowing more about this too

Answer 10

if you get one they are a great car but an electrical nightmare