May20th
Here’s another take on how to modify your Bugeye!
This one will run a quarter mile in 8.8o seconds at 155mph. It’s powered by a 466 big block Chevy with 730 hp.
This car is for sale–email for more information! The car is currently located in Australia, and shipping can be arranged if you want to own (arguably) the world’s fastest Bugeye! Click the photo to enlarge for a more detailed image…
May18th
Cecil is a very solid car that looks great! He has an excellent original underside-great floors and spring perches. See the photo album linked below for more pictures!
Click here to see more Cecil pictures…
This is a great Bugeye you can drive and enjoy as you tinker. This is a budget Bugeye needing only minor work for driving enjoyment this summer. The main work required is brake restoration. The wheel cylinders are frozen so the car currently has no brakes. We are busy finishing other projects right now so we offer this car at a lower price needing brake work… easy and fun for the new owner to fix!
The repair requires about $175 worth of parts, and we can do it if the new owner so desires, or we can provide the parts. It will be quite satisfying however, for the new owner to take this on because the end result is going to be a great looking car with great brakes!
Cecil was lovingly owned by the same owner since about 1972. We have the original title. The car has a new electronic fuel pump and downdraft Weber carburetor. The underside is quite good, with only minor surface rust. The engine is a strong 948 which starts right up and runs well… check it out running in the video below.
The key must have been lost, as the former owner rigged a toggle switch to activate the ign and fuel pump. Bugeye keys aren’t exactly high security anyway! New Key and lock cylinders are also available, for about $30, if you want to return the system back to original.
If you want a solid and fun Bugeye with which you can tinker and which won’t break the bank, Cecil is for you!
Tour the car in the first video below/test drive in the second!
May10th
Here’s a great Bugeye with an underside quite remarkably original, with no signs of rust. It’s quite rare to find such a solid un-restored underside on a Bugeye.
This is Roger, and he’s spent a dry life in Tulsa Oklahoma, a climate that is quite good for British cars!
Roger has had his powerplant upgraded to a strong 1275 engine. He drives great with good power and good fun. The paint is shiny, seats are nice and the carpet is brand new. He’s got a nice off-white tonneau, and an older top and sidecurtains… all you need!
We’ve restored the brakes and clutch with new hydraulic and brake components all the way around. We upgraded the master cylinder to a sleeved unit that will last a good long time for the new owner.
This week, we gave Roger new shoes, and now he rolls on great rubber, dressed up with “portawalls” (or “slap on’s,” “Mickies” or “flapwalls…”) These are white wall rubber inserts that are held on by the tire bead-they’re fun! And easy to remove if you just want a plain black wall tire.
He’s got a really cool rear nerf bar for the rear bumpers, a period Amco accessory I believe, and it’s in great shape! In fact, all the chrome is nice!
You’ll notice we never list the mileage of our cars for sale… that’s because speedos often break, or are swapped, or cables break, so the data is rarely accurate. This car, because of the surprisingly solid underside, is presumed to be a relatively low-mileage car.
This is a super solid and sweet Bugeye that will bring the new owner many miles of great fun!
Click here to see more of Roger’s pictures!
Take a drive with Roger in the video below!
May6th
A tonneau is a great asset to any Bugeye, particularly since most Sprites are fair weather cars and a well-fit tonneau will keep a brief shower out of your cockpit if your car is parked outside when precip passes through. Tonneaus also keep dust, leaves (and bird droppings!) out of your nice car when it’s parked. I recommend one for every Bugeye!
Most Bugeyes are fit with a long tonneau that attaches to the top fasteners in the back. Some are fit with a short tonneau and these have traditionally been hard to find. If you have a row of studs along your back cockpit edge, you will need a short tonneau.
We have both tonneaus in stock now, and in this video, I show you how the short tonneau looks when fit properly.
If you are looking for either a long or short tonneau, you can order them at the links below! Custom colors are also available, please email for details.
Note: all tonneaus must be custom fit to your car. They are sold with the necessary fasteners and you will need to locate and attach them to your new tonneau. The tonneaus listed are sold in pebble grain black vinyl, as originally fit to these cars. Zipper is black. We offer high-quality tonneaus that will last for many years!
May1st
I just received word that one of our Bugeyes (“Sven,” delivered in February, 2011) won best Sprite/Midget this past weekend at “Britain on the Green” in Alexandria VA. More than 200 cars attended. Congratulations to Max and Debra for their great stewardship with this car, and their hard work to keep Sven beautiful and show ready!
Close to 100 Bugeyes have passed through our doors as of this moment, and I sometimes wonder on any Saturday morning how many of them are all in motion simultaneously, spreading smiles and creating great memories for a rapidly growing community of people. It’s an honor to be of service to such great people (and such great cars)!
