This is AN5L 17109, a Bugeye we fondly call “Motor Mike.” It’s a very solid driver with great sheet metal and floors and a very tidy engine bay. The car has a strong 948 engine and upgraded front disk brakes. Carpet is new, paint is very nice and we have serviced all the hydraulic parts so this car is ready for a new home!
The car was completely restored in 1991-1992, and we have a book of receipts and photos that show the car completely disassembled and stripped at that time. From these records, we can see that the car was purchased form an estate on April 5, 1991 in Canton, Ohio by the owner who did the restoration. The indicated mileage at the time of that purchase was 86,579. Current indicated mileage is 92,142, so a total of just 5,563 miles have been covered since that restoration.
On 1-2-99 the car was sold by the restorer to a Mr Williams, also of Canton Ohio, with 88025 miles reported at that time. He joined the Healey club in 1999, and seems to have been an active club member with the car. It appears from the receipts that he kept the car until about 2003, at which time the car moved to dry Mesa, Arizona, which is where the car primarily sat as part of a large collection. It came out of storage in 2016 and we purchased the car from that collector. It’s nice to have a large book of receipts detailing the history of this particular car.
The is a solid car that was treated where possible with coatings and preservatives to prevent future rusting. I did the same thing when I rebuilt my Bugeye Gumby, by spraying Waxoyl in all the air cavities to coat the insides of the car. This one shows a few plastic access plugs indicating that similar work was done here to ensure longevity of the restoration.
We have verified that the numbers are all correct and the engine is the 948 originally fit to this car in the factory. Chassis number is AN5L 17109. Engine is 9C UH 16802. BAE 16951
We have completely gone through the car to get it ready for the next owner. This Sprite had the usual needs from sitting with sporadic use over the past decade. For example, we went through the cooling system—we changed the heater valve and repaired any leaks and replaced the radiator cap with the correct one. We serviced the instruments to get them all working, went through any electrical repairs required to get everything to work. We replaced the fuse box. We serviced the entire brake system with all new hoses, disc brake calipers, rear wheel cylinders and master cylinder.
The front shock bushings had perished so we changed those too. We tuned the 948 engine. We installed a solid state electronic fuel pump. We changed the leaking rear axle pinion seal. We replaced the radius arm bushings in the rear suspension. We addressed anything that we could find that needed attention to make this into a great driving Sprite. I am sure there will be a few small items to still address—EG, we took out the giant (and out of scale) horn that was under the hood so a new horn is needed—and the horn push was not working in the steering wheel, so the prior owner installed the white horn push button to the right of the steering wheel, which does actually work quite well. Regardless, these and any other issues we can address in partnership with the new owner.
The car is otherwise ready and great fun to drive. Tires are recent and nice. Ride quality is excellent. Front sway bar is fit for better handling. A spin-on oil filter kit was fit by the prior owner, with a remote mounting location for ease of access up under the hood.
Cosmetically, we did a lot to upgrade the interior, with a new carpet kit and new seat base foams to make the car more plush than usual. Everything looks great and feels great too.
The tan top is older, with a yellowed rear window. But it is also quite useable in a pinch. We have new ones if the owner so desires. The car would look great with a matching burgundy top. Side curtains are quite good, as pictured.
This is a really nice Bugeye, not perfect but extremely well-preserved. It comes in a great classic color combination that will not disappoint. We look forward to sharing Motor Mike with a new owner! Call or email for more information!