Having turned the sports-car market on its ear with the original Austin-Healey Sprite, BMC in 1961 turned its impudent orphan into a three-quarter size replica of the unreleased MGB.
In profile the two cars showed plenty that was similar and in Britain there was an MG version called the Midget in honour of the brand’s first volume-selling model.
Mark 2 Sprites used 948cc engines but that changed in 1962 when capacity was enlarged to 1098cc and power increased by 7kW. From the arrival of the Mark 2A, Sprites would also include disc front brakes as standard.
In Australia, the Sprite offered a cheap and interesting alternative to conventional passenger cars. At $1996 plus charges in 1963, the Mark 2A cost only $60 more than a 1.2-litre Ford Cortina and $120 less than a basic EH Holden.
Fittings and comforts were adequate for a car in the Sprite’s price bracket – a speedo, tachometer, temperature and fuel gauges plus a rudimentary heater/demister that by 1967 would be a requirement on Australian cars.
The seats were thinly padded and the boot cramped with half its space occupied by a spare wheel. However, if you ran with the roof up there was a decent-sized storage area behind the seats. A boot-mounted luggage rack was popular too as an accessory.
Sprites and Midgets with the optional hardtop are today better suited to frequent use but can cost $1000-2500 more.
Mark 3 Sprites came with an improved hood design, wind-up windows and, on later 3A cars, wire-spoke wheels as standard. The rear suspension was modified with full-length leaf springs replacing quarter elliptics.
Due to the end of a licensing arrangement between BMC and the Healey family, Sprites were sold in Australia only until mid-1967 before being replaced by the virtually identical MG Midget.
The Midget had been sold alongside the Sprite in the UK from 1962, but here it was only available and locally assembled from 1967-71. All local Midgets had 1275cc engines and wire-spoke wheels. The grille and tail-lights changed in 1970
Sprites appear regularly in used-car classifieds, while Austin-Healey and MG clubs around Australia also cater to these cars.
Very early ‘Bugeye’ versions of the Sprite can cost $50,000, however, the Midget and later Sprites offer improved performance and features at around half the price.
When new, the Sprite/Midget duo cost around 30 per cent less than a new MGB and later in life, that ratio has been maintained with a Midget making $20,000, while a ‘B’ in similar condition is $6000 more.
Sprites and Midgets in usable condition will generally cost around $15,000, with cars in restorable condition available below $10,000.
