1974 MG Midget

‘VMR 647M’ is a Damask Red ‘round arch’, chrome bumper MG Midget that’s been subtly modified with a few choice upgrades. “The bodywork was good when I bought it in 2012, but the mechanicals were rough, and I spent a huge chunk of money on it, maybe £20,000, getting it right, including a five-speed Datsun gearbox that transformed it.”

And he doesn’t begrudge a single penny; he drove one briefly as a teenager and finally had the time, money, and space to “reconnect with an old friend” while he was living in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Yes, that’s right; this is a left-hand drive example that spent the first 45 years of its life in Canada, a country whose winters are so harsh they pretty much preclude anything but summer use. As a result, it’s in an excellent condition, including what are thought to be the original floors and sills.

In fact, he was so smitten by it that he arranged for it to be brought over here in 2019 and has kept it running beautifully ever since.
 

Starting from the back, the rear quarter bumpers are in a very good condition with no dinks or rust. Their design allows for a full-size square numberplate, while the Midget’s age allows you to use a black-and-silver numberplate. This one is made out of pressed aluminium, which is a nice choice and redolent of an age when quality was more important than price.

The Lucas reversing lamps and taillights are all in good shape too being colourful and free of damage bar a small crack in the offside reversing lamp.

The boot lid is fitted with a chrome luggage rack, which is as attractive as it will be useful.  

Moving forward, the black folding roof fits very well, sitting nice and taut when it’s raised. It furls and unfurls easily, and tucks away neatly under a black vinyl cover when it isn’t needed. There are no rips, tears, or holes in it either, just a nice sheen to the finish.

It’s also no surprise that the rear plastic screen is in a good condition with no cracks or yellowing and only very light creases, and the two quarterlights are in an even better condition.

The Midget also comes with a new tonneau cover. Designed to be used instead of the full hood, it’s a clever design that lets you keep your lower body snug and warm, while exposing your upper torso and head to the full brunt of any bracing weather you’re courageous enough to drive in.

It’s an option we love to see when we’re selling a convertible as we’ve enjoyed many a snow-filled journey with a tonneau fitted, and we’d highly recommend the experience to anyone whose lucky enough to have one.

A tonneau cover can also be used to hide the interior of your car when it’s parked up – and you can lose weight by removing the hood completely, which would be our preferred configuration for a car like this.

The windscreen might be small but there are no fewer than three wipers to keep it clean. The glass is free of serious chips and cracks, and the rubber seal and windscreen frame are in fine order.

The star of the show though is the coachwork. The Damask Red paintwork has clearly been refreshed at some point, however “it hasn’t been painted in my time but lots of people have buffed it over the years!” meaning it gleams with a mirror-shine, an effect that’s only possible thanks to its super-straight panels.

There are no dents or dinks, no ripples along the flanks, and no obvious rust. The panels align beautifully too, as you can see from the narrow and consistent shutlines. And the black sills make the Midget appear even slimmer than it is anyway.

The 13-inch Rostyle wheels are in great shape with no scuffs and dinks to the rims, and good chrome trim rings. The tyres are 155/80R13 Nankang CX-668. Made in 2010, they all have good tread but are getting on a bit now and should really be replaced.

Nonetheless, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The Wipac Quadoptic headlamps and Lucas front indicators are all good too, and the front bumper is as impressive as the ones at the rear. The radiator grille is straight and free of damage, and another black-and-silver pressed aluminium numberplate finishes off the front.

Flaws, therefore, are few. There are marks, including touched-up chips, on the leading edge of the nearside front wing, the trailing edge of the nearside door, the leading edge of the nearside rear wing, the trailing edge of the offside rear wing, underneath the offside door mirror, both sills, and the offside front wing.

That might sound like a lot, but it isn’t not really. It’s just what happens when a car collects a few stonechips and marks and a caring owner takes the time to touch them up.

Other stuff is equally minor: the offside indicator repeater has a small crack in it; the black rubber aerial looks incongruous; and the top of the offside rear bumper has a couple of spots of tarnishing.
 

The interior is nothing short of magnificent with the blend of black upholstery and dashboard, wood-rimmed steering wheel, and bright controls and instruments bezels highlighting its fabulous condition.

The seller invested a lot of money in replacing everything that needed replacing, and he’s got photos of the work being carried out that he’s happy to pass on to the winning bidder.

He didn’t neglect the modern conveniences either, which means you’ll find a central armrest with a cupholder in there, as well as a Sony DSX-A410BT headunit with Bluetooth connectivity that plays through a pair of 6.5” Harman Infinity Reference speakers mounted in the rear: “It’s a great sounding stereo!”

The dashboard top has no cracks or other sun-damage, the door cards are free of scuffs and scrapes, the lettering on the controls is still bright white, and the carpets are largely free of wear.

The boot is also very nicely carpeted and plays host to a full-size spare Rostyle wheel that sits under a carpeted cover.

The boot is a good size too, and we can’t see many folk complaining about a lack of luggage space for a week or two away if it were to be used in conjunction with the boot rack and the space behind the seats.

The MG bag we photographed in there contains the original tool kit, and the Midget comes with a custom-fitted car cover too.

In fact, the worst we can say of the cabin is that the material on the seat bases has eased just a little – and we do mean “just a little”. Very much a #firstworldproblem 
 

As you can see, the 1275cc engine idles and revs well. The seller was at pains to point out that while he hasn’t used it much, it has always started first time.

It also has a attractive  exhaust note for you to enjoy as you’re snicking your way up and down that five-speed gearbox as you navigate the Stelvio Pass – or even your local city centre tunnel.

As you can see from the history file, it’s been very well looked after.

The engine bay is clean enough that you could leave it as it is and still raise the bonnet without embarrassment. If you enjoy detailing then you could spend some quality time under there finishing it to your preferred standard but that’s very much a nice-to-do job rather than anything more pressing.

The underside is, we are told, still the original; remember what we said about Canadian winters?

It looks very good, too with only minor surface rust and what may well be the original underseal. Probably time to get it refreshed if you plan to use it during our winter though and maybe ask your garage to sort out the leaking rear differential while they’re under there. 
 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for being an imported car. The history file also includes paperwork from 2012, when the seller purchased it, through to 2019, when it left Nova Scotia.

This paper trail includes the receipts for the gearbox and the necessary fitting kit, as well as a photocopy of the Driver’s Handbook.

The Midget doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies… 
 

This MG Midget is simple and straightforward, and not flashy or needy. It’s clearly been enjoyed but has been very well looked after, having had the right money spent with the right people on the right things.

The five-speed gearbox means this isn’t one for the purists but everyone else will welcome the increased usability and refinement it offers.

If we were to describe it as a “good, usable example” that sounds like we’re damning with faint praise, but we really aren’t; concours-quality cars have their place, but that place is not in the garage of an enthusiast who wants to be able to drive their car as long as hard as possible whenever the mood takes them – and, if you’re thinking of touring on the continent, or even moving to live there, its left-hand-drive status would be a positive boon.

As for what it’s worth, we estimate it will sell for between £5,000 and £8,000, which is a tiny sum to pay for a car with such a big heart.

Even better, it’s being offered with no reserve, so it’s going to sell from the very first bid.

Remember what we said about that tonneau cover? Well, with winter around the corner it would be tempting to get it professionally undersealed and rust-proofed, fit a set of all-season tyres, and then drive the hell out of it in the snow and ice. #heromodeunlocked 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Greenwich, London. To arrange an appointment to inspect this vehicle, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.