Frogeye Sprite Replica - Better Than The Original? [MG Midget Tifosi Rana] (1976 Midget Road Test)
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- čas přidán 18. 08. 2020
- The Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite is a loveable little thing, but its charms make them sought after and hugely expensive as a result. What if you could get all the fun of a Frogeye in a much cheaper, arguably better package? Joe selflessly volunteered to drive the MG Midget derived Tifosi Rana to find out if this imitation is the ultimate flattery...
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I have owned two Bugeyes. I love this car and I am not offended by this retro. I love it.
I had a chance to Buy a bugeye Sprite some years back, I eventually settled on a 1968 triumphs TR 250… She’s a solid driver… Wouldn’t sell it for the World
TBH the TR is a nicer car; much more room, woodgrain dash, smooth six; just don't take on the Spridgets in the corners!
My first sportscar ( and actually the first car I bought myself ) was a Frogeye . I was working down in Exeter at the time and around 20 years old . Blasting around in the Frogeye with the roof off I had a permanent smile , and if you saw another one coming towards you - flash the lights and get flashed back , and pass with a wave . Can you imagine ANY marque of car that would inspire such behaviour today ???
I had a '68 AH Sprite (new). Came with the 1L. engine. Put the 1.5L engine in it. Was a lot of fun. Changed the rear end to the 283 ratio instead of the 455. Would easily do 110MPH +. Tried to get a bug eye here in the states, but was too scarce.
Lovely little thing!
Back in the 1970's my parents took the front clip off a Mk III sprite and bolted on the bugeye/frogeye nose. It was not unheard of at the time. No other mods. Quite frankly it's the best of both worlds. The looks of the bugeye/frogeye front end with with the convenience of wind-up side windows, better and more manageable convertible top plus a useable trunk. Even a little more pep with the 1100 engine. The Bugeye rear styling had character but what a chore to get anything of the storage area.
Very well done!! It is not sacrilegious if you consider that the original designer was horrified at the end product of having the "bug eyes", that we all love, rather than his envisaged Ferrari / E-type blended in lights and that I'm sure Donald Healey wanted to make a simple and affordable sports car.
I owned a bug eye sprite and loved it but like your much better. The convenience is great!
I was lucky enough to get one cheap at auction, and I just love the "frog eye" look. Its an ex rubber nose USA, 1978, 1500 engined MG Midget, with all the "luxury" items that entails. It is also an ex racer, with adjustable shocks etc. Its next cab off the rank for restoration work. Looking forward to getting into it.
Makes sense to combine the more readily available (and cheaper) MG Midget with the Frogeye Sprite. Would be nice to have some kind of impact devices set in the front ... just in case.
How about a slow walk-around of the car (with few close-ups) so we can take in the entire car?
Many years ago my brother had a non-frog eyed Sprite, it was a lot of fun despite the lack of power. Even over 40 years ago it was a massive welding project... this looks like a good way to recycle a lot of the ugly rubber bumper ones.
Nice video. So how much was the one you were driving?
In New England, it was a "Bug Eyed Sprite". in the 1960s.
Brilliant idea I’ll have two
He forgot to explain : Tifosy Rana means Tifosy Frog. Rana is Spanish for frog . It's a perfect idea . The pluses of the windup windows plus vent window ; the space behind the seats plus the pull up top and the forward opening front (why they didnt do that originally, I cant understand) , makes it the ideal Bugeye .
I like the idea of using the Midget since it will give just a touch more room inside. I am 6'4".
I don't think this car will give you any more interior space. The floor pan and everything under it are still the same as the original Frogeye. Interior space is slightly less, because the doors are probably thicker. Try one on for size.
I loved the looks, but. In High School in the early 1960's one of my friends was gifted one. After a half hour riding in the passenger seat I was ready to get out as the leg room was seriously cramped. The Driver's side appeared to be more so because of the pedals. I was only six foot tall at the time. More room sounds good.
@@rodshop5897 Correct. No extra space.
Is this treatment the same for other midget kits like the ones made by Speedwell as well?
After owning an AH MKIII I was shocked at how little the Sprite is. It was fun to drive because it’s always more satisfying when you get to thrash a car to get really moving than it is to go easy because the conditions don’t allow you to really get what the car has to offer.
In the early 80s I had a friend that did this for customers. He was a British car mechanic . He would take Mk2 sprites or any midget that had some front end damage and install either the fiberglass FrogEye bonnet or a salvaged original bonnet.
He'd mount them on full swing front hinges he built himself and latched the back with tractor hooks, racing pins or even a leather strap if the customer wanted that.
He left the trunk alone, so you knew they were hybrids...but they were far better daily cars than a Mk1. A trunk, a folding hood, a glove box, crank wind glass windows, dash vent air handler, and a bigger motor.
