Pocket Rocket: 1976 MG Midget
While it may not be the biggest, flashiest, or most powerful sports car to have worn the MG badge, the Midget is one fun little car, and its low power output encourages drivers to be more involved in the driving process to extract the best from the car. This particular Midget has been sitting for an unknown period of time and will require some restoration work before it finds its way back onto the open road. It is located in Odessa, Washington, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
The owner describes the MG as being as straight as a pin, and on the surface, this seems like a fair description. It is missing both of its bumpers, but the panels look good, and there are no visible signs of rust. The paint actually looks like it might respond well to a buff and polish. The car comes with both a soft-top, which does look quite good and a fiberglass hardtop, although the owner says that this will need refinishing. While he doesn’t actually categorically state that the Midget is rust free, he does describe it as ” by far the most rust free MG Midget I have ever seen.”
Under the hood is the 1,493cc 4-cylinder engine, which is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. In order to comply with Californian emission laws, a number of changes resulted in the American cars producing 56hp, while their British counterparts produced 65hp. Another change that occurred during the life of the Midget was the raising of the ride height to meet headlight minimum height laws. This had an adverse impact on handling, although this was partially offset with the inclusion of anti-roll bars. The owner doesn’t state that the car runs, but the fact that he believes that it will require such things as a tune-up and carburetor clean sounds encouraging.
The interior of the Midget doesn’t look to be too bad. The dash is intact and free of cracks. A good clean will do the whole interior the world of good, although the owner does say that the car really needs new seat covers and carpet. I’m not 100% sure about the wheel, as it looks to have deteriorated a bit. It may clean okay, but it could also be a candidate for restoration or replacement. A quick search online revealed that replacement wheels can be sourced for around $200, so if the wheel has deteriorated, then replacement would probably be more cost-effective than restoration.
The MG Midget is just an absolute hoot to drive, and part of their attraction for an enthusiastic driver is their relative lack of power. This means that they have to be driven quite spiritedly if you want to extract the best from them, but they still have adequate power to keep up with the cut and thrust of city traffic. It is possible to find reasonable examples for sale for around $7,000, and really nice examples for around the $12,000 mark. The owner has set a BIN price of $2.050 for the Midget, but the option is also there to make an offer. If this little Midget is rust-free, and the engine does run, this could be a great little project car.
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Comments
Cheap Fun!
Midgets are fun, simple cars but they just don’t go well on the highway. I always wondered why an O/D wasn’t available on these. Like a Spitfire without O/D, 3700 rpms gets kinda old after a while. This, and the Spitfire, are the last remaining affordable British sports cars, and give you all the fun of a more expensive one, just not on the interstate, and weren’t really designed for it.
Back in the 70’s I had a chance to pick up a pair of Midgets: a ‘driver’ and a parts car. Mechanics lien on them taken by the mechanic for non payment. I was very tempted except the hinge side of the drivers door was rusted out. It would have taken a fair amount of work to fix that. Had that not happened, I probably would have picked them up. That plus I already had a Spitfire I was driving and had enough issues keeping that one running.
Absolutely a blast to drive these little go carts. My brother bought a 1975 around the late 80s. Super fun, when it ran. That particular car had some extensive electrical issues that he didn’t have time to get taken care of. I’m sure today that complete wiring harnesses can be found easily. If I wasn’t on the other side of the country I’d definitely go take a look at this one.
Bottom hinge is the first thing to rust out when water intrudes at the base of the windshield pillar. Adam uses the term “extract” twice in his narrative, and as a long-term owner I have to say the extracting the most out of Spridgets is the most fun you can have on windy backroads and modest grades with nobody in front of you or in your rearview. Safety Fast!
These cars are indeed a blast to drive, but they are not at all fun to work on.
Mine had a nasty habit of blowing head gaskets at the most inopportune times.
$2K seems pretty reasonable. I drove mine from Los Angeles to New Mexico and back, and despite my being over 6′ tall it was quite comfortable. Of course I had to replace the head gasket when I got to New Mexico :)
Only the later, Spitfire engine Midgets like this one had overheating problems which were addressed by British Leyland at the time with a service bulletin. This car may not have made it into a mechanic for the “fix” under warranty. Early A-series motors were not any more prone to head gasket failure than any other high-revving car of the time period.
I have that exact car I purchased it new in March of 1977 for $4,200. It has never seen the winter I live in Michigan got 65,000 miles runs well since it’s stored all the time there is no rust that I’m aware the paint is in pretty good shape. Of course it’s an MG Midget so it needs to be tended to from time to time.
I bought one new off the showroom floor in 1972. I had just graduated from high school and was working my first “real” job. It was Harvest Gold with. Black top and black interior.
It was ok, I enjoyed driving it, but I had a scare one night when a buck jumped over the hood of the car as I was driving down the road. I’m sure if it was a larger car, it would have been totalled and the buck would be dead, but it was quite a scare. Then, in NYC, taxi drivers never seemed to see me and constantly tried running me over.
I’m a big car girl. I love my Cadillacs, so after 18 months, I sold it. Replaced it with a 1973 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron.
Twenty years later, the girl I sold it to actually called me asking if I had an extra set of keys for it.
I’m not sure, but I’d bet that car is still on the road.
I own it, Angel! Maybe? This is one of my current projects, purchased from an estate in Evansville, Indiana.
Wow! Little Cars, that is beautiful. Really brings back memories. Mine was in New Jersey, but, who knows? This could be it.
Yes – these are fun to drive. A friend had one, I’m just over 6′ and could slide in okay, I could also, with a slight stretch, reach down and touch the ground while in the drivers seat. The same friend was out one afternoon with a friend of hers, they went around a slight curve (after a rain) and the Midget (the car, not the girl) hydroplaned off the road, and slid onto the grass on its passenger side. Neither lady was hurt, but had the doo – doo scared out of them. They had to open the top to crawl out. Later, her dad and brother gave the car a shove to set it back on all fours. Car was driven away, no damage.
My 1976 Midget is a blast to drive. This is the only car that feels like your speeding yet in actuality your 10 mph under the speed limit and the delivery truck cant wait to pass you. On the other hand take this beauty on a winding country road, tuned with your excellent use of the gear shift, and the daily drivers are left in the dust. If you can find a 1500 Midget in good shape buy it, enjoy driving again and the accolades you get at the ice cream stand.