And that's exactly why I own a small classic car fleet, its not about the speed, the handling etc, its the charm and smile factor they give you when you drive them down the road

That last sentence "we should enjoy while we're still allowed too" I fear this is become too real

Same age as me! And it's aged better than me too! Delightful car, always loved these. From the era when cars had faces, and this was by far the happiest!

Literally one of my dream cars.

I drove one many years ago when working for a Classic car garage and totally fell in love with it, no need for speed, just sit at a steady 55mph on the motorway and enjoy the experience and once it was on a B road it was in its element. Thanks for reminding me of this fabulous car.

Excellent. A real pleasure to watch. Totally agree with you and the cars owners. I much prefer a car like this than a pristine £35k restoration job that has robbed the car of it's history and its "soul" and is only allowed out for shows. For me it's what classic cars are all about - driving. My cousin at Kent Car Craft in Margate has a client with an E-type Jaguar in similar condition. Warts and all, just gorgeous - as is my 1995 Mx5 1.8iS which is an ongoing low budget restoration while being my daily at the same time. More videos like this please James. I love the super cars, but your face just proves you can have as much joy out of a car without having to spend silly money.

James, this is your best video in a loooong while. Please do more.

They are very nice on a dry sunny day but a totally different prospect in the driving rain on a freezing cold winter's night when you have 400 miles to go! That was in the mid-'60s when the car was relatively new and pre motorways in Scotland & northern England!

Old but gold an experience you may have only once.

I loved this video! Exactly my thoughts, drive them! Dont let them sit in a museum. I have just started the resurrection of a 1959 Bugeye as we Americans call them. It will be driven and hopefully gets lots of road rash on the cheeky front bonnet! Thanks for the video

My first car , Austin Healey sprite mk 4 , 10 yr old , one owner , 55k and roof only down 3 times Loved it love this too

What a beautiful design. Fell in love with them ever since that top gear episode when it beat a jumped up Peugeot up a hill

My first car was a 1960 bugeye in college in 1969. It was a joy. Then a 1963 AH 3000. I now have a 2003 S2000 that I bought new, and have joyfully daily driven ever since. However, I am looking forward to buying a restored bugeye to relive the younger days once more.

My first sportscar was a Frogeye. I drove it around with a permanent smile . Fabulous little car.

I had one back in the late 1960’s, modified ex hillclimb car, 1622 MGA engine and gearbox, tuned! It went well and stopped less well until I upgraded it to front disk brakes, also had to change the halfshafts to BMC competition shafts to stop it breaking them. A mate of mine bought it from me and it got tail ended and written off in Italy whilst he was on holiday-wonderful little car to drive.....

I have a 1960 Sprite. The handling is superb and everyone loves it. M.

Great review every time I drive my frogeye I feel I'm travelling back in time

You my friend and all the people that share their cars with you, are absolutely the gems of society. Thank you so much for your efforts and charms. I love your work. John

I love the look of the frogeye, my first car was a red midget of the same year when I was 15, now at nearly 60 I drive an Elise. Fun and enjoyment are priorities to the drive for me, getting there is just a bonus.

Well I never. I had one - 361CBU - exactly the same colour - the video takes me right back to the non-heater / removable side screens / impossible to lock / soft-top which occasionally blew off - brakes which needed serious advanced planning and no dual circuit if things went wrong (which happened only once, but whilst overtaking (!) a petrol tanker in Leeds). Loved it to bits and wish I had the Frog now!!

This is very different from how I enjoy my Sprite. It's a 1962, in primarily stock from, a few little changes like wire wheels and LED headlights to make it visible. I drive mine frequently and I drive it hard. It was my daily driver from Spring thru Fall last year, and I appreciated it's simplicity every day. It has nothing you don't need in a set of wheels, and other than the hottest days if the year, is rather comfortable. I love to see others having fun in their classic cars and driving them a bit on the edge. I think a lot of people don't drive theirs enough to trust the car's capability. It actually takes significant seat time to sort everything out, it took me about 4 seasons of driving my Sprite before I was 100% confident in it. It's the only car I own that hasn't left me stranded, all of the much newer vehicles have had some sort of issue resulting in a tow home.