We were particularly delighted last year when the Bugeye called “Phoenix” arrived in the new owner’s care in Colorado the day before the start of the National Austin Healey Conclave (the biggest national Healey show) and promptly won second place. Many of our Bugeyes have placed since (like Lu Lu, search other posts) and many more will–we really enjoy preparing great cars that are done right.
Not all of our cars are prepared to show, but we always have several show-grade cars in stock. Please email if you would like to win a trophy or medal this summer!
April29th
Donovan is a sweet 1960 Bugeye (AN5L 32516) that’s in great shape. He was completely restored and repainted about 15 years ago, and is a very solid primrose Bugeye. Recent tires and a tight suspension make for a great ride.
The car has a strong 948 engine. The engine bay is excellent, nice enough to proudly display at local car shows. The paint shines beautifully with just a few minor imperfections. With lollipop mirrors, excellent chrome bumpers and thin white wall tires, Donovan looks very stately indeed. Click any of his photos to enlarge them for a better view.
The interior is in excellent shape, with new black seat covers with authentic white piping and excellent seat foam, for a very plush ride. The car is fit with period ribbed aluminum cross member covers, a really nice touch, as well as reproduction Amco rubber mats, homage to the original rubber Bugeye floor covers. Door pockets are also excellent, with ribbed black rubber lining, as original. Your significant other will enjoy riding in this super clean cockpit. Everything works!
Top, tonneau and sidecurtains are all in very good shape. This is a very complete package! That’s right!
He has some nice accessories including a spin-on oil filter conversion for easier maintenance, oil cooler for improved cooling, and and we are fitting the car with a new rebuilt transmission. He came to us with a worn cluster gear– with a new gearbox, Donovan will be ready for great summer rides!
Donovan has an old-fashioned chrome bicycle bell mounted on the driver’s door, and I have to admit it’s a great feature, and the perfect response for all the people who give thumbs up to a sweet Bugeye! This is a car you can absolutely jump in and drive, and enjoy this summer, at a very reasonable price.
We just tuned Donovan’s engine and the car runs great so I wanted to take you on a test drive-click the video below to ride along! We’ve rebuilt the carbs with new jets and needles and the results are outstanding:
April28th
As marque specialists, we’ve had the luxury of servicing and restoring many Bugeyes. We have a great knowledge-base regarding improvements that really work in the field. We are also more than happy to partner with our customers to create the ultimate Bugeye that fulfills their dreams. To that end, we are not afraid to add power, or original features, or custom modern conveniences. One easy example is a cigarette lighter to power accessories. Not original of course, but when installed in the hole occupied by the often inoperative window washer pump, no dashboard modifications are needed, and the washer pump can be returned at any time.
That’s an easy one.
More challenging is the kind of build that spans several pages of modifications, like this one in the video below for Zoya, a great Black Bugeye now sold and soon to be heading for a new home in Annapolis, MD.
In the video, you can see the wonderful array of items the new owner choose on a visit to the Bugeye factory. The assembled bits remind me of my childhood dream of winning a toy store shopping spree, the fantasy of filling a shopping cart full of all my favorite toys lives on… and that’s what the new owner did for this car. Zoya is the winner, and this car will be transformed from great to spectacular.
It’s a fitting service of the new owner’s own long-time dream to be reunited with a special car that laid the foundation of his marriage of more than 50 years. He met his bride to be at a church dance in 1960, with his new Olde English White Bugeye parked outside, and the rest, as they say, is history. The car was a graduation gift of the first two payments, about $40 per month! In 1964, he traded his Bugeye for a new and more modern Sprite MK III, enticed by its trunk lid and roll up windows, and has longed to have another Bugeye ever since.
In the coming weeks we will build his “new” car with all the components you see featured. Missing from the pile is a new wood steering wheel and a solid state fuel pump upgrade.
Assembling the parts is but a small part of the process- it’s the integration of all these components that makes a magical car. That integration is what we do best.
We maintain a vast inventory of parts and accessories and always have Bugeyes in stock that are ready for adoption. Please call or email if you would like us to build the Bugeye of your dreams.
April22nd
This is a special moment for us at Bugeyeguy.com. Never before have we had so many great cars for sale (11). We’re proud to offer this vast Spring lineup, featuring a wide range of Bugeye offerings, from completely stock to radically modified.
Each of these cars carries with it the passion and care of its former owners. Each car has been further improved in our workshop, where we use our wealth of Bugeye experience to make these cars their very best.
We are crazy about these cars. We love their big personalities, the stories that come with them, the people who have traveled millions of miles in them, and the simple systems that drive them. We are committed to improving these special vehicles and to the mastery of their preservation.
