While it’s often said there’s no substitute for cubic inches, we beg to differ. History has shown us that keeping weight down is a sure-fire method of getting the most out of a car’s performance and economy.
It’s also a great way to make a car more enjoyable, as our selection of classic featherweight funsters surely demonstrates. You’ll find a selection of simple sports cars and lightweight greats over the following pages, all of which were famed for making a lot from a little. Some you are certain to remember, but there’s at least one that you probably won’t…
AUSTIN-HEALEY FROGEYE SPRITE (1958-1961)
MG may have played a huge role in pioneering the small and inexpensive sports car before the war, but by the mid-1950s, its offerings had grown up. The Abingdon firm’s MGA was worthy competition for its Triumph TR2 and Austin-Healey 100 rivals but was still a few hundred pounds more than a regular small family car like a Ford Anglia or Austin A35. And that left a gap for something cheaper.
The likes of Berkeley and Fairthorpe had a go, but it took BMC to make a real success of it. The relationship between BMC chairman Leonard Lord and Donald Healey had already been built up by the creation of the Austin-Healey 100, so Lord spoke to the Cornishman about producing an inexpensive version.
Launched two days after the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, the Austin-Healey Sprite was manufactured at the MG factory in Abingdon. Healey initially wanted
