1962 AUSTIN HEALEY SPRITE MKII

This 1962 Austin Healey Sprite MkII is a charming roadster with intriguing provenance, originally used by the Donald Healey Motor Company to exhibit its range of Special Tuning Equipment and Extras. In recent years it has been lovingly refurbished to compete in various UK classic rallies. It is equipped with a rebuilt inline-four, increased to 1126cc, coupled with a four-speed manual transmission. The odometer currently indicates 53,132 miles.

Originally built in left-hand drive, finished in Highway Yellow and noted as being destined for export, this MkII Sprite was instead supplied to the Donald Healey Motor Company, where at the time four aluminium-bodied MkII examples were being built to compete at the 1962 Sebring 3 Hours. These cars had consecutive registrations running from ‘9251 WD’ to ‘9254 WD’, and the drivers were major names: Steve McQueen, Innes Ireland, Pedro Rodriguez, and Stirling Moss.

The foursome secured a fantastic result for the Works team, with Moss coming in third overall, and the Healeys taking four of the top nine places in total. The McQueen car later went to the US and has disappeared, the Ireland car was rebadged as an MG and is believed to have been written off many years ago, and the Moss car was destoyed after a crash in 1963. The Rodriguez car was rediscovered in the late 1990s, and is the only original alloy Sprite known to survive.

While it has been impossible to prove any further connection between these Sebring racers and this particular Sprite, registered as the next number ‘9255 WD’, the car appears in the period Special Tuning Equipment brochure from DHMC, with its number plate clearly visible. It appears fitted in period with the DMHC interior fittings, luggage rack and badge bar, and was evidently a demonstrator for the business – and was perhaps therefore fitted with the performance upgrades as well.

It was acquired by a previous owner in 1993 when the car was in a poor state of repair. The car was converted to right-hand drive, and given its interesting provenance; they decided to rebuild the car to a similar homologated specification as the four Sebring cars – albeit without the aluminium bodywork.

The rebuild work included a taking the engine capacity up to 1126cc, with modified Fiat pistons, a Piper BP270 cam, lightened con-rods and a lightened flywheel, and a custom Maniflow exhaust manifold. It also features a fully baffled sump and Duplex timing chain, with the rebuild completed by Don Loughlin Engineering. The engine is coupled to an AP Racing clutch, while underneath, the Sprite was given uprated suspension with competition dampers, high-performance Mintex brakes and KN replica wheels. Inside, the car has been fitted with Ridgard seats and Willians harnesses, as well as a rear cage, a Mota Lita steering wheel and a Halda Tripmaster.

The bodywork and paint of this Sprite are in fair shape for its age, with the vendor noting it has been fitted with new wings, sills and a new floorpan. Some wear can now be seen on the rear valance, alongside some flaking on the boot lid and some light blistering around the wings and A-pillars. Some notable wear is also visible on the original Mk II fibreglass black hard top, but the white roof currently fitted has just a few small blemishes. The vehicle currently rides on a set of aftermarket 13-inch wheels, with some scuffs and scrapes, though a set of four ‘disc’ wheels will be supplied alongside a third set of black eight-spoke wheels.

Inside, the black leather Ridgard seats are in good condition, though some light wear has been reported to their red piping. The Willians harnesses and rear roll cage appear to be in good shape, and the cabin features a wood-rimmed steering wheel of the original DHMC type. The rest of the cabin is in fair order, with paint damage on the centre console, and bubbling and scuffs around the dashboard. The Halda Tripmaster features a few small scrapes, though all of the electrics are believed to work as they should.

While the car is exempt from mandatory MOT testing, the most recent inspection was on 11 June 2015 at 52,958 miles, which resulted in a first-time pass with no advisories.

Accompanying the vehicle are its British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, along with copies of the Donald Healey Motor Company Speed Equipment price list and an original ‘Special Tuning Equipment’ brochure, which features this very car. Various rally identification documents are included, as is a copy of the Sebring Sprite Register entry that shows the car. A spare boot lid will also be supplied, along with a Healey Works bucket seat shell.

This Austin Healey Sprite MkII is a sporting roadster with notable early history, which was used as a ‘Works’ demonstrator for the Special Tuning Equipment range, and which has been modified for classic rallying since the early 1990s. While it would benefit from some cosmetic attention in due course, it is reported to be in good mechanical order; and it could be the ideal candidate for classic motorsport events, such as the Goodwood Revival, Silverstone Classic, HSCC Historic Road Sports, Healeysport Speed Championship and more.

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