Original Sprite and Midget

Apart from the MGB, no British sports car has ever achieved the popularity of the Austin-Healey Sprite and MG Midget family. When they were current, these simple, cheerful, no-frills machines provided so many enthusiasts with a cheap introduction to sporting motoring that their place in automotive folklore is assured. Many of those very same enthusiasts – now older, wealthier and wiser – are turning back to happy memories of youth by rekindling their passion for ‘Spridgets’, but plenty of newcomers to the fold are also discovering the joys of these honest little sports cars.

For this band of followers and potential converts, Original Sprite & Midget is the essential companion to these delightful cars. Its aim is to reveal, in words and colour photographs, how the many models – from ‘Frogeye’ Sprite Mkl to ‘rubber-bumpered’ 1500 Midget – altered in detail through the 21 years of production between 1958 and 1979. Fourteen distinct versions, two basic body styles, engines of four different capacities and numerous export variations mean that an amazing number of specification changes, large and small, occurred over the years.

The completely authentic specification which the most discerning enthusiasts now demand can be elusive because so many Spridgets have been altered over the years, often by owners seeking to keep mobile on a shoestring. But help is at hand in Original Sprite & Midget for all owners, restorers and enthusiasts who want an exhaustive guide to originality. Drawing from factory production records, parts lists and catalogues, as well as the accumulated knowledge of a dedicated author, this book provides the most thorough production survey of the Sprites and Midgets ever published.

Accompanying the authoritative text are over 225 specially commissioned colour photographs showing every permutation of Spridget specification in outstanding detail. Careful selection of cars of the highest quality and originality – two of them have travelled fewer than 1000 miles from new ensures that the photographs in this book provide a valuable reference source.

The definitive guide to Britain’s friendliest sports cars, Original Sprite & Midget is indispensible for all owners, restorers, buyers and enthusiasts.