Devising a Sprite exhaust that can handle more than double the power

Update by Tim Suddard to the Austin-Healey Sprite project car
May 28, 2024 | Austin-Healey, Restoration, Exhuast, Austin-Healey Sprite

Like the rest of the car, a Sprite’s exhaust system is mythically simple. The 1.5-inch system runs nearly straight from the exhaust manifold (in our case, a header from The Winner’s Circle) to a small, circular muffler beneath the trunk.

This system was designed for a 948cc engine that puts out about 40 horsepower. Our supercharged 1275cc engine will produce more than double that, so we’d need to increase our pipe diameter a bit.

We took the Sprite to Nellee's Muffler & Auto Repair of Ormond Beach, Florida, for the job. They have the tools, and we’ve been happy with past exhaust work done there. We showed them the car, the header and what the stock system looked like.

The crew suggested aluminumized 1.75-inch-diameter tubing along with an Xlerator Turbo muffler. We asked that they use the factory mounting points as we didn’t want extra holes drilled into the floor of the car. The entire job cost about $300.