Here's the Innocenti Spyder HISTORY from my BCF Ad:
<span style="font-style: italic">The Innocenti Spyder is a direct "cousin" of the Austin-Healey Sprite.
For those who are unfamiliar...
In 1961 Innocenti started to sell Italian bodied versions of the Austin Healey Sprite with platform & drivetrain designs licensed to them from BMC to manufacture. Although there were Completely Knocked Down (CKD) versions of the Sprite sent to other companies, the Innocentis were different as they were manufactured by Innocenti. The Ghia designed bodies evolved from the original 950 Spyder into the “S” 1100 Spyder convertible and later the “C” coupe.
In 1961 the Italian car maker Innocenti founded in 1931 by Fernando Innocenti started making a Ghia-styled version of the Austin Healey Sprite. The Innocenti 950 Spyder used the same suspension, steering, drivetrain, and A-series engine as the Bugeye (aka Frogeye) Sprite.
Innocenti located in Milan hired Ghia of Turin to design the body of this new car which was manufactured by OSI. The Innocenti versions of the Sprite and Minis featured more comfortable options than their British counterparts. Innocenti offered luxuries such as wind-up windows, larger doors, exterior and lockable boot lid, lockable glovebox and exterior door handles.
Many Italian parts were used in the appearance of the Innocenti. Instead of Smith's gauges Italian Veglia instruments were used. Unlike the Bugeye which had a flat windshield, the Innocenti had a more stylish & expensive curved one. The Innocenti's boxiness was before the Mark II Sprite / Mark I Midget and its TR6 looking front end predated the Triumph by almost ten years. This award winning car design also heavily influenced the future design of Honda's very first production car the Honda S 500 which went on sale in 1963.
The Innocenti 950 Spyder was announced at the 1960 Turin Motor Show. The first cars were built from the Bugeye (AN5) and only 624 of them were produced. 4783 Innocenti 950 Spyders were built from the Sprite Mark II (HAN6) but the Innocenti itself was unchanged by the restyling that Austin Healey had made. All of the 950 Spyders used the A-Series 948cc engine.
In 1963 the Innocenti received the 1098cc A-Series engine from the Sprite Mark II (HAN7) and the car was renamed to the Innocenti “S”. The Innocenti “S” also received a new grill, badging, hub caps, and a drastically different looking interior. The Innocenti “S” saw 2074 produced, only half that of the 950 Spyder, making the “S” a rather rare and collectable member of the Sprite line of cars.
In 1966 Innocenti did its most drastic redesign and replaced the Innocenti “S” with the Innocenti “C”, a fixed top coupe. Although the Sprite and Midget now were coming with 1275cc engine these were never placed into the Innocenti coupe. 487 Innocenti coupes were built from the Sprite Mark II (HAN7) and 307 from the Sprite Mark III (HAN8), making the Innocenti Coupe the rarest of the Innocenti-Sprite family.
In total 7651 Innocentis were built from the Sprite. Most of these cars were sold in Italy and most of the exports were to the United States and Switzerland. The downfall of the Sprite based car was probably their high cost and its competition from the MGB which was introduced only a year later than the 950 Spyder.
The Innocenti Spyder continues to have a small but loyal following in the US, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK. Unique parts are frequently available via eBay and other sources, and of course most of the drivetrain parts are identical to those used on the Sprite/Midget.</span>