The cheerful Austin-Healy Sprite is the archetypal classic British roadster. In fact, the lightweight and nimble Austin-Healey Sprite is such a charming roadster that the design of the original Mazda Miata pays an unmistakable homage to the Sprite's childish grin.
A timeless automobile with a sunny disposition, the Austin-Healy Sprite has admirers from all ages and all walks of life-- enter Sorella Stoute of Portland, Oregon. Little Sorella is just 14-months-old but she managed to successfully win an eBay auction for a bring-a-trailer 1962 Austin-Healey Sprite after she had taken her father's smartphone.
Paul Stoute had his eBay app turned on after a brief window shopping session but his daughter Sorella did him a favor with a $225 winning bid on the old Austin-Healey Sprite.
"She decided to open the eBay app, and started clicking around and one thing led to another and we own a car," Paul Stoute told KOIN News. "I’m just glad she didn’t buy the $38,000 Porsche I was looking at."
An Austin-Healey Sprite that is literally a mere shell of its former self, the little British roadster comes with two engines in the back seat. The roadster will need extensive body work and restoration. No doubt, this particular example poses a daunting challenge to even the most professional of restorers. What's more, the Austin-Healey Sprite will require a lot of commitment, both in time and money, in order to get it running.
Ultimately, the Stoutes have decided to keep the car and restore it over time. The car will become Sorella on her 16th birthday or her high school graduation.
"I’ve done a lot of body work in the past, like bondo and stuff like that," said Paul Stoute. "But this is another realm altogether."
While little 14-month-old Sorella Stoute has made an incredible eBay purchase this time, her parents have added security codes to lock their phones in order to prevent any more surprise shopping sprees.
