1961 Austin Healey "Bug Eye" Sprite

For sale: 1961 Austin Healey "Bug Eye" Sprite. A great iconic 1960's roadster that has been stored for many years and passed around between people in hopes it would be restored by someone to its former glory. Will it be you?
I know a bit of the history of this car. It was given to me by my friend's father because they are about to move to Washington State. He had hoped I would restore it since I've done a few Triumph Spitfires over the years. I simply do not have the time or money to get this car running proper and he has given me his blessing to sell it. I have gone through the car and cleaned all the parts and it's about 90% complete. The previous owner had done extensive body work to the chassis, tub, floor pan and bonnet. It has always been stored indoors and under a car cover.
The car is a rolling chassis. The tub is in great shape, very solid. The floor pan has some rust. Most is just surface rust from sitting in barns for years. The floor pan has plates cut and placed to reinforce it. (Some have been spot welded into place). The rockers and A posts are great. Everything underneath the car is clean and rust free. The body has no visible dents, scratches or rust and has been primered. The doors have some surface rust. The tires hold air and roll freely but have a bit of dry rotting. Suspension seems to be in great shape. The original spare tire is still in the boot. The bonnet is in VERY nice shape, it shows a few repair spots however (see pics). I know this is the most desirable part of the car so I will list several pictures of it inside and out. Engine turns over freely but I am unsure of its running condition. I was told they had it running as recently as 2006. The engine has twin SU carbs that appear to be quite clean considering it's storage. Transmission is a 4 speed manual. Rack and pinion steering works very nicely but one of the boots is torn and leaks a bit of grease. All the glass running and tail light lenses are in excellent condition. Radiator is clean and holds fluid (I did not pressure test). The seats are in pretty nice shape with no large rips or tears and padding is intact. Chrome on bumper over riders and grill is in decent shape. The soft top is in great condition with no rips or tears and is still very soft. The wood dash pieces are intact. Windscreen has no cracks or chips. The wiring harness in intact and complete but i have no ignition key for it. The car has no rubber trim pieces or interior carpet as they were deteriorated. The gauges were thrown away by mistake by the previous owner so they will need to be replaced. The car was missing it's VIN tags it was removed and lost when it was having the body work done so i've spent the last month getting a new one for it. It now has a CLEAN TITLE that shows 12,798 miles and perfect VIN.
This is an excellent restoration candidate. In fact, the work is half done already. It could use a sanding and then straight to primer & paint. I require a $250 non refundable deposit from the winning bidder within 72hrs via Paypal. Buyer will need to make arrangements to have it picked up via flatbed or trailer.
Good luck and happy bidding!

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