Austin Healey Sprite News

"I like to say I sell pre-loved cars not second-hand cars. Unfortunately I love too many of them," the 44-year-old Southport dealer principal says. "That's the problem with being a dealer principal; you are in the shop with all these lollies coming in through the front door. You say, 'will I buy it to keep it or sell it?'. What do you do? It's hard when you love cars. You end up with a collection."Dean's collection is mainly made up of cars that have come down from the bedroom walls of his youth into his garage. They include: a 1966 Austin Healey Sprite, a "black, lowered and lovely" 1970 Fiat 124 BC Sport, a 1982 Lancia Beta Coupe which "not surprisingly has rust in all the wrong places", a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III, a 1970 Honda Civic that's only done 20,000km, a 1972 one-owner VW millionth edition Beetle, a 1968 Meyers Manx beach buggy, a 1990s Nissan S-cargo mini van "my wife calls Daisy", a 1988 Corolla hillclimber and a rare 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale HF 4WD eight-valve."I just bought another Integrale from Japan which is basically rust free," he says. "But I'll have to give up some of my other toys like the Beta, Veedub and the Civic."He plans to strip back the second Integrale and make it into a replica white Martini rally car like the ones driven to six World Rally Championships in the 1980s and '90s by drivers such as Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. It's got the 16-valve, two-litre turbo engine but even though it has a smaller turbo than my eight-valve, it doesn't have as much lag. "You can get about 700 horsepower (522kW) out of them which I imagine could be quite scary."He plans to drive the Lancias in historic sprint meetings such as the Tweed on Speed, Leyburn Sprints and recent Cootha Classic. Meanwhile, he seriously campaigns his Corolla in the Queensland hillclimb championships which he won a few weeks ago."I got into it about three years ago through a friend of mine with a little Alfa who kept hounding me and hounding me," he says. "I kept putting it off because you have to be committed, but I did it one day at Mt Cotton and I was hooked. They're a great bunch of blokes. It's not exactly a blood sport."His Corolla has a 4AGE blacktop 20-valve Toyota four-cylinder naturally aspirated improved classified category race engine developing 89kW at the wheels."But it has a lot more torque which is great for hillclimbs," he says. He bought it for $1500 and has turned it into a $28,000 project racer. This is just a car that was supposed to hold me over until I got into the Evo monster," he says. "But you just can't jump in and hit the track with something that has 350kW at the wheels. It's a bit dangerous. I bought the Corolla to step up to the Evo, but I've fallen in love with it and the Evo is still sitting there. And in the interim I've come across the Integrale and now I'm getting another one. It's a sickness."He bought the 134kW Delta from Western Australia for $15,000 after "hunting one down" over several years. "It's got coil-over springs, it's been chipped, I've replaced the manifold and exhaust, and it's had tender loving care...  and about $5000 spent on it. I only use it for special exhibition events, not serious competition. I worry a little bit. I don't want to put it into a wall."

...there were a lot of good things about it, but its star feature was its bantam weight. The car designed by the Don Healey Motor Company in cooperation with the British Motor Corporation, and was introduced to the public in 1958 as a successor to the Austin Seven. The Sprite went on sale for £669 and much of the car was built from parts sourced from other vehicles to keep costs down. A tuned version of the Morris A series engine was used, as was the A Series suspension. Mark IKnown as the ‘Frogeye’ in the UK, or ‘Bugeye’ in the US, the first generation Austin Healey Sprite was initially designed to have retractable headlights that would flip back when not in use. However to save money the flip mechanism was scrapped, leaving the lights permanently in an upright position on the bonnet. The front suspension was a coil spring and wishbone arrangement, with leaf springs at the back. There were no exterior door handles and no boot lid, so access to the spare wheel was from behind the tilted rear seats. Because of its affordability and practicality, the Sprite was a good choice for racing. Its first major victory was in the 1958 Alpine rally. Engine: 1958–1961 - 948 cc A-Series I4, 43 hp (32 kW) at 5200 rpm and 52 ft•lbf (71 Nm) at 3300 rpm. Mark II The Mark II sprite used the same engine as the Mark I initially but with larger carburettors to increase power. In 1962, a bigger 1098cc engine was used. Big changes on the outside gave it a squarer, more modern shape. Front disc brakes and a boot lid were introduced, as was a new set of tail lights that were also seen in the MGB later. The headlights were moved to a more conventional spot and wire wheels became an option. Engines: 1961–1964 - 948 cc A-Series I4, 46 hp (34 kW) at 5500 rpm and 53 ft•lbf (72 Nm) at 3000 rpm. 1962–1964 - 1098 cc A-Series I4, 56 hp (42 kW) at 5500 rpm and 62 ft•lbf (84 Nm) at 3250 rpm. Mark IIIThe Sprite was built in the MG factory in Berkshire and its production urged MG to build a similar car, the Midget. The Midget was effectively a re-badged Mark III Sprite but for a different grille and some minor body detailing. Enthusiasts called the collection of Sprites and Midgets, ‘Spridgets’. The Mark III introduced wind-up windows, exterior door handles and lockable doors. Rear suspension went to semi-elliptical leaf springs. Comfort was a big focus in the Mark III but it was arguably at the expense of agility and liveliness due - in large part - to the increase in weight. Engine: 1964–1966 - 1098 cc A-Series I4, 59 hp (44 kW) at 5750 rpm and 65 ft•lbf (88 Nm) at 3500 rpm. Mark IVIntroduced at the 1966 London Motor Show, the Mark IV Sprite received a larger engine and most notably, a fixed, folding convertible roof. The roof on previous iterations was removable and had to be stowed in the boot. To increase safety, separate brake and clutch master cylinders were fitted. Unfortunately, due to emissions requirements, the larger engine lost a lot of its punch. More cost cutting meant that the Sprite was no longer a viable option financially, and the last ones were sold in 1971(1022 units), simply called, ‘Austin Sprite’. Engine: 1966–1971 - 1275 cc A-Series I4, 65 hp (48 kW) at 6000 rpm and 72 ft•lbf (98 Nm) at 3000 rpm.