Austin Healy Sprite 1958 Review
He 17 makahiki wale nō ʻo ia a ua hauʻoli ʻo ia i ka ʻike ʻana ʻo ka hale kūʻai ma ka ʻaoʻao o kāna hana nona kahi kanaka he kanaka hoʻohiwahiwa kaʻa, ʻohi kaʻa a me kekahi mea pilikia ʻole e hāʻawi i nā kī i kahi ʻōpio.
"He mau kaʻa holoʻokoʻa ko ke kanaka i loko o ka hale kūʻai, a i kekahi lā ua nīnau ʻo ia inā makemake wau e hoʻokele," hoʻomanaʻo ʻo ia. "He mea hoihoi a leʻaleʻa, he kaʻa haʻuki maikaʻi wale nō."
A mai ia lā mai, ua pili ʻo ia a makemake e kūʻai iā ia iho. ʻEwalu mau makahiki i hala, ua lilo kēia i mea maoli no Holden.
"Makemake au e kūʻai i hoʻokahi no ka manawa lōʻihi, a ua loaʻa kēia ma kahi kaʻa kaʻa ʻelua mau minuke ma hope," wahi āna.
I ka ʻike ʻana i kēia, ua pale ʻo Holden i ka makemake, akā ma hope ua hele ʻo ia ma mua e kuhikuhi i kāna wahine.
"Ke kaʻa nei au a ʻōlelo kaʻu wahine, 'No ke aha ʻoe e nānā ʻole ai?' Ua ʻōlelo au, "Inā nānā wau, ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke haʻalele," akā ... ʻōlelo kaʻu wahine, "E nānā a ʻike i ka mea e hana nei."
A i kona koi ʻana iā ia e komo i loko o ke kaʻa, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Holden iā ia, "ʻAʻohe mea e huli i hope ke hoʻokomo wau i kaʻu hoki i loko."
"Mai koʻu wā ʻōpiopio, ua komo wau i nā kaʻa, nā kaʻa kaʻa, nā tractor a me nā mea mechanical," wahi āna.
ʻOiai ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke kūʻai i "kēlā mau mea pāʻani" i ka wā e hoʻomaka ai i kahi ʻohana, ʻōlelo ʻo Holden i ka wā i ʻae ʻia ke kālā, lele ʻo ia i ka manawa a makemake pū ʻo ia e kūʻai i kahi Bugeye hou, i kēia manawa no ka heihei.
"Ua hana maoli lākou ma ke ʻano he kaʻa haʻuki maikaʻi, akā nānā lākou a ʻōlelo mai, 'ʻAʻole, ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke loaʻa,' no ka mea makemake lākou i kahi kaʻa haʻuki komo. No laila ua wehe lākou i nā ʻāpana mai nā kaʻa ʻē aʻe e ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi a ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ka wahie, "wahi āna.
Ua kapa ʻia ʻo Bugeye ka kaʻa haʻuki unisex mua i hoʻolauna ʻia. ʻAʻole like me kona mau mua, ua kūkulu ʻia ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he kaʻa haʻuki maʻalahi a maʻalahi hoʻi e hoʻopiʻi ʻaʻole i nā kāne wale nō, akā e komo pū i kahi mākeke ulu lohi o ka manawa: nā wahine.
No ka hoʻohaʻahaʻa ʻana i ke kumukūʻai, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea BMC i hiki ke komo. Hōʻike ʻia ʻo Morris Minor hoʻokele a me nā kaʻa, kahi ʻenekini Austin A35, a me kahi hoʻoili ʻehā-wikiwiki. Ua manaʻo mua ʻia he mau kukui hiki ke hoʻihoʻi ʻia, akā no ka hoʻohaʻahaʻa ʻana i ke kumukūʻai, hoʻopili pololei lākou i nā kukui i ka puʻu. Ua loaʻa koke iā ia ka moniker Bugeye.
A me ka hoʻomau ʻana i kēia ʻano kūʻokoʻa, ʻaʻohe lima o ka puka a i ʻole ka uhi o ka Sprite. Ua hōʻea nā Bugeyes i Australia ma ke ʻano he Completely Knock Down Kit (CKD) a ua ʻākoakoa ʻia ma ʻaneʻi. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Holden, ʻoiai he mea nui ka mālama ʻana i kahi kaʻa 50 makahiki i nā manawa āpau, ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi o ka mālama ʻana no ka mea ʻo ia ka hapa nui o ka hana ponoʻī. Ho'āʻo ka 45 makahiki e holo ma ka liʻiliʻi hoʻokahi i kēlā me kēia ʻelua a ʻekolu pule.
"Inā hiki iā ʻoe ke kiʻi iā ia ma ke ala wili a i ʻole ke ala ʻāina, he leʻaleʻa kaʻa kaʻa," wahi āna.
“Maikaʻi maoli nā kihi. Kiola ia i ke kihi ma ke kolu o ka pahu, he mea leʻaleʻa."
Ua like kona lawelawe ʻana a me ka mana ʻenekini me ka mīkini 1.0-lita o ka Mini.
Ua heihei ʻo Holden i kāna Sprite a ʻōlelo ʻo ia ʻoiai ʻaʻole kani nui ka wikiwiki kiʻekiʻe o 82 mau mile i kēlā me kēia hola (131 km/h), ʻike ʻia ia i loko o kahi kaʻa kokoke loa i ka honua a he 600 kg wale nō kona kaumaha. A i loko o nā makahiki, ua ʻike ʻo Bugeye i ke aloha aloha a me ka mālama, ua hoʻolilo ka mea nona mua i $15,000 i loko.
"Manaʻo wau ʻo kēia ka Bugeye Sprite mua loa i hana ʻia ma Australia," wahi a Holden.
A ʻoiai ʻo ia e kokoke ana e kūʻai aku iā ia i ka makahiki i hala, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Holden ua kamaʻilio ʻo ia i ka mea nona ka manaʻo e kūʻai aku iā ia ma ka helu ʻana i nā "mea maikaʻi ʻole" āpau e pili ana i ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi kaʻa he hapalua kenekulia.
Akā ʻoiai ʻo ia i hoʻonui ai i nā pilikia o nā kaʻa kahiko, e like me ka pahu pahu, ka nele o kahi lekiō, ka pono e hoʻokani mau i nā carburetors, ua kamaʻilio ʻo ia iā ia iho i ka mālama ʻana.
"ʻOiaʻiʻo, holo maikaʻi ke kaʻa, maikaʻi nā kaʻa, ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ... haʻi iā ʻoe i kekahi mea aʻu i makemake ʻole ai," wahi āna.
Ua ʻike ʻo Holden ʻaʻole ʻo ia ka manawa e haʻi aku ai i kona maka ʻūlū.
"Ua haʻi aku au i kaʻu wahine e manaʻo wau e haʻalele kāua."
I kēia lā, kūʻai aku ʻo Sprites i ke ʻano like me ka Holden ma waena o $22,000 a me $30,000.
ʻAʻole naʻe ʻo ia e hele i kahi i ka manawa koke.
KAHIKI
1958 ʻO Austin Healey Sprite
Kumukūʻai kūlana hou: e pili ana i ka paona stg. 900 (“Bugey”)
Kūʻai i kēia manawa: ma kahi o $25,000 a i $30,000
Olelo Hooholo: He kaʻa haʻuki liʻiliʻi ʻoluʻolu ʻo Bugeye Sprite me kona ʻano ʻenekena.
