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EcoModded Sprite

HealeyRick

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Found this while doing some early A.M. surfing:

aero-austin-healey-sprite.jpg



user16915_pic5847_1391141892.jpg


From: https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthr...ed-austin-healey-sprite-consistent-28086.html


  • In the early 1970's I was driving 110 miles per day so I modified an Austin Healy Sprite and doubled its mileage over a period of years to a consistent 65 MPG (unheard of in those days).
  • This was a 1960 "Bug Eye" with an 850cc engine. It turned close to 3000 at 60 mph and gave 33mpg on average, originally.
  • It wound up with a 1600cc pinto engine (& transmission) with the camshaft retarded 2 notches (poor man's Atkinson cycle)
  • Additional (2nd) Buick transmission, reversed, to gain up to a 2.5 overdrive
  • The engine cruised at 1100 rpm @ 55MPH (Nixon days).
  • A slight incline required downshifting, but I had 12 speeds.
  • It was made of junk yard body pieces, pop rivets and bondo. Eye level was 70's skirt level.
Here was the car mid-way through its transformation:

attachment.php



Ultimately (after a 250,000 miles), the modified car was taken off the road & dismantled for safety reasons. A student got the chassis in exchange for destroying the body. He had a Midget and could use the parts.
 
Would have fit in well in some of those sci fi movies you posted earlier, Rick!
 
Found this while doing some early A.M. surfing:

Ultimately (after a 250,000 miles), the modified car was taken off the road & dismantled for safety reasons. A student got the chassis in exchange for destroying the body. He had a Midget and could use the parts.

what chassis?
 
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