I had a 1974 (pre bumper) classic B.
If I wasn't 6'4" then I'd want one of these for only $10k. However driving that body for me is torture. I drove his a few times and said noooo.
Looks like a hilariously fun little thing, and I imagine it really does go too if you have the 1500 engine!
The 1500 doesn’t make significantly more power than the 1275, but the torque combined with less weight in this case means it really picks up!
Classics World - the 1275 maybe has less torque, but the Triumph 1500 is one of the most unreliable engines ever put between wheels...
There is a reason why Spitfire enthusiasts go for the 1300 and not for the 1500!!!
@@SkysaxonDragonslayer meh, my Midget 1500 always got me where I needed to go and ostensibly was quite neglected in its life. Don't get me wrong I was always pretty paranoid it would overheat or conk out but it didn't.
@@ClassicsWorldUK Yes, my 1500 Midget made more low end power than my 1275. But the 1275 would out run the 1500 as the revs increased.
I'm only asking but could you not make it really interesting and fit the very similar 1850 Triumph engine?
Could you add in a few twisty roads?
I have a 61 bugeye with a Chevy v8
400 hp will give you a real thrill
I want tw0!😊
didn't make me happy when I T-boned a 1965 Ford Galaxy. fortunately it was on the emergency room entrance to the Pascagoula Hospital.
I had a bugeye sprite back in 1970, it had a 1622 mga engine and gearbox and a glass fibre front and back so using glass fibre body panels is nothing new for a sprite. The car was an ex hillclimb car and once I sorted it’s propensity for breaking half shaft’s was a hoot to drive, very planted at the front and loose at the back unsurprisingly.
I used to have a Series 1 Morris Major before my MGB, and having Minor rear axles with a 1500 engine was stupid, {the spare parts man said they had a different part number, but I doubt it?] and they were too weak for the power.
I sorted the half shaft problem by having a conversation with a guy in BMC’s competition department- he gave me the part number for the special toughened shafts they developed for the racing 1275 Sprites, and they were the same price as the standard shafts. Ordered them through my local BMC garage and never broke a shaft again.
The lights had to be moved up to the Frog Eye position to meet US regs...
I never knew that!
The frogeye was a pretty rough and crude car. It looked good from the outside but inside was ridiculous primitive. Not even a proper back trunk but a cubby hole behind the seats. This is a much more refined car with the same look.
Brilliant video! Although a nice idea, it is such a shame for those Midgets that disappear because of these new frogeyes. The Midget in my opinion is a lovely looking car, with a classic nose so in that regard, I'd say it is too much a case of one's advantage is anothers disadvantage.
Like so many automotive things from the 1970's, the post 1973 1/2 Midget was inferior in performance to the Midget/Sprites that came before. For pollution reasons, the original A35 engines were replaced with down tuned Triumph engine. To become crash compliant in the US, the suspension was raised so the bumpers met Federal standards. These two issue alone degraded the North American version of the Midget. Realizing this adaptation is directed at the British market, have any of the issues noted above been addressed in this new conversion of the car?
North American consumers were encouraged when the company reissuing replacement unibodys for the MG B and Midget kept those bodies in a form that didn't degrade either car's performance, and corrected some long term design problems with both. Primarily metallurgy that rusted all too soon.
Love to have seen a bit more of the car ..instead of all the chit chat..
Could this be built on another platform?
We call them "Bugeyed Spites" in America. -Gunny T sends
Cute very cute love them but if you live here in the states and you want to have a sports car it's fun to drive there's only one option and it's made by Mazda great fun reliable toy that can be driven every day
Is this available in USA?
Wondering if I could just do the front-end treatment? I like having a real trunk on my Midgets!
You certainly can, it's a two-piece kit
@@ClassicsWorldUK Nice! Then even those who know Midgets and Sprites will be confused at the same time! ;-D
Goes straight on... but it looks a bit strange.
i want one. where can i get one in the usa?
My dad got me a new Midget in high school 63. Now I have a modern roadster. The MG was the most fun est.
I know the classic English small sports car is a bit of a religion with some, but I'd love to bust open that paradigm with an all electric version of this adorable frog! (Admittedly, that would sacrifice that delightful exhaust gurgle. :^/ ) It would actually make a fun city car - to the aesthetic envy of your friends - that you could park anywhere. It'd be so light & efficient, even with a small battery you could probably do all your daily errands, or moderate commute, on a single nightly charge.
Check bugeyeguy.com. He's already built one
@@rhark25 Thanks, I was glad to read, and enjoyed the site. :^)
@@pbasswil There's also the RBW Roadster, which is an electric MGB, using a brand new shell from British Motor Heritage. It starts at £90,000 + VAT, though.