Ive one of these, well step mum has, since 1973. Its terrifying to drive in modern traffc, as you say doing 30/40 in a 60 is enough. I absolutely love it tho. Less is more.

I bought a Frog Eye Sprite (1959, cherry red, reg: JEB 250) in 1966 when I was still 17, my second car after surviving a rusty Renault Dauphine. I owned the Sprite for about a year, enjoying it especially during the summer of '66 when I worked as a 'Wrates' beach photographer in Skegness. Wonderful, happy days of youth and freedom! Inspired by 'The Prisoner' TV series, I changed cars in 1967 to a 1340cc Cosworth Lotus Super Seven (reg: MOO 828) and spent another exhuberant summer in 'Skeggy'. Unbelievably now, both cars were bought and sold for around £220 (on a Lloyds Bank loan!) and insured in my own name for about £60 p.a.

I could listen to this dude talk all day. Great vid

Missed this video, don't know why. Fun. that's what it's about. It has nothing you don't need. Love these things. I had a MkII Sprite in the early eighties and had more fun than in just about any other car I've ever owned. The one word you mentioned that sums this up completely is analogue.

Here in America, we called them bugeye Sprites. I had a ex-racer bugeye when I went off to college in the early 70s. When I started to prep it for a paint job I discovered there was more Bondo than metal left.

Thanks for the memories. I bought a 1959 Bug Eye Sprite for $100 USD in the summer of 1968. The reason it was so inexpensive was that there were some things needing attention, like the rusted through floor pan, the torn convertible top and the transmission's propensity to pop into neutral unless I physically held the shift lever in gear. Other than those minor inconveniences it was fun to drive. Unfortunately I and the Go-Go dancer I was dating (her legal name was Joy Treat) had to abandon it after running through a deep puddle during a heavy Florida rainstorm, which shredded the rest of the floor pan and what remained of the convertible top. Just left it by the side of the road and hitchhiked. But it was a fun car. True story, I kid you not. Thanks again. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972)

Cracking vid and review You hit the nail on the head saying to enjoy driving whilst we can. The outro music was cool 👍

Hey, the shouty shirts are back 👍👍

I have a 62 Sprite MK2. It is a brilliant vehicle. Sounds amazing, very communicative, rather easy to drive.

My dream car is a frog eye sprite in baby blue. Honda Engine conversion and fitted with a modern chassis! I adore these little things.

Great review as usual, I'm glad you enjoy this thing too! One day you're going to have to have a go in my 1960 Austin A40. It's basically this, but as a miniature estate car. Same engine (minus the carb), same gearbox, and pretty much the same suspension, except with a roof and back seats. I can't promise anything in the near future, but perhaps some time next year.

I sure enjoy driving my BE.....it's just fun to take it from one place to another.

I have a Midget. I can't afford the frogeye, but my Midget is a lot like that car. I got it second hand (probably fifth hand) having been bumped around a lot. It will never be a dhow car but I'm looking forward to driving it in the spring. It is stripped to bare essentials and shows the signs of many lost arguments with hard things.

Great car. Real driving, real fun within the limit. Can't say that about the heavy complex modern stuff. They're even tax and MoT free, 40+ MPG and will increase in value.

My first car in college was a 6 yr old, light green, 1960 Bug Eye (as we called them in the US) auction car with a beer keg shifter. My brother rebuilt the engine and painted it British Racing Green. Soooo basic yet so much fun for 3 yrs before I switched to vans (it was the 60's). Learned to curse bending over trying to keep the dual SU's adjusted, hitting my head on the hood (bonnet) and burning my fingers on the manifold. About 8 yrs ago I needed a fun second car so I picked up a 1999 Miata in almost British Racing Green. Reminds me a lot of the Sprite but much more comfortable.

I had one on loan as a daily runabout in the early-'70s. It was the same colour as this, but was fitted with the 1,089cc 'A' series from the later, badge-engineered, BL Spridget (Sprite+Midget: both identical, apart from the badges and trim). With 55(-ish) bhp, it was lively, but the ride on those rear quarter-elliptics was jarring. It also had a very distinctive exhaust note - aggressively flatulent, I called it.

