Hey Drew....

[Whitephrog]

...check this out.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...396c212fb&item=221572633339&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[Jim_Gruber]

This one is so perfect pics look Photoshopped. Back end way up in the air. It looks like a museum piece not a driver.

 

[JPSmit]

amazing!!!

 

[Bayless]

Is pretty but photos of a white car on a white background are not ideal.

 

[drooartz]

Does look nice -- though I'm not a fan of the white wheels. Very much like Penny will look some day, white with red interior, RHD. This one is probably a converted car if it has really lived it's life in Washington. The VIN listed is not correct (could be one of the body numbers) for a Bugeye, and that would tell. Minor detail, though.

If its really that clean then the price seems reasonable. I'll have more than that into Penny by the time she's done, for sure.

 

[Gerard]

Does look nice -- though I'm not a fan of the white wheels. Very much like Penny will look some day, white with red interior, RHD. This one is probably a converted car if it has really lived it's life in Washington. The VIN listed is not correct (could be one of the body numbers) for a Bugeye, and that would tell. Minor detail, though.

If its really that clean then the price seems reasonable. I'll have more than that into Penny by the time she's done, for sure.

Hmmmm... So nobody has noticed that the lower end of the rear wheel arches have been clipped? Take a look at the the boot floor pan between the gas tank and the rear valance. This car has taken a good whack to the back end. I'd be very concerned about how much bondo and patch panels make up this car! Wrong VIN ID?... that's not a letter/number used on on the A-pillar tags. I'm not sure how much is the rear end being too high as much as front end kinda low. The front spring looked to be very compressed for some reason. 20 large and no sway bar and vinyl lifting of edge of dash?... hmmm... The description states "1250cc" which I thought is just a lack of knowledge/guess by the seller, but that's not a 1275 head (nor valve cover) I'm seeing, so the block won't be either. It has an aftermarket fuel tank and Facet pump too (those babies are noisy). Looks to have an aftermarket side moneyed oil filter, and I see no evidence of a tach drive, though tack looks correct/original. They got the wipers sweep correct for RHD at least.

What I see is a nice paint job and a lot of new parts... doesn't look like an honest presentation to me.

BMC Green head head pictured is a 1275, gray head is a 1098. Last image from ad photo gallery.

 

[lewmac]

Also the brake and clutch line from the Master Cylinder are routed incorrectly for a RHD car, should be on the outside - right hand side. Probably are the LHD pipes modified for RHD rather than the correct length pipes.

...check this out.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...396c212fb&item=221572633339&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[Boink]

Can't stand it when the underside is painted black... and this case it's only the very bottom surface (and up around the gas-take).

 

[smaceng]

Good catch on the rear end damage, Gerard!
Here are two pictures....first of my "old" car, and the second of the subject car

.



Scott in CA

 

[Gerard]

Good catch on the rear end damage, Gerard!
Here are two pictures....first of my "old" car, and the second of the subject car

.View attachment 34822

View attachment 34823

Scott in CA

Did you notice that the license plate is significantly off center? Also, I on't know if it's an illusion, but the recess for the plate doesn't look correct either... appears vertical lines have too much curvature.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Nominees to look at back end of Bugsy II. He took a shot in the rear ended and a complete rear clip was installed. Not that I will change things anyway. Looks like body an took liberties to trim and fit those hard to fit areas.

 

[smaceng]

I emailed the seller, and they stated the Body # was used as the VIN and it actually said BAE 46780 (located on a tag on the right door post). This would put the production toward the end of 1960.
They also stated the tag on the frame in the engine compartment read AN5R46780, which does not seem right. A right hand drive should not have the "R" in the Chassis #, and the Body # rarely if ever matches the Chassis #. All number plates were attached with the original rivets it was claimed, not that that was ever the case!
Scott in CA

 

[Gerard]

I emailed the seller, and they stated the Body # was used as the VIN and it actually said BAE 46780 (located on a tag on the right door post). This would put the production toward the end of 1960.
They also stated the tag on the frame in the engine compartment read AN5R46780, which does not seem right. A right hand drive should not have the "R" in the Chassis #, and the Body # rarely if ever matches the Chassis #. All number plates were attached with the original rivets it was claimed, not that that was ever the case!
Scott in CA

I agree with the fact that BAE number and chassis number would likely not occur, which probably indicates at least one is a reproduction. The car is obviously not an original RHD car, but was converted. Clearly, the sellers and also builder(s) of this car were not familiar with the subtle details of the Bugeyes.

I'm surprised you did get the engine number. I blew up the one photo where you can see the number plate, and the first digit appears to be a "9", but even with the enhancements I made, it wasn't clear enough to be 100% certain. Seems to be missing the tach drive, but can't be sure.

 

[drooartz]

Definitely some fishy VIN stuff going on. That always makes me nervous -- enough that I'd never buy a car with issues like that. VIN plate would definitely be a reproduction from the number they list. Best guess is that the title-by-body-number was already done so they matched the VIN plate in the engine bay. Lots of odd things happened to these little cars over the years. Would likely never be an issue, but if you're asking top dollar then these details need to be correct.

RHD cars have no letter (so AN5/12345) -- and all screwed onto the body. That was one of the things I had Bill check when he inspected Penny for me, as having an authentic home market UK RHD car was important to me.

 

[59diamond]

Well the car is no longer on E-Bay. I wonder if it got sold or pulled.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Drew,

Bugsy II's Title does indeed have an R in the VIN Documentation I have.

 

[Gerard]

Well the car is no longer on E-Bay. I wonder if it got sold or pulled.

It ended on Friday, but it will certainly be re-listed. The seller never followed through with answering my questions about the engine, so I'll be curious if anything changes on the new listing.

 

[Gerard]

Drew,

Bugsy II's Title does indeed have an R in the VIN Documentation I have.

All North American export cars have a "L", not an "R". Home market RHD cars have no letter, as the "L" indicates LHD. Cars that went to Australia and NZ were RHD, but were CKD and have their own very different lettering codes, beginning with "Y", as I recall.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

I take that back Bugsy II is AN5 25172, No L in any of the documents I have. Per BMH it was originally a RHD Sprite.

 

[Gerard]

I take that back Bugsy II is AN5 25172, No L in any of the documents I have. Per BMH it was originally a RHD Sprite.

Are you going to rebuild it that way or keep it LHD?