The Last Sprite

The Story

The End of an Era, Preserved

When the Donald Healey Motor Company commissioned this car in 1969, they were writing the final chapter of one of British motorsport's most beloved stories. This is the last Austin Healey Sprite prototype ever constructed — a car built not for production, but for the pure pursuit of racing glory at one of the world's most demanding events: the Targa Florio.

The Targa Florio, held on the winding mountain roads of Sicily, was unlike any other race. It demanded a car that was light, nimble, and mechanically bulletproof. This prototype was engineered to meet that brief precisely — fitted with mechanical fuel injection and a dry-sump engine, it was the most sophisticated Sprite ever built.

After its Targa Florio campaign, the car returned to Sebring in 1970, where it competed alongside its sister car — the Guthrie prototype — in the 12 Hours. Together, they represent the final, glorious flourish of the Healey racing program. Today, fully restored, this car is the last surviving example of a lineage that defined an era.