This 1967 MK IV Austin Healey Sprite is a lefthand drive example owned by Bayless Kirtley since 1995. The car is finished in single stage Pale Primrose over a tweed fabric and vinyl interior. The original interior for all primrose Sprites would have been black vinyl. Power is supplied by a professionally overhauled 1275cc inline four cylinder. The engine is backed by a 5-speed gearbox sourced from a Datsun 210 mated with a Rivergate conversion kit. Final gearing as an overhauled 3.9 ratio differential. This combination gives reasonable RPM at highway speeds.
The car was purchased in 1995 as a completely disassembled project. Full "frame off" restoration was begun in 2022 and finished in 2025. Equipment includes powder-coated steel wheels wearing 155SR13 tires, a custom cloth interior, rollup windows, carpeted boot, a new black Robbins folding top and, of course, the 5-speed gearbox. The car resides in Oklahoma City and includes complete restoration records and a clean Oklahoma title.
The Austin Healey Sprite was first introduced in 1958 as the Bugeye, Frogeye as it is known over the pond, as a joint venture between British Motor Corp and Donald Healey. The "square body" MK II Sprite replaced the Bugeye in 1962, along with the MG Midget, the same car with different badging. These became known as "Spridgets". The Mk IV debuted in 1966 and featured roll up windows for the first time. The 1967 saw the first folding or self-storing top.
Powder coated steel wheels feature chrome hubcaps and fine pin striping. They are mounted with 155SR13 radial tires. Front suspension is coil spring and dual control arms with rack and pinion steering. Rear is and semi-elliptical leaf springs. Stopping is provided by front disc brakes and rear drums.
Custom interior features are a body color dash rather than the original black, a courtesy light and cloth seats instead of black vinyl that can be quite uncomfortable in hot weather. Instrumentation consists of a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and combination oil pressure water temperature gauge.
The freshly overhauled engine includes a Kent MD266 cam and dual SU carburetors. These are fed by an electric pump at the tank. It currently has fewer than 30 miles on it.