Bugeye Sprite update

It's been over a year since I last posted on the Bugeye and a lot has transpired in that time so I thought an update would be in order. 

Since the last post in February of '23 the car's interior was finished, the lights and trim installed on the exterior and the engine, gearbox and rear end were all filled with the appropriate fluids. With petrol in the tank and some adjustments to the carburetors and distributor the engine roared to life and the Bugeye moved under its own power for the first time in almost forty years! All of this was chronicled on the Econobox Garage YouTube channel which you can reach by clicking on this link.

July '23 was a busy month with final preparations to get the car on the road legally. Insurance was procured, it passed its preregistration inspection with flying colors, license plate installed and then it was off to its public debut at the European Classic Car Meet hosted by the Vintage Sports Car Club of Calgary at Stanley Park in southwest Calgary.

Attracting a crowd at the 2024 ECCM

In good company

Looking towards the show grounds 2023 ECCM

I took the car to several shows over the remaining summer and fall where it was very well received.  I made a little model of the car and my daughter made a little frog to ride in it. I have this as a mascot that sits on the rear deck of the car... the younger generation seems to really like that as well as the car itself. One of the pleasures of showing the car is seeing the smiles on the faces of little kids when they get to sit behind the steering wheel.

"Froggy" the mascot in his car!

I was able to put on over 800 miles (1300km) before winter set in and the car tucked away in the garage.

Fast forward to March '24 and the organizers of the Calgary International Auto & Truck Show asked the VSCCC if some members were willing to display their cars in the "classics" section of that show. I jumped at the opportunity and was one of five cars from the club to accept the invitation. The other four were a couple of E-Type Jags, a D-Type replica and a Pantera.

 

On display at the 2024 Calgary International Auto & Truck Show

A frog among the cats!

I had the car towed to the show as it was very cold and very snowy. However, when the show was over the weather had warmed up considerably and the roads had dried up accordingly so I decided to drive home! I left the roof off, made sure I had the heater turned on and drove out of the BMO Center into a brisk, +5ºC, but sunny day! 

This car always draws waves, smiles and thumbs ups and this twenty minute drive home was no exception with the first one coming before I even left the parking lot!

Just a bit of snow on the ground!

Once I got home I had some errands to run so I thought I may as well use the Bugeye as it was out and warmed up! I'm looking forward to many more miles, smiles and car shows in the coming months.

Thanks for checking in! I'd love to hear from you so please leave a note in the comments section below!

 

Ramblings of a car guy.

I've always liked cars.

My dad's 1959 Riley One-Point-Five. My first car photo circa 1966 near Reading, UK.

I can remember almost all of the cars my parents had. I remember as a ten year old watching cars drive by the house and trying to name them all. I remember the first time I drove a car; it was a '64 Dodge station wagon with a push button automatic! 

Dad's '64 Dodge wagon circa 1971. Calgary, AB.

 I remember the car I took my driving lessons in and some of the routes taken. I remember the subscriptions to several car magazines that I would read almost the moment they were retrieved from the mailbox. I remember my first car and all the following purchases, most of them anyway, and fortunately the good ones outnumbered the bad ones. I remember buying my first socket set so I could fix the broken rear end in my first car. I remember the first car I bought brand new, where I bought it and how much I paid for it.

My 1959 Beetle. Calgary AB, circa 1974.

59 Beetle interior shot

 

Hagerty's Jason Cammisa "reviews" the Renault R5 Turbo

 

Renault 5 Turbo (photo from Mecum Auctions)

I know I've posted about the Renault 5 turbo a couple of times already (previous post here) but Hagerty just posted this fun video and I had to share....

Enjoy! Oh, and please let me know of any other hot hatches you'd like to see

What are we up to now?

When the econoboxes of the late eighties and early nineties came on the scene the aim was to provide an inexpensive and economical alternative to the gas guzzlers of the day. This was not a new phenomenon in the auto industry! In the mid fifties British sports cars were expensive and didn't get very good gas mileage.

In 1956 Donald Healey, of Austin Healey fame, was tasked by Leonard Lord, chairman of the British Motor Corporation, to come up with a small low-cost sports car. This resulted in the development of the Austin Healey Sprite, a small lightweight two seat roadster that Healey described as "something a chap could keep in his cycle shed"!

1960 Austin Healey Sprite. Photo taken Aug '18 in Calgary.

Why am I bringing this up on the Econobox Cafe blog you may ask?

European hatchbacks: fourth in a series.

Welcome to the fourth and final (for now) post in our series on a number of econoboxes, and their "hot hatch" variants, that were not available in the North American market. In this post we'll journey to Italy and Japan!

First to Italy to have a look at the Fiat Tipo. This subcompact first went on sale in the European market in June of 1988 and in the UK the following month.It was only available as

Putt Putt: Memories of a first car

I've been involved in the Festiva community for almost twenty years and over that time I've met a lot of other owners, both locally and internationally. I've also had the opportunity to help some owners keep their cars on the road. I recently parted out a Festiva as it was beyond saving with rust having taken its toll. I asked its owner, Sara, to share the story of that car and here it is...