I became addicted to Bugeyes in high school, and in In 1979, I found a Bugeye for sale in the New York Times Sunday Classifieds which I ultimately bought for $1100. “Gumby” was parked on the Street in New Haven, CT, when I found him, in primer gray with weathered turquoise seats. The car is the only thing I still own from 1979. Look what he spawned 33 years ago.
Our goal is to ignite or rekindle the passion for Bugeyes within you. Please call or email if you would like to give one of these wonderful little cars a new home.
April11th
This week we are proud to offer an exceptional modified Bugeye to our Spring lineup of great Bugeyes for sale. We have ten great Bugeyes in stock right now! This is a record for us and a proud moment as we continue to expand our capabilities with regard to restoration and preparation of these fine cars.
Check out this great photo album for Priscilla!
The builder of this Bugeye has had a long love affair with Bugeyes, and set out to build the ultimate driver.
He installed a Datsun 210 engine (disguised with an Austin valve cover sticker) and 5 speed transmission. This engine is more powerful than a 1275 engine with 80 horsepower in stock form, and he modified it further with a Crane cam and Weber carb for more power while retaining good street-abilty.
He next custom-fit a Cosworth Vega posi-traction rear end, both lowering the axle ratio for better highway cruising and strengthening the entire assembly to handle the added horsepower. It’s all very well executed, tidy and extremely well done with the added advantage of being field tested by the builder. He put at least 7k miles on this set- up, ample time to get it right.
Next he fit a Geo Metro power-assisted master cylinder powering Sprite/Midget disk brakes for the best stopping I have yet experienced in a Bugeye. And then he shod the car with sticky minilight wheels and 175 wide tires.
There are tons of other mods like a fat front anti roll bar, and a killer heater (that has to put out about as many BTUs as a stock 948 engine), custom gauges, custom seats with head rests, LED tail lights and a fiberglass light-weight nose.
This car is very quick and stops beautifully, and cruises effortlessly. Ready to go! Comes with good top and side curtains.
This is a wonderful custom Bugeye that Bugeyes better than most Bugeyes on the road. Check the video below for a short cockpit tour and drive:
April8th
This is “Lu Lu” on the show field in Jupiter Florida this past weekend (April 7, 2012). She is one of the Bugeyes we sold this winter. She went to a couple in Florida looking for a show-winning Bugeye. This is a photo in their very first big show, “Wheels Across the Pond” in Jupiter, Florida, and a first place win in class! Congratulations and great work! A lot of passion went into the preparation of this lovely car, and Leslie and Jim took the car even further with meticulous attention to detail!
At the same show, our former burgundy and creme 1954 Big Healey 100 also won first place in class, in its first show. Congratulations Phil and Abby, who also took home a great car and then brought it to the next level.
This was a big day for Bugeyeguy.com in Florida, with two of our cars taking first place trophies in a significant show with more than 200 cars!
Whether you want to win shows with your British car, or you just want a great driver, give us a call or send an email, we have more winning cars in stock! Click here to see our current inventory!
(And to see more of Lu Lu, check out the video in the mirror post below!)
April8th
Here’s Bertel.
This is one of my favorite Bugeyes, painted in unconventional color that suits the car beautifully. The paintwork is excellent– and impressive metallic job in an understated color that is just stunning up close (click to enlarge any photo).
The engine is 948, rebuilt and running great. Interior is excellent too, with new seats, carpet, panels, seat foam and plush Austin Healey Floor mats. The car has a flip-foward nose conversion for easy engine access. Tasteful low profile latches are located in the wheel arch to hold the nose in place when closed. They work.
The dashboard is freshly recovered in black pebble grain vinyl, just like they were covered when they left the factory, with all the switches and dials correct places, all nice and all working. We’ve capped off the dash restoration with a wonderful new leather wrapped steering wheel. Mint!
The car has a brand new set of sidecurtains stowed in a nice protective pouch, and a very good tan top, which also looks lovely (click the link to see more photos). Wheels are new, as are wider than stock 175 tires. Great fun to drive! Great handling!
This is an excellent restored car that will turn heads wherever you go!
Check out more Bertel photos! Click here:
Test Drive:
April8th
We’ve seen mirrors mounted in all sorts of places on the bonnets of used Bugeyes. We set out to find the best placement, based on the review of many old images of Bugeyes when they were new.
Mirrors were fit on new Bugeyes by dealers here in the states. On our home page we have a photo of Bugeyes ready for importation in about 1959. You’ll see there are no wing mirrors mounted when they left the factory.
We found that the best location is 22 3/4″ forward of the seam, which places the mirror such that a plumb line would just intersect the back edge of the front rim. This seems to be what the dealers did when they located the mirrors. Make sure to drill your hole outboard of the beading so the mirrors give the best visibility!
Check out the video below for more details!