1974 MG MIDGET MK III

The previous owner, an engineer, put this Midget through a complete top to bottom ‘spit-rotisserie’ restoration. It was stripped back to the original shell which was then repainted in cellulose (the traditional choice for top-end cars like Rolls-Royce) rather than the easier to apply 2-pack used nowadays. 

The current owner Keith bought the car around nine years ago. He started off as a Mini man. Using an unexpected cash bonus from his first job, he bought one of the very first Minis in 1959. Keith has also been an MG fan for as long as he can remember. He actually owned a 1930s MG PA, one of the first Midgets referred to at the beginning of this piece. “That car taught me everything I now know about automotive engineering,” he says. 

Keith took the Mk III on at the beginning of the 2010s and set to the task of turning it into a ‘Midget plus’, an MG that would address all the handling and horsepower shortcomings an enthusiastic driver/owner might identify in the standard car, and that would give him usable transport that wouldn't “cause a backup of fifty caravans behind me”. 

Keith is long retired now and is finding it difficult to get in and out of the MG, which is why it’s up for sale. It represents an amazing opportunity for someone who wants the ‘dream Midget’ without having to go to all the time and expense of getting there.

This Midget came out of the factory in Blaze Yellow paint, but as you can see it’s been repainted what seems to be the classic MG colour of Tartan Red. If you get up close, a degree of ‘crazy paving’ has affected the cellulose on many of the panels. From a distance you wouldn’t even notice it, but given the high standard of the rest of the car, remedying it could be on the job list of a perfectionist owner. 

They’d have a great base to build on because, barring a blemish by the offside front indicator and in the lower front wheel arch on that side, the car appears to be rust free and in what appears to be full possession of its structural integrity. 

The complete window quarterlight assemblies were replaced during the restoration, as was the windscreen.

Peering into the cabin, a casual bystander might be fooled into thinking that this is a regular Midget. Yes, the wood-rimmed Moto-Lita wheel was never offered as a factory option, so that’s obviously an add-on, but from a distance (again) the rest of it looks perfectly normal. 

Then you notice that the vinyl seats have a decidedly leathery look about them, and that those cheap carpets have a suspiciously deep pile. That’s because the seats are indeed soft leather with a period stitching pattern that Keith specified, and the carpeting in the boot as well as the cabin is top-quality Wilton (£570). 

The Carhoods hood is fine mohair and there’s a full mohair tonneau cover. The old-school radio has been converted by specialists Tadpole to provide all the features and quality of a modern digital FM system (including a USB connection). It runs through four subtly-placed Alpine speakers. The red seatbelts match perfectly with the bodypaint to add an extra touch of sportiness that’s more than backed up by what’s waiting to surprise you under the bonnet.

An awful lot of money has been ploughed into the chassis and mechanicals of this Midget. The invoices point to a no-expense-spared mission to create what used to be called ‘fast road trim’. 

The engine sports twin SU carbs, standard fare among all the top Mini racers using this A Series engine. The name Frontline pops up regularly on the invoices. They’re a big name in Mini/Midget tuning, as are Swiftune who supplied one of their billet cams. There’s a Maniflo competition manifold and exhaust, a high performance starter motor, electronic ignition, a rebuilt distributor and a snake’s pit of top quality hosiery and braided steel pipework. 

On the transmission side, the old four-speed gearbox has been changed to a 5-speeder Ford Type 9 (invoiced cost of £3400), which gives Keith the drivability and refinement he wanted at modern-day speeds. The crankshaft rear oil seal was replaced at the same time. To give the MG extra bite out of corners there’s a Quaife ATB (auto torque biasing) differential, again as used by most serious Mini racers.  

Chassis wise you’ve got genuine Minilite alloys, as-new Yokohama tyres, a rear traction control link (£850), Lockheed billet 4-pot brake calipers and higher-poundage springing that’s lowered the ride height by an inch. On standard Midgets the rear bulkhead was made of cardboard. Keith has replaced that with a bespoke aluminium alloy piece that will get the car through scrutineering should the next owner opt to go racing. 

Of course, pouring all your efforts and budget into the chassis and drivetrain of any car is pointless if the metal you’re bolting it all into is rotten – and that goes double for Midgets. The one thing you absolutely must have in any Midget is solidity, otherwise you’ll simply be throwing all your cash down the pan. 

It’s true that you can get new Midget shells from firms like Rimmer, but ordering one will cost you over £10,000 and you’ll have to wait up to a year for delivery. Then there’s the hefty labour cost of putting it all together.

The history of this car doesn’t come in the form of a service handbook. It comes in the collection of invoices and pictures detailing its loving bare-shell rotisserie restoration by the previous owner and, going on from that, the paperwork covering current owner Keith’s ongoing mission to create the ideal fast road Midget. 

Very little of the capital (time, effort and money) that Keith has put into this project has really been spent as the car has covered fewer than 2000 miles in his nine-year ownership.

Midgets make a lot of sense for British enthusiasts. They fit on small roads and in tight car parks, they’re cheap to run and to insure, and they have a cheeky timeless appeal that is highly unlikely to go out of fashion any time soon. 

This particular Midget goes a bit too. It’s been turned into something you can imagine MG eventually getting around to if only they’d carried on building it. Unfortunately, nannying American safety and emissions regs killed the Midget off by strangling the last rubber-bumpered Midgets of 1980 down to a measly 50bhp, a horsepower figure only just higher than that of the first 948cc Midget of 1961. By effectively putting paid to the Midget, US legislators left the path clear for Mazda to come in and claim the classic British small sportster market with its Californian-designed MX-5. 

Our Midget is not just a lovely example of what is generally agreed to be the best ever model, it’s been sensibly and sensitively modded by an engineer to deliver a brilliantly developed and yet entirely usable MG that will surprise a lot of other road users. We’re willing to bet it would give a well-driven MX-5 more than a good run for its money, with the added bonus of British character and, with the right maintenance, a near-guarantee of appreciating value. We expect this Midget to sell between £6,000 - £9,000.

As ever, The Market always invites to view any of the cars on auction. This car is on site at The Market’s premises near Abingdon. Prospective bidders are more than welcome to come along for a viewing and a cup of tea. To organise an appointment, just use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing.

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