1958-’ 61 Austin-Healey Sprite
A reliable return on your money that’s more fun than a bond
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG FITZGERALD
It wasn’t the fastest, the best han- dling, or the most expensive, but one look at that wide-eyed countenance
and it’s obvious that the Austin-Healey
Sprite Mark I (known by the chassis prefix “AN5”) is the most recognizable, and
arguably the most beloved, sports car of
all time. Penned in record time by Gerry
Coker, the Sprite was among the sports
cars that truly put Great Britain on the
map in terms of automotive production.
AN5 Sprites were produced for four
model years beginning in 1958 and ending in 1961 with the introduction of the
MkII Sprite, which had a much more
conventional appearance. In those four
years of production, 48,987 Sprites were
produced, the vast majority— 36, 247—
specifically for export and most of those
specifically for the United States. Production hit its peak in 1959, when 21,566
cars (nearly half of all the AN5 Sprites
ever built) rolled off the assembly line.
To put that in some perspective, Abingdon only produced 51, 317 100, 100-6 and
3000 models between 1958 and 1968. The
Sprite was an unqualified cash cow for
Austin-Healey.
That’s good for you, too, if you’re interested in buying one. They’re still relatively plentiful, and they enjoy a rabid
fan base and a strong aftermarket to support you after your purchase. There are
a nifty old used car. Back in 1979, we
found several examples that were either
repainted and mechanically serviced or
in original condition, both in the $1, 500
to $2,000 range.
A rising tide raises all boats, they say,
and when Ferraris were hitting their
peak in 1989, Austin-Healey Sprites were
enjoying a spike in value, too. A largely
original 1961 Sprite in the dry environs
of the Lone Star State was available for
$5, 500. That still doesn’t sound like a
lot of money, but it’s a more than 100
percent increase in ten short years.
A “trophy winning” Sprite was also
advertised with a price of $4,995.
Just ahead of the new millennium
in 1999, the value of an Austin-Healey
Sprite was still climbing but not at quite
the level seen between 1979 and 1989.
Several Sprites advertised in Hemmings
Motor News in 1999 were carrying price
tags between $8,995 and $9,995.
Today, that leveling value trend continues. Restored Sprites generally change
hands for between $12,000 and $15,000,
with only a handful of immaculately
restored cars ever reaching close to
$20,000. Factor in the rate of inflation
since 1979, and the value of an AN5 Sprite
has risen in remarkably similar fashion
to that $100 savings bond your grandma
gave you when you graduated from high
school.
cars that are vastly superior to the Mk1
Sprite in almost every respect, often for a
lot less money, but with the exception of
an original Mini or an early VW Beetle,
there isn’t a more sure-fire conversation
starter in automotive history.
Prices have climbed slowly but steadily
over the years. We flipped through three
decades’ worth of issues of Hemmings
Motor News to see where prices were
back in the days when a Sprite was just
Value Trend
$15, 500
$13,000
$9,000 $1, 500 $1,000 $5,000 $3,000 $5, 500 $8,000 $10, 500 $13,000
$500
1969
1979
1989
1999
2009