Wow, a sprog eyed fright

I used to have a 100-4 in college so much fun

Yep, I remember an acquaintance or two driving these. As you said, it was ALL about driving, being one with the machine. Very Few understood this, which was, in an obtuse way, a blessing, because it left a few of us with a rarified world in which to dwell... I well remember the smell of my leather driving gloves I used while driving my B. The girls thought the gloves were panache... Sigh.........

Definitely one of the best cars ever. The road you were driving on is typical of that era. We didn't have the big fast roads of today. When we went for a drive it was for a few miles down leafy lanes. Just us, the road, no traffic. Oh, the joys of real motoring.

I had a 1959 Mark1, just loved it - sold it and bought a 2A, the Mark 1 was way more fun. Such a underspec king pin design on AH Sprites - what were they thinking

She’s a beauty

BRILLIANT SHOW

I wish I could like this video twice: it’s pure JayEmm. Ps. Nice outro music choice!

I am in love with this 1960 AUSTIN-HEALEY SPRITE MKI !! if i cant ill just try to make pedal car version of it :D

I too had a 1959 Bugeye and it was indeed very fun to drive. Great gas mileage and can be modified to really go well.

Now THAT's a proper car!!!

had one in 1967 , if I remember rightly the colour was called Martian Maroon , loved driving it , never had the hood up always the tonnau cover sorry I cant remember how it was spelt , reg No 653 KTC , wonder if it is still around . bit of a handful on hard cornering as it had 1/4 eliptical springs on the rear and they could make it suddenly flick out if you hit a bump , scary but would love to drive one again .

Delightful. I own one of this car’s descendants, a 1978 MG Midget, built twenty years later on essentially the same platform. By that time, BL had managed to lose the essence of the car, making it heavier and higher, with less interior space thanks to different seats, dash padding, etc. and a Triumph engine. I do love my MG, but I envy the Frogeye’s elegant simplicity... and most of all, that invigorating A-series engine note. They are simply wonderful cars.

great film, thank you, I want one!

Great.... I have one and drive it when its sunny and no wetness (1960) Had to put it back together from rollong chassis. Looking forward to summer in UK maybe Febuary!?

Got one , 42hp of fun. It breaks down a lot but is easy to fix. ☺

I had a 1960 Sprite and my friend had an AH 3000 of the same year. When I let him drive it, he was quiet for a while and then finally admitted that it handled better than his 3000.

Great drive sure make sense. 😁👍

Going into reverse at any moment is the story of my life

What a wonderful video! Thank you, kind sir. Thoroughly enjoyed your presentation

I really want to see a Jensen Interceptor here...please!

my dad had one of these in the US with the wheel on the left. I drove it a few times. so low to the ground like you could almost run your hand along the pavement

I'd like too see you test a Lenham Le Mans GT. They are a re-bodied spridget. They most likely look much faster then they are. Still beautiful with their cam tail.

I'd love it if you could test an Austin Healey 3000.

Loved the video, thank you! Inspiration for my own Frogeye project.

First time running across your channel. This video was really well done and I enjoyed your commentary. Honest and respectful. I'd of course encourage you to, if not review, then certainly drive more classic English cars. MGs of all types and of varying vintages, all the Triumph sports cars, the big Austin Healys, etc. Being from Detroit, I know we lost some real rivals when the British auto industry disintigrated regardless of what anyone says. I love my MGB. It's a '77 and truly a fine automobile. Sort Brexit and send us more cool stuff. Cheers!

Just think if all of us, first time Frogeyes had keep it on the side, perhaps, with the TR3, then 4...ond on ??? Rob.

Oh what a beauty! Took you long enough JM 🏁

My eyes 😂 that shirt👍 the cars brilliant

Proper old-school car (nice shirt too :)). Good vid. Enjoyed.

