My 10 Favorite Cars- #9- Austin-Healey "Bugeye" Sprite

This little car may look cute, but inside, it's a legitimate bad-ass.   Sure, it could only do 0-60 in about 20 seconds, but it was fun.  It was one of the most popular models in sports car racing in it's day, and must have been an absolute blast to wring out that 0.9 litre engine to it's redline, singing sweetly as it pumped out all of 43 hp.   This was one of the first cars that proved that being fun did not rely so much on outright quickness, but could be created by a combination of very low weight, a very willing and playful chassis, and quirky looks. 

Oddly enough, the "bugeye" or "frogeye" (as they call them in the UK) headlights that have given this car it's nickname were not intended by the designer.  Donald Healey originally intended the car to have retractable lights that pivoted backwards into the body, resting pointing skyward similarly to how a Porsche 928' s lights did in the 1970's.   However, British Motor Corporation (the huge, GM -like conglomerate that bought and ruined the majority of historic English marques) thought the retractible lights too expensive, and they were nixed.  And an icon was born.

I have never had the opportunity to drive a Austin-Healy Sprite, but it is one that I am determined to get to, even if it takes a lifetime.