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| austinhealeysprites.com PBL-75 Finds A Long Lost Sister? The Story of Austin Healey Sprite AN5 552 |
| The story of AN5 #552 starts long ago, but my involvement began earlier this year in the middle of winter. I had purchased some parts from Pat and Bob Kessler of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In Pat's listing she had mentioned they were leftover from a restoration they had done on a Frogeye/Bugeye. I enquired about the car and said if you would like, send me some photos and some information about the car and I will post it on my website in the Sprite Showcase Pages. Well Pat did and when I received the information I was pretty excited to see that what they had restored was a pretty early Sprite. I contacted her to let her know that her Sprite was a special one being from the early days of production. I posted the photo on my site and my intentions were to post the rest of the story as time permitted. Well this summer was very hectic and as time went on I realized I would not get time to do so until the fall when things slowed down. Upon waking on a late summer August morning I went to the computer, tea in hand to check what was happening in the world of Sprites . Hitting Ebay I was shocked to see the little gem AN5 552 listed for sale. I contacted Pat to find out why. She stated that with every passing year it was getting a little harder for her and her husband to keep up with their fleet of classic cars, so a decision had to be made and #552 was chosen to be sold. Here is where I must confess, I dropped the ball . As I mentioned earlier, it was still summer and was very busy with things and in my haste I missed one very very important photo in that listing. That photo raised an eyebrow and started a bit of research from a very astute Austin Healey enthusiast from across the pond. He had seen the photo of the Sprite on my site so had knowledge of her. I am really glad he spotted that photo. This is the same chap I would have contacted if I had seen it to say, " Am I seeing what I'm seeing". That photo was of the gussets on the wheel arch. So now you thinking big deal, gussets on a wheel arch. Well those gussets were bolted to the wheel arch, not welded like on the early production cars (pre October 1958) and not boxed like the later MK I's. Only a handful of pre production cars used for testing were produced this way. During these tests it was determined that the area was a weak spot and the gussets were welded on to the wheel arches on the production cars. Well this chap convinced Pat (I am happy he did) to pull the listing so more research could be done. He contacted some of the most knowledgeable persons in the Sprite field, the likes of Tom Coulthard, Phil Evett, John Baggot (who is writing a new book on Sprites) David Grove and Ray English and here briefly is their conclusion. (Please note this can be factual as no records exist on pre-production cars, but a good and honest appraisal due to the following) This Sprite is more than likely an early pre-production car that was used for development and testing , built in February of 1958 along with VIN 526 and 556. Most of these cars never made it passed this stage and were scrapped, but this one or at least the shell was not destroyed. BMC was running on a tight budget, it is believed Donald Healey only made 25 pounds per car sold, so this shell was probable reworked and put back on the line when production re-started again March 31, 1958. BMC was in a hurry to have these Sprites in the States as the Sprite was predominantly produced and aimed for the US market, so they needed as many Sprites in U.S. BMC showrooms prior to the launch of the car on May 20th. It is believed that this Sprite #552 has a high possiblity to be the first Sprite sent to the States. Pat had sent for the British Heritage Certificate which states it's date of production was April 3, 1958. No other details are recorded, and for the pre-production they never were. Taking this into account, AN5 552 is recorded as a standard production car when the plate was added to the chassis upon completion. The main facts that have been established on this car which give us vital clues to her being a pre-production car are; 1) Rear chassis gussets are bolted; Only car known in existence to have this is PBL-75, chassis AN5 507, a preproduction car. 2) Engine numbers started at 101, AN5 #552's engine number is 105, two numbers away from 103, which was fitted to PBL 75. 3) Chassis number AN5 552, as per Tom Coulthards recent article, two very early Sprites were built in February 1958 for exhibitions, and than used for development and testing, VIN no's 526 and 556. 4) The very first batch of Bugeyes/Frogeyes built were all Left Hand Drive and sent to the States. Although she has undergone a restoration, this Sprite still retains it's most important component, "the chassis" as some of the parts of AN5 552 are not original. It is still an important Sprite with a probability of having been used in the early testing and development process of the Sprite and adds another important piece to the cars history and to the history of the Frogeye/Bugeye Sprite. Here is what I wrote back in the spring of 2009, a bit of background on AN5 552 before this new discovery. As you can see, this little beauty is a real early gem. Pat and Bob purchased it back in 1992. At that time, the car didn't look anything like it does now. Upon the purchase they were able to get a little history on the car. From what they learned it was originally from Encino, California. A gentleman who was living there used to pass by it every day on his way to work as it sat in a vacant lot next to a garage. One day he decided to stop and ask if it were for sale. He was told to stop back after work to speak to the owner. He did and a deal was struck. This Gentleman eventually moved to Wisconsin and the little Sprite came along with him. Once in Wisconsin the Sprite still sat in a barn for quite a few more years until his kids grew and decided to start a project. The story goes that the car had a racing history but not sure what type of racing as it was purchased by this gentleman with the engine bay cut out as to accommodate fitting a V8 . The Kids project didn't get too far and it was advertised for sale. Pat and Bob spotted the ad and went to look it over but passed on it the first offering. As there were no takers on round one it was advertised a little later and they went back for a second look. This time they walked away with the early Sprite unaware of it's early production date (and at that time I mean 1992) until they did a British Heritage search and received the certificate. In 2008 their restoration was completed and here is where the above new information comes in. Pat and Bob would like to thank all those involved for taking the time to put forth their knowledge and expertise in the Sprite field to uncover this new discovery. I would like to thank them all for keeping me updated on the findings. Cheers Written by Jamie Juckett austinhealeysprites.com September 21, 2009 |
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