May I introduce Putt Putt!

My younger sister (Jana) purchased the car in July 2013,shortly after she turned 16, from a guy in Calgary named James; she named it “Putt Putt” because of the sounds it made. It was just shy of 118,000 km and from what I heard, it was very lightly used and had just been sitting in a garage mostly

One time when she was driving our cousin home from school, smoke started coming out of the radio and they had to pull over and get picked up. Luckily it turned into nothing worse!

European hatchbacks: third in a series.

Welcome back to France! After a quick trip across the channel in the previous Euro hatchback post we've returned to take a look at the Renault Clio and Citroen AX econoboxes and their hot hatch variants that were not available in the North American market.
 

European econoboxes and hot hatches.

The Renault Clio was introduced in 1990 to replace the successful but aging Renault 5.

European hatchbacks: second in a series.

Welcome to the second of four posts featuring a number of econoboxes, and their "hot hatch" variants, that were not available in the North American market. These will be models available from the late 80s until the mid to late 90s manufactured in France, the UK, Italy and Japan!

European econoboxes and hot hatches.

In this week's post I'll introduce you to cars from both sides of the English Channel.

A case of mistaken identity... it's NOT a Fiesta!

One of the bane's of Festiva ownership is that people aren't sure what kind of car they're looking at and are prone to call it something other than what it is. The most common alias is Fiesta, and it has happened to me so often I've given up correcting them!

Not a fiesta!

So for more of a lighthearted post I thought I would share a few mistaken identity stories from the Festiva.

European hatchbacks: first in a series.

The selection of econoboxes in North America in the late 80's and early 90's wasn't a wide one.There were a few domestic models but most were captive imports such as the Ford Festiva and Dodge Colt or models directly from Honda, Toyota and the like. Cities and towns are generally spread over long distances in North America so cars, and trucks for that matter, tended towards the large size for comfort and because we had the room! Such is not the case in Europe. Towns and cities are much closer together, countries smaller and the continent is more densely populated. If you took a twelve hour drive in Canada or the US you wouldn't leave Canada or the US. A twelve hour drive in Europe, for example from Amsterdam to Milan could have you  in a total of six countries; Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Italy! That's part of the reason that the majority of cars in Europe tend to be smaller. Combine that with the high cost of fuel and the result was, and still is, a much larger selection of cars that would fit into the econobox category. 

European econobox and hot hatch

This is the first of four posts coming over the next couple of months that will feature a number of those econoboxes, and their "hot hatch" variants, not available in the North American market. These will be models available from the late 80s until the mid to late 90s manufactured in France, the UK, Italy and Japan!

A forgotten econobox

When was the last time you saw a Yugo? Well, friends of mine recently posted a couple of photos of one in Pennsylvania.....

Yugo in the wild. Pennsylvania 2020. Photo credit Isaac Rodriguez

Yugo in the wild 2020 Pennsylvania. Photo credit Isaac Rodriguez.

Just what is a Yugo and why don't we remember them? The Yugo GV was manufactured in Serbian city of Kragujevac and introduced to North America by Malcolm Bricklin. The year was 1985 and Bricklin was having a rough go with the Pininfarina Spiders and Bertone X1/9s he was importing and needed a product to bolster his business.

Show N Shine planning time.

Part two in a series:

You've decided on a show... what's next? There's lots of things to consider... time commitment, location, costs, in town, out of town, what do I need to bring, what to do during the show and others. If the show you're interested in going to has preregistration I recommend registering early to ensure that you can get in and show your ride.

Found a shady spot at the Okotoks Show N Shine August 2019

If you plan it they will come... day nineteen

Tuesday October 15th

Frosty morning in Buffalo WY

It was quite chilly when we woke up this morning, chilly enough that I had to scrape the windows before we left the campground. Noticed on the way into town for breakfast that it was only 35ºF/+2ºC! Our dining choice for this last day of the road trip was the Busy Bee Diner attached to the Occidental Hotel on Main Street. The Busy Bee has a long history in the town as does the hotel.

If you plan it they will come... day eighteen

Monday October 14th


 

Monday morning moon-rise over the Rocky Mountains.

Part of our original plan for today was to leave the RV at Bass Pro and take a run up Pikes Peak which would have taken about four hours. This has been on my bucket list for quite some time. But.... we learned from Stewart yesterday that due to construction of a new visitor center at the top the road was open only part way up and you had to take a shuttle from that point on. So with that in mind and considering that the car wasn't running that well we decided not to go and came up with a new plan. 

First things first... we went for breakfast at a great little place called C&C Coffee Kitchen not too far from our overnight spot. The place was clean, the staff cheery and helpful and the food was very good; highly recommended!

Our breakfast provider..

Breakfast done, we refuelled the vehicles and headed north to Denver. Our destination, Hammond's Candies. Hammond's started as a small family business about 100 years ago  with a loyal local following, it has now grown into an iconic brand with international distribution. We arrived about ten minutes before one of their scheduled tours which we joined. Learned about the history of the company, watched candy being made, watched it being packaged, then received a sample as we exited the tour into the gift shop! 
 

