1970 MG Midget K-Series

If you subscribe to the theory that you can tell everything you need to know about a chap from the car he drives, then we think the owner of this gorgeous little Midget is One Of Us. He’s a man who stands his ground and his word is his bond. If he borrowed your lawnmower you’d get it back on time - and it would have been serviced and cleaned, too. 

Built by a Bristol-based engineer 13 years ago, the Midget features a tuned Rover K-series 1800cc engine which sits in a beautifully detailed engine bay. It feeds its considerable power to a Frontline limited slip differential in the rear axle via a Frontline propshaft and a Ford Type 9 gearbox. It sits on AVO coilovers and poly-bushed and rose-jointed suspension. It brakes courtesy of Ford Mondeo front discs, Wilwood calipers, D-type pads and Aeroquip hoses and the driver sits in Mazda MX-5 seats and changes gear via a Quaife quick shift. It has, in other words, all the right stuff.

There’s even more to come later in the listing but you can take it as read that if you’ve ever dreamed of owning an MG Midget that’s been brought bang-up-to-date, then this is it. 

The vendor has owned the car for 13 years and while his intention was to race it on a casual basis, that never happened. Instead, it has spent most of its time in his custody carefully stored in his garage, only being wheeled out on sunny summer days for runs in the sun. As a consequence, it’s only done 3,000 miles since being completed and so is being offered in an almost new, barely-run-in mechanical condition.

The car’s bodywork is utterly solid and completely free of rust. It was resprayed 15 years ago when the car was converted to its current specification and the work is holding up extraordinarily well. This is helped, no doubt, by the fact that the owner hasn’t ever driven it in the wet or during the winter months, so it hasn’t been exposed to rain or salt in 13 years.

He did tell us that a meticulous owner might want to consider a front-end respray as the bonnet and wings have collected a few stonechips and the red paintwork has faded a little. We think he’s being overly cautious, especially as we can see the car going to a motorsport enthusiast more interested in the mechanics than paintwork perfection.

The chromework is all good and the underside is completely solid and neatly undersealed. The Minilite-style wheels are in very good condition and are shod with matching Yokohama Advan A-021R tyres which have plenty of tread on them. 

The owner hasn’t used the folding fabric roof since he’s owned the car, and while he tells us that it is still completely waterproof he did mention that the rear plastic window has gone slightly opaque and milky.

The interior is as detailed and meticulously finished as the exterior. Mazda MX-5 seats add a touch of comfort, support and safety that was entirely missing from the originals, and they look superb and utterly in keeping with the rest of the vehicle.

There is some light patination throughout the cabin but it still warrants an 8/10 score and there’s nothing in there that need concern the new owner.

The MG’s performance credentials are further bolstered by the installation of a boot-mounted, plumbed-in fire suppression system (which will need reconnecting), an alloy rear bulkhead, Securon four-point safety harnesses, a pair of white Smith’s rev counter and speedometer, and a Safety Devices roll bar.

The 1800cc Rover K-series engine has had its VVC cylinder head ported and fitted with Piper cams, solid lifters and competition valve springs. An Emerald M3D ECU controls it, Facet and Webcon fuel injection pumps feed it, a Kent timing belt and Vernier pulley time it, and a Pacet fan and Frontline radiator and water hose set cool it. It inhales via a Jenvey throttle bodies and an ITG performance air filter and exhales through a four-branch manifold and heat-lagged exhaust. ADDED NOTE: the engine has been on the dyno recently and the printouts are now included in the Gallery, the printouts imply over 160 bhp and 130 lb ft at the flywheel - impressive...

The Ford Type 9 gearbox feeds the engine’s power to the rear axle via a Quaife Quickshift, and Frontline limited slip differential, propshaft, fine-spline half shafts, and double bearing rear hubs. Frontline also supplied the polybushes for the suspension while Merlin supplied the rose joints and AVO gave up a set of coilovers with the springs rated at 300lb front and 180lb rear.

The braking system comprises Wilwood Dynamite calipers and Ford Mondeo discs on the front and Frontline discs and calipers on the rear. The pads are all Wilwood Polymatrix and the hoses are Aeroquip.

Steering comes courtesy of a Ford Escort Mexico steering rack (the quick rack on the spec sheet was deleted as it was just too sharp for road use), an MGB steering column, and a Mota-Lita steering wheel. 

We shudder to think how much this little lot cost(the engine alone is probably towards 5 figures) but it’s reassuring to see that the previous owner did a proper job of converting the car; with so many bodged and inappropriately modified vehicles out there, potential bidders can reassure themselves that this is the Real Deal. 

The owner tells us that the car performs very well indeed and he isn’t aware of any faults other than a slight weep from the gearbox.

Incidentally, the Emerald ECU needs a dedicated computer to programme it (not that it should need reprogramming…) and the owner has included the appropriate laptop as part of the comprehensive package of spares that comes with the car. Not only that but the package includes a parts 1600cc K-series engine (no cylinder head and only 3 pistons!) plus the other items that can be seen in the photographs in the listing!

You don’t need me to tell you that the owner is the sort of chap who MOTs his cars even though they are exempt, do you? This one gained another clean sheet in May 2018, so you’ve got six months before you need to submit it again, at which point it’ll almost certainly draw appreciative comments from the tester and another straight MOT. 

(In the interests of full disclosure we should point out that it has failed its MOT twice in the past 12 years. Once for an ineffective handbrake and once for a failed bulb. Would that our own cars fare so well.)

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find old invoices, bills, spec sheets and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been modified, restored and kept to the very highest standard.

If you were to build a Midget to this standard it would cost you an absolute fortune, which is why buying cars like this secondhand is always the better financial decision; while you might lose some of the fun of building them, you can pick up a beautifully specified vehicle for half to a quarter of what it would have cost you if you’d done all the work yourself.

As a highly competitive yet road-registered semi-competition car, we can see this Midget being used for some fair-weather fun with possibly the odd trackday and hillclimb thrown in for good measure. As an alternative to a classic MX-5, this vehicle offers depreciation-proof motoring in an ultra-cool package - and all for between £9-13,000. 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen near Peterborough; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.