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Austin Healey Sprite Mk1
If you look at an Austin Healey Sprite Mk1, you will see how the industry has advanced in the last 50 years. The little, bug-eyed Sprite Mk1 is a tiny roadster with two seats, a cramped interior and a small trunk. It weighs 1,500 lbs and comes with a 943 ccm engine producing 45 HP. But, the Sprite Mk1 was an immensely popular roadster back in its day.
In fact, Austin Healey sold over 350,000 examples, most of them in America. People in the U.S. have loved it for its compact size, peppy engine, driving dynamics and pure driving feel. Basically, when you drive a bug eye Sprite Mk1, there is nothing between you and the road. There’s just a little tin can with a small windshield.
Not surprisingly, the Sprite Mk1 was a favorite car in amateur racing on the West Coast. Many latter racing champions started behind the wheel of this little thing. For around $20,000 you can find a nice Mk1 that will introduce you to basics of open-top motoring.