The price of the Ashley GT conversion kit is $2,700, whether ordered with the Silverstone front end (below) or the Goodwood front end (above). Photos courtesy MotoBuild Racing
Back in the early Sixties, a British company called Ashley Engineering was noted for manufacturing lightweight, wind-cheating body kits for the Austin-Healey Sprite. Long out of production, those conversion kits are once more available, thanks to the efforts of a U.K. company called MotoBuild Racing.
Conversion kits are available in a mix-and-match assortment of front ends. There’s a Silverstone front end, with inset headlamps and a smoothly curving hoodline, and a Goodwood front end, with a lower hood and a bulge for engine clearance. Either can be had with a round tail, or a Kamm tail. In any combination, the kit is £1,695, or about $2,700, plus shipping. You supply the Sprite or MG Midget.
“Sleek and beautifully styled, the Ashley lightweight bonnet and GT hardtop transform the Spridget into a highly individual configuration,” the company says. “The improved airflow brings better performance and there is a significant reduction in overall body weight. All Ashley conversions are designed to fit with the minimum of time and trouble and are backed up with a complete catalog of accessories that further enhance the evocative ‘GT’ look to your car.”
The company says it will ship kits anywhere in the world, although it cautions that shipping costs are likely to be high because of the components’ size. Also available are several additional bits, ranging from Ashley badges, body plates and rocker cover plates for £19, or about $30, to Plexiglas windows for £495, or about $780. The original Ashley roof used the back and side windows from the Sprite factory hardtop, and we’ll presume they’ll fit the new kit, too. Best to check, though.
Ashley made body kits for the MGB, Spitfire and E-Type, too; there’s no indication that they’re going to follow the Spridget kits back into production, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. For more information, visit www.ashleygt.co.uk.
