The Austin-Healey Sprite was a series of compact roadsters introduced in 1958 for the 1959 model year. The Sprite was created to be a small and affordable sports car to partner with Austin-Healey's "Big Healeys" (The Austin-Healey 100, 100-6, and 3000 are collectively known as the Big Healeys). The Sprite was built in four generations: Mk I (1959-1961), Mk II (1962-1964), Mk III (1965-1966), and Mk IV (1967-1971). Due to their popularity, Sprites were often used as Race Cars.