I found the Sprites last night and was given a tour of the hut in which they
are stored by the father of the owner. Its hard to describe the excitement
when he led me into the hut and my eyes adjusted enough to see what was all
around me. There are three bugeyes, a Mark I I, and what looked like two
Midgets. They are racked above each other in a way that only presents the
front or back to view. One bugeye is a pretty rough shell, the two yellow
ones look pretty restorable. Allegedly all the 'running gear' is stored
with them. Also in the shed were a 1934 Ford coupe, a couple of Model As
including a tow truck version, and a very early Corvette. Its was kind of
like Harrah's plus rust and cobwebs.
Peering into the bugeye cubicles, I could see little but the tops of the
original steeering wheels. The windshields are removed to fit them into
their slots and there was no room to see much of each car. They will need
to be dragged out one by one to really examine them.
The sad part is that they all belong to the son who is a car restorer in
Sebastapol. According to the dad, at least one deal to send all the
spridgets to Germany fell through. I certainly can't bring another one
home unless it is nearly free, so I have no interest in these. I suspect
the owner may have an unrealistic view of their value but I will phone him
and make inquiries anyway, posting the reply to the list. Judging from what
the son was asking for the rusty shell, I'm not holding my breath.
Regards,
Glen Byrns
'59 bugeye
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