The same month the Sprite Mark II arrived in 1961, MG launched a badge-engineered twin called the Midget — which outsold the Sprite so thoroughly it had replaced it in BMC's range by 1972.
Median 68 hp across 25 similar cars
Lead trim: 948 cc A-Series (46.5 bhp) · up to 56 hp
Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II1961–1964
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Austin-Healey Sprite Mark II yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe same month the Sprite Mark II arrived in 1961, MG launched a badge-engineered twin called the Midget — which outsold the Sprite so thoroughly it had replaced it in BMC's range by 1972.
The Sprite Mark II, announced at the end of May 1961, used the same 948 cc engine (engine code 9CG) but with larger twin SU carburettors, increasing power to 46.5 bhp, with a close-ratio gearbox. The bodywork was completely revamped, with the headlights moving to a more conventional position in the wings either side of a full-width grille and a conventional bonnet, and at the rear styling borrowed from the soon-to-be-announced MGB, with an opening boot lid; the result was a much less eccentric-looking sports car, though at the expense of some 100 lbs extra weight. An MG version was introduced in May 1961 as "the new Midget". In October 1962 both Sprites and Midgets were given a long-stroke 1098 cc engine (code 10CG), with a strengthened gearbox and Porsche synchromesh to cope with the extra power, 56 bhp, and front disc brakes were introduced at the same time. 31,665 Mark II Sprites were made.
Collectors Spotted in the Austin-Healey Sprite Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Austin-Healey Sprite yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,098 cc A-Series (56 bhp) | 1962–1964 | 1.1 L Inline-4 | 56 hp | 62 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 948 cc A-Series (46.5 bhp) | 1961–1962 | 0.9 L Inline-4 | 46.5 hp | 53 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The last 1,022 Sprites never wore a Healey badge at all — British Leyland dropped the name in 1971 purely to dodge royalty payments to the Donald Healey Motor Company.
The Mark III Sprite swapped its quarter-elliptic rear leaf springs for semi-elliptic ones purely to ride better — and the engineering trick cost almost no extra weight at all.
The same month the Sprite Mark II arrived in 1961, MG launched a badge-engineered twin called the Midget — which outsold the Sprite so thoroughly it had replaced it in BMC's range by 1972.
The Frogeye had no boot lid at all — owners reached the spare wheel by tilting the seats forward into the dark cavity behind, a ritual they likened to potholing.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
In 1974 Alfa built a one-off on this Spider: a Porsche-style solid rear window and lift-out roof panels, fewer than 2,000 made, the only Spider ever with a part-solid roof.
Over 100,000 people voted to name this car "Duetto" — but a chocolate-snack maker had already trademarked the word, and a Milan court ruling forced Alfa to sell it as the Spider 1600 instead.
After nearly 25 years of manual-only Spiders, the final Series 4 cars quietly added something Alfa purists never expected: an optional automatic transmission.
The mid-80s Spider's Quadrifoglio Verde trim went all-in on a single look: blood-red carpets and grey leather with red stitching, and it only ever came in three exterior colors.
This Spider was built not by Alfa but by Pininfarina itself, on a platform shared with General Motors.
The 916 Spider's strongest naturally aspirated engine, the 192 PS 3.0 12V Busso V6, was never offered in its GTV coupe twin.
The Frogeye had no boot lid at all — owners reached the spare wheel by tilting the seats forward into the dark cavity behind, a ritual they likened to potholing.
The Fairlady 2000's SR311 update came with a five-speed manual gearbox in 1967 — a genuinely unusual spec for any production car of that era.