Vehicle Description
1965 Austin-Healey Sprite
Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker established in 1952
through a joint venture between the Austin division of the British
Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company
(Healey), a renowned automotive engineering and design firm.
Leonard Lord represented BMC and Donald Healey his firm. BMC merged
with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form British Motor Holdings (BMH).
Donald Healey left BMH in 1968 when it merged into British Leyland.
Healey then joined Jensen Motors, which had been making bodies for
the "big Healeys" since their inception in 1952 and became their
chairman in 1972. Austin-Healey cars were produced until 1972 when
the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end.
A MK 3 Sprite very similar excepting a few trim pieces to the MG
Midget, is for consignment here at Classic Auto Mall. An
interesting little sports car presenting in nice condition overall.
A very good interior, and good exterior combine to make this a
great little slice of British fun, with a little kick!
Exterior
A nice patina white covers the exterior, and blends with plenty of
chrome in this mini car, which is all in good condition. Paint is
not perfect but has a nice feel of time spent on the road. From its
egg crate grille, to headlight bezels, bumpers and window
surrounds, chrome shows nicely, but again not perfect but showing
use over time. Bringing up the rear is a tiny trunk with a chrome
luggage rack atop. Gaps are just a little off on this trunk but is
remains dry inside. A tonneau covers the convertible top are, but
the car does not have a top installed. Standard gray steel wheels
with A H emblazoned moon caps cover all 4 corners.
Interior
Beautifully restored vinyl in red tuck and roll inserts with smooth
red bolsters, all bordered by white piping. Nicely cared for red
carpeting floods the interior. Door panels are pristine, with
chromed cranks, and a white piping bordered panel. Looking forward,
we note a fine black dash sporting Smiths gauges, and plenty of
toggles and pulls to play with. An interesting wood bordered and
vinyl inserted steering wheel with an original horn button fronts
the red vinyl padded topped dash.
Drivetrain
A lift of the bonnet and we meet a 1098cc 4-cylinder restored with
its olive drab color block and valve cover. This is fed by twin
Stromberg Carbs, and backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. Noted
is the original air cleaners on the Su's, and a blower fan just to
keep things cool under the hood.
Undercarriage
Appearing original we see a lot of ground effect panels underneath,
some surface rust, and a sturdy frame. New brake lines are noted,
and rockers appear to have been replaced with new, but this cannot
be confirmed. Either way no invasive rust to be found.
A nice little sporty Sprite in good condition overall, a great
interior, quick starting engine, and smooth runner and shifter.
Perfect car for going for a fun summer tool in the hills, winding
your way through the cool forest air on an otherwise hot day.
VIN Decode
HAN8L42155
H-Austin Healy
A-1098CC
N-2 Seat Tourer
8-Series
L-Left Hand Drive
42155-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 450 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.