I bought a buggeyed Sprite with a 292 cubic inch Chevy…..power glide transmission…dodge rear end……
Faster than stink….sold it because I couldn’t drive to my classes because of overheating 🥵 issues…
Yeah….there was a huge hole in the hood…not a sleeper…
Excellent but the wheel gap at the back is not right.
Wasn't there a company that used mini mechanicals in their frogeye kit car? I always thought it was a good idea as the wheel base is the same apparently.
Yes, the Banham Sprint. They always looked slightly ’off’ to me, though; I think partly to do with the different wheel offset between the fwd and rwd cars. The interior’s totally different too, though loads more space in a Banham
Would love to have one, would be hard to do here in the Americas. Not many Midgets here to start with, then shipping the fiberglass kit across the ocean.
Loads of Bugeyes for sale. Recently saw a running model from the youtuber "this week with cars" go on eBay for $8500.
The Mazda MX5/Miata was designed to have a smiling face.
It was the "Bug-Eye" Sprite!
Not in the UK!
Thank you.
I don't think I'd want roll down windows or door handles on a bug-eye.
Nice :-)
Sorry I have my frogeye why change something that don't need fixed. Cars for fun. That's why I have my original frog
With the Miata going bigger and losing old school charm, This car could redevelop the English sports car. Miatas are priced at close to $30,000 in the US. Call it the Frog Eye 2.
Market it as the 21 rebirth of English Sports cars. Miata is going the way of the Porsche 911. The Porsche 911 started out with 130 horsepower. The Miata is heading for 200 horsepower.
I would shop for a new frame and find a good quality 1600 motor like the old Honda Del Sol si which produced 127 horses and really reved. Make a new car that looks like the frog eye
and then you got something!
Repro Bug Eyes are nothing new. Done many years back, and successfully.
I have no problem with this version, but would not buy one.
I would prefer to get my 1958 back and make a better version of itself using
as many original Sprite/Midget, BMC parts as possible.
Always new them as bugeye, never really heard anyone call them frogeyes
That was their most common name in the UK!
@@ClassicsWorldUK I'd say the country of origin has the correct naming wrights. Don't think Germany ever really called them vw bugs either
英国製ライトウエイトスポーツを代表する"Frogeye"
I think you're wrong when you say the most human-like. The clues' in the nickname "frogeye"!!!!! 😃
Anything had to be better than the original: flooded in the rain and people stole the top and gearshift knob.
Ahh . another car we can't get in the US ?
The Triumph 1500cc engine has only 3 main bearings a real weak point of this car.
But they knicked the boot.!
They were actually were worried it would crack so deleted it. Suspension loads are taken into the floor so it was never a problem. Later cars use 1/2 rather than1/4 springs. Convert a later car back is a problem as you need to take the load somewhere. I have done this to a damaged MG Midget which now looks exactly like a Bugeye doors and all. The scuttle needs to be reshaped to do that bit. The worst part is the BMC mechanicals. Basic thinking is very clever using a very ordinary parts bin they made a great little fun car at a super low price.
@@ianjgd......thank you for the reply..I suppose.,at least the "no boot"., gives you an even lighter structure in GRP.,but it seems a shame to loose more function..No way to make a "fipp up" to the whole "tail" to be in keeping with the whole moulding.?
Let's put a Range Rover V8 in that puppy.
roll up glass door windows on a Bugeye?.......NOOOOOO
Americans call them "Bug eyed" Sprites. They are wrong
there is no wrong or right with that, its all just a matter of region
BUG EYE sprite....not Frog...
An English car has an English name, hence frogeyed Sprite. Our colonial cousins call it bug eyed......but then English is their second language.
@@ronwhite8503 no kidden?.....
..did you say most Human like face?….for this car…try Frog like face,that is why it was called the Frogeye.
Can't be worse.
I really do not understand the attraction of the Frogeye. The genuine one was more like a kit car in design and build, an awful car..
The original had horrible reliability and was under powered.
its now..."MG little person". you can't say midget. midget.midget.midget.
Sacrilegious, but entirely desirable and understandable at the same time. I have two Bugeyes being restored now, but would love to see someone reproduce this design with a carbon fiber chassis. How fun would that be with a Miata drive train!
Frog eye please !
@@ussweeneyd If you called it a "frogeye" around here, no one would have the slightest idea what you were talking about, maybe not even at an SCCA meet where there are 25 of them.
@@brettbuck7362 if any genuine “A” series Sprite/Midget enthusiast doesn’t know the correct terminology of this iconic 70+ year old marque I would suggest they should research.
stumbled back on this 2 years later and now I have three bugeyes and a midget now. I like the looks of the Midget too much to alter it like this, and bugeyes aren't exactly rare, though they are just increasing in value in the 2 years since. Also, more and more Midgets are for sale around here, for $2k to $4k for nice examples, that I can still totally understand why someone would go for this modification.