1974 MG MIDGET

The current owner John, a serial MG owner, has just finished re-commissioning this vehicle. ‘I bought it because the body shell was totally rust and rot free, and pretty near as perfect as you can get.’

He’s reupholstered the car and had the gearbox rebuilt. ‘It’d been in long-term ownership prior to my purchase, but the interior needed updating to bring it up to standard. I also had the gearbox rebuilt by an MG Specialist using the more expensive bearing choice (£1000, rather than £700), so it’s been done properly and the clutch was changed at the same time.’

He had a lucky find in terms of some O/E British Leyland stock bumpers and overriders, so the fresh chrome is of a higher quality than many replacement (for that, read Chinese manufactured) items.

The Midget has had three previous owners and the odometer currently reads 56,135 miles, which is believed to be correct. ‘It is what it is, a cheeky little round wheel arch MG Midget,’ says John. 'It’s exciting to drive, with a strong engine, fresh gearbox and a body that’s pretty near as perfect as you can get.'

The White exterior and Black interior colour combination works very well. The exterior paint finish in particular is extremely smart and consistent, as well as refreshingly free of stone chips. There are a couple of small surface rust marks on the door tops and some light cracks in the paint on the upper inner seams of the of the rear wings. 

Chrome work is very smart, with only the window quarter light surrounds showing some light pitting. Down below, the Rostyle wheels are in immaculate condition and each tyre still has nice level of tread depth remaining. Overall for us, it’s a charming picture and a car that’s sure to beguile and enchant in equal measure.

With so much having been replaced there’s no real patina inside the cabin, but the good news is that the rest of it is in such good condition that the differences between existing and replacement parts don’t stand out too much.

The black leather seats piped white are lovely and supportive, but need some serious bum action to bed them in fully. The same can be said of the door rubbers, which provide an excellent seal, but require a bit of a firm push/pull in order to close the doors properly.

The hood frame works perfectly, but could do with a bit of a tidy up. While the hood itself remains in good condition though it isn’t perfect, with a little bit of TLC required where the near side Perspex rear quarter panel meets the fabric.

There’s a small chip on the dashboard panel above the steering column, but otherwise it’s a lovely place to sit. The chunky new leather steering wheel is a tactile delight and suits the car’s chuckable character down to a tee.

Lifting the carpets front and rear shows nice, solid floor pans.

The underside has had a recent application of Waxoyl, with all panels, chassis rails and suspension components protected. It all appears solid underneath with nice wheel arches, and appears to back up vendor John’s assertion that the body is rust free.

The exhaust system has a little surface corrosion, but remains without issue and, as you can see from our video below, sounds nice with the throttle down. On the move this car proves itself a well-fettled example and provides the consummate Midget experience: go-kart handling, perky performance and tactile controls. There’s a slight squeal from the fan belt, but other than that nothing untoward.

Underneath the bonnet it appears largely original, and it wasn’t re-sprayed when the body was. There’s a bit of discrepancy in colour between the two (aged v fresh) but it remains almost rust free and in nicely presented condition. The engine and ancillaries themselves have a light covering of road grime and should respond nicely to a touch of detailing.

In the boot the rear panel has a textured finish suggesting a stone chip type finish has been applied and then finished in body colour. There’s also a reassuring fresh coating of Waxoyl on the lower seam and evidence it’s also been applied into cavities. A Smart spare wheel is also located here.

There’s not a huge amount of history with this particular car. The vendor bought it for the rust-free quality of its body shell.

Perhaps key is an invoice from MGOC Spares Ltd for £1682.64 for parts used in its recent commissioning. This includes door cards, door seals, new leather seats, and other interior parts.

A British Motor Industry Heritage Certificate issued on 24/10/2018 is included, which identifies make/model, exterior and interior colours, chassis and engine numbers, as well as destination dealer.

The included V5 document shows three former owners, and there is a couple of MOT certificates and an MG Midget MkIII handbook included.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very high standard.

Without doubt this is a lovely little Midget and in its most collectable form, too. The interior has been re-finished to a very good specification and when combined with resilient mechanicals we believe the next owner will have a whole heap of fun with this little tyke.

We think this example will sell for between £8000 and £11,000, which at the lower end is a bit of a bargain for such a nice example, and even at the top end remains very good value.

As a top-down bit of summer fun, cars don’t get better than this; cheap insurance, ludicrously affordable running costs and a behind the wheel experience that’ll have you grinning ear-to-ear every time you drive it.

Factor in that someone else has re-commissioned it and all that’s left to do for the next owner is the best bit, driving it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market’s Abingdon HQ; 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: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.