Thanks for a very interesting video on a beautiful old English sports car. However, I think you have underestimated it quite a bit. I had it’s successor, I believe mine was a 61, in the late 60s while I was in Colorado in college. You could quite easily shift it down into first by double clutching if you knew what you were doing. More importantly, while it was certainly under powered, it could go like hell on the curvy mountain roads. On one occasion, I was coming down Clear Creek Canyon, a.k.a. Highway 6, passing illegally over a double yellow line through one of the many tunnels, when a Colorado highway patrolman coming the other direction saw me in his lane. I didn’t wanna get caught at that point, and knowing that I had a definite cornering advantage and it could go pretty fast going downhill, I took off and ran for it. I never saw his great lumbering highway patrol car (maybe a Dodge?) in my mirror again. My little sprite left him in the dust. I’m sure there’s a lot of other guys out there with great stories about these delightful little cars.

I’d love to see you drive an old Land River Defender. I bought one in September to run the dogs to and fro over winter but now daily it instead of my M3 or Chimaera. Great fun at slow speed which I’m now realising isn’t everything. Character rules all

Great little.. video 😁

Nice one, agree with all you said. More like this! Good outro too ...

Good fun.

lovely car and appropriately lovely review

Just a Morrie Minor with a sports body, really. Great fun, in their day, but my 1962 Triumph Vitesse could leave it for dead.

Slightly worried about the long brake pedal travel. All the Frogs I've owned have had a rock solid pedal with little movement (no, the brakes weren't seized). It's not so much a question of pressing further down to slow down faster as pressing harder (with little movement) to slow down faster. Edited to add that I haven't had my present (original 948cc) one very long and was very surprised to find that it will easily cruise on a motorway at an indicated 80mph (probably a true 70mph judging by the other traffic). Boy do you get some looks from drivers of modern cars when you pass them; and it certainly concentrates the mind seeing as there are no seat belts, although I suspect they'd not be a lot of use seeing as the car would fold up like a damp matchbox and the non-collapsible steering column points right at your chest and extends almost to the front of the car.

It's basically a slightly tuned Morris Minor in a sports car body, you should drive a Moggy minor next!

From a era when car ends looked great .

I had one. In the same colour. It had spent most of its life by the seaside and I could not afford to do more than keep the clockwork running and it died of terminal rust...

I’d love one of these. Might be ambitious, but I want one for my first car

Great review!

I've owned one for a few years. Absolutely agree that one should be maintained as a driver. The original engines and gearboxes were weak, so these and a great deal of other things were subject to improvement by a variety of owners before me. That is, the car is full of automotive archeology (including two grenades and a cluster bomb submunition I found hidden in the heater box - judged safe by the bomb squad.)

I'm going to buy one. No really. I have my eye set on one here in South Carolina and Im probably going to pull the trigger.

I had exactly the same as this car in the 60s. REG 605 MPH. Paid £350.00 for it! Does anyone know where it is now? I would love to know. Cheers.

Driving for pleasure for the fun of it simple a Lotus Elan, early Sunday mornings a summer's day round country twisting lanes? Nothing comes close to it on 4 wheels, now at my old age a Healey 3000 will do just fine am not fuzzy I'll settle for an MGA twin cam not asking for much Just any of my 3 all time favourite sport cars on earth, n believe me guys I prefer either of these 3 to Any modern super car by FAR an Alfa my 4th choice

Small sports cars are the best...

Bug Eye, not Frog eye I suppose you call it that but our family had a 60 from new until just a few ago but never heard frog eye before.

The Frog ... !

It’s built like a D-type. M.

Are they legal in the US

CHEERIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing quite like driving an old slow-ish car fast-ish, with the top down….reliving the golden age of motoring. Sadly the powers that be will not allow us to continue to do so for much longer…

Love the car, agree with your observations, but can we just talk about that horrendous shirt for a moment? Did you lose a bet?

does anyone have a suzuki cappuccino Jay can borrow?

"Bug-eyed" Sprite here in the US. The car of choice for SCCA "H" Production racing! Sorry but, did you do any research on this car? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin-Healey_Sprite#Mark_I

usa it was called '' bug eye '' sprite ..

英国製ライトウエイトスポーツを代表する"Frogeye"

I grew up rebuilding and driving Bug-eyed Sprites. This video is wrong on almost all counts. On the back roads of New Canaan, my Sprite would out race any car you want to put up against it. My sister still has my first Sprite, I gave it to her as a wedding present.

Now you are talking .

Want to buy? I have one!

That's not an Astin Healy Midget is what non brits called it,