Reviews

This car can be as reliable as any on the road if all things are taken care of. For instance, if the carbs (as
original, the car came with dual SU carbs) are not set up properly, you may find that you go through starters more
quickly than you should due to having to use it more often than designed. However, if you have a good electrical
system, the myth of Lucas electricals being problematic is just that--a myth. If you can live without modern
conveniences such as A/C, a hgh-powered stereo, power locks and windows, the standard generator is fine and gives the
car one of its unique quirks; a mechanically-driven tachometer. The generator, if it fails, can easily, and cheaply, be
rebuilt by a local shop instead of looking for a complete replacement. Just keep the generator oiled as specified and
it will last a long time. If you want to swap an alternator into the system, it can be done fairly easily and will
eliminate the need to oil the generator as pat of your routine maintenance. This is a matter of personal preference
(original style vs. ease of maintenance). If you swap to an alternator, however, you will need to do something about
your tachometer or live without as an alternator has no provision for driving the tachometer cable. You could use a
later, electrical tach, or put the guts of an electrical tach into the body of a mechanical one (but you may not have a
very accurate gauge if you do not do a good bit of planning for this). Many people will also opt to install electronic
ignition in order to do away with points in the distributor and the need to precisely gap them and replace them. Since
this type of modification is almost completely hidden, it does not take away from the character of the car. This
solution will also remove some of the problems of a worn distributor such as varying timing (but not fix one that is
completely shot). Most parts for these crs are available from several specialty companies, but you can also often find
some of them at your local auto parts store. The other day I found the starter for my car, in stock, at the local store
and did not have to wait for one to be shipped. Keep in mind that some parts are interchangeable almost throughout the
range of the Sprite and Midget and that some are not. For example, the front brakes were drums on the earliest cars and
discs on the later cars (the good news here is that you can relatively easily swap the whole disc brake set-up onto your
drum-braked car). The Sprite was first (being manufactured alone from 1958-1960 with the Bugeye--or Frogeye in
Europe--body style). When the body style was changed over to the more conventional hood and feder design, the Midget
was built alongside the Sprite (with extra chrome and a slightly higher price tag). The Sprite was the first to be
discontinued when the Healey agreement was discontinued (even though the Austin Sprite, as opposed to the Austin Healey
Sprite, was manufactured for one year and only sold in the home market). The Midget continued on after 1971 alone and,
in 1975 received the Spitfire 1500 engine (actually having 1498cc and replacing the A-Series engine that had powered the
previous cars and had come in 948cc, then 1098cc, and, finally, 1275cc). Keep in mind that these cars were built o be
the cheapest sports cars possible and the first ones had a whopping 43hp. By the standard of the time, these cars
started out zippy, but as emissions standards became more stringent, these cars started to lose their edge and are
certainly not muscle cars by any standard of today. They do still offer a modicum of performance feel given their light
weight and sparse amenities and are very easy to improve. Consider that a Bugeye, as originally equipped, would have
weighed about 1300 lbs. and had around 43 hp. A 1990 Miata weighed around 2200 lbs. and produced about 115 hp. This
gives the original cars a 30lb/hp and 20lb/hp ratio, respectively. Swap in a 1275cc engine into the Bugeye and you can
easily get 70hp in stock form and bring the ratio to 18.5lb/hp. This will give you an idea of how it stacks up
peformance-wise when talking about hp alone. The engines can easily and cheaply be tuned to produce 100hp; go for a
little more time and money and you can get, reliably, 150hp (and now you are talking less than 9lb/hp). Of course, the
engine isn't the only thing to consider. There are no fancy traction-control systems, no anti-lock brakes, and no
limited-slip differentials. Many owners have opted to install limited slip, big-brake conversions, and even
non-standard engine and transmission packages. These cars are real metal so you don't have to worry about the fit and
finish of the plastic dash and door panels. The dash is a solid metal piece covered in vinyl, with individual gauges.
The original doors had no exterior handles, no locking mechanism, and no windows (except for the removeable sidecurtains
made of a plexiglass-type material and held in an aluminum frame that mounted onto the top of the door). This all adds
up to great style, but limited weather protection. These cars are hot in the summertime (even with the top down--in
fact it is often cooler to have the top up and leave the sidecurtains off), but are quite comfy in winter (as long as
there is little or no precipitation--they can really put out the heat if you've bothered to hook up the heater).
Overall, these can be great cars that can be loads of fun, even if they do require routine maitenance to keep them in
top shape. Do yourself a favor and spend a little more to get one in good shape. You will never regret it like you
will if you buy a total basket case. Keep in mind that these cars, like all of that era, were designed to make use of
routine maintenance. They are not designed to be driven without ever checking anything (as most people today assume
their 'new'cars are). Take half an hour a week to lube and check things and you will be able to drive it as reliably as
your brand new car.

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