At Hammond's Candies.

Some of Hammond's Candies....

We continued northward on I-25 stopping in Loveland CO to pick up groceries and gas. Andrew had to slow his pace in the RV a bit because this stretch of highway was very windy.
Our stop at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Centre just south of Cheyenne WY was a welcome stretch of legs and quick check on e-mail etc. 

Phyllis braving the wind at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

We turned off the interstate just north of Cheyenne WY to make our way to the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The same weather system that brought the cooler temperatures had dumped quite a bit of snow here a few days earlier. It was a bit of surprise to still see some of that snow on the side of the road! 

Snow!

Fort Laramie was originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, which evolved into the largest and best known military post on the Northern Plains. It was abandoned in 1890 and nearly succumbed to the ravages of time. In 1938 it became part of the National Park Service and restoration projects have been going on since.

At Fort Laramie

Sharon, Andrew and Phyllis enjoying a windy lunch.

After a picnic lunch we took a walk around the buildings, some of which have been restored, others left mere shells of their original. One building that really portrayed the life of the soldiers that were stationed here was the Cavalry Barracks. Rows of single beds lined the outside walls of the upper floor either side of the central stairwell. There was no privacy and very little space for personal items, just a simple box at the foot of each bed and a couple of hooks to hang coats and guns!

Upper floor of the Cavalry Barracks... not much in the way of privacy.

Cavalry Barracks at Fort Laramie.

We headed west to rejoin the interstate then headed north to our next overnight at the KOA in Buffalo WY. It was still fairly windy so that held Andrew up a bit. The Festiva continues to have a miss but we are still maintaining highway speeds.

Heading north

We arrived at the campground just after dark, made our supper then went over our plans for the next day, which was going to be a long one!

Approximate route for today's drive.

Thanks for following along! Please let us know your favorite things about Wyoming in the comments section below.

If you plan they will come... day seventeen

Sunday October 13th


Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone
Everything that I've got, is just what I've got on...

Started humming that one yesterday and it's still in my head! Another sunny day and we're looking forward to what the day has in store for us. If ten Cadillac's partially buried nose down in the middle of a field sounds odd you'd be correct. But Cadillac Ranch  as it's call is an iconic Route 66 landmark, only twenty minutes from our overnight spot and on our route. It's just a short walk off the highway across a field... if it's been raining prepare to get muddy or wear some good boots! What makes this even odder is that you are allowed to spray paint the cars to your hearts content so that even if you go regularly it will never be the same twice.

Cadillac Ranch from the road side.

If you plan it they will come... day sixteen

Saturday October 12th

Woke up to another chilly morning, at least by San Antonio standards, as the effects of the cold front that came through yesterday are still being felt. Had our breakfast, met up with Andrew and Phyllis, stopped to fuel up both vehicles and hit the road... this time heading northward toward Amarillo TX.

Really cool VW bus spotted on the way out of San Antonio

If you plan it they will come... day fifteen

Friday October 11th

What a contrast!!! It was about 30ºC/86ºF when we went to bed last night but when we woke up this morning it was only 11ºC/52ºF and breezy. A cold front had rolled in from the north overnight!

After breakfast we all piled into the Festiva and headed into central San Antonio and the Alamo. With it being cold and breezy we just picked a parking lot close to the Alamo to reduce our walking times... paid about $25.00 for the day. 
 

First view....

If you plan it they will come... day thirteen

Wednesday October 9th

One of the things we were concerned about for our visit to New Orleans was parking. We had decided to purchase tickets for the City Sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off tour bus and discovered that there was a parking lot right next to the Basin Street Station on the edge of the French Quarter. We took advantage of the discounted tickets available at the campground, plugged the address into our Garmins and headed into the city.

Our spot at the New Orleans KOA

The twenty five minute drive in took us past the Mercedes Benz Superdome, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Once parked, we checked the payment booth and discovered there were three rates posted: cars, 12 hours, $5.00; cars 24 hours, $10.00; and RVs 24 hours $35. Seeing as we were parking less than twelve hours we picked the $5.00 option for both the car and the RV.

If you plan it they will come... day twelve

Tuesday October 8th

We enjoyed the it so much yesterday we decided to get up early, head back to the beach and watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with a light breeze and just a few clouds in the sky. Again, we were surprised by the number people out and about, some walking their dog, others just enjoying the dawn of a new day.

 

Here comes the sun.....

Sharon on the beach just after sunrise

One last look before we get on our way.

We made our way back to the RV Park, had breakfast, packed up and headed westward along highway US 98 before turning north to rejoin I-10.

If you plan it they will come... day eleven

Monday October 7th

It's beach day! It's also Andrew and Phyllis' wedding anniversary! Our KOA had a complimentary breakfast so we took advantage of that before heading off for the day. 

Anniversary breakfast for Andrew and Phyllis!

Our first stop would be Jacksonville Beach, about an hour away. Our route took us over the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, one of the largest cable stay bridges in the USA.It's also know as the Dames Point Bridge.

A soggy morning drive.