The MG Midget was a small, 2-seat British sports car built from 1961-79. It began as a badge-engineered version of the Mk II Austin-Healey Sprite and differed in the level of trim provided. This ’63 edition was stored for more than 40 years, so the title and keys have long since disappeared. It’s accumulated a little sheet metal rust over time, not uncommon with these cars, and will need a complete restoration. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this mini roadster is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,500. A nod goes to Rob Marks for bringing this tip our way.
Midgets were mechanically identical to their Austin-Healey counterparts, using a rear suspension with quarter-elliptic leaf springs and trailing arms. At first, a 948-cc engine was used but was upgraded later to 1098-cc with an output of 56 hp using twin SU carburetors. The latter should be the motor in the seller’s car. Unusual for the era, disc brakes were used up front beginning in 1962. The doors had no external handles or locks, and the windows were sliding side-screens. Mk I production lasted through 1964, resulting in 25,681 cars, many of which were exported to the U.S.
The seller acquired this ’63 Midget when the family of the previous owner liquidated his property. Having stored the car for some four decades, said owner became ill and his house and everything in it went up for sale. This car ended up with the seller who has chosen to resell it rather than fixing it up. The odometer reading is just over 38,000 miles which the seller believes is accurate. The floors are said to be rust-free, but there is a bit of corrosion in places like the rear quarter panels.
We assume the engine will have to be torn down and rebuilt after sitting for all this time. But the car looks complete, except for some broken/missing taillight lens. The interior is a mess, but some new upholstery, door panels, and carpeting may cure those ills. In top condition, these little cars were quite nimble. A friend of mine owned a ’66 Midget that he called his “Rollerskate”, and his stock roadster was capable of nearly 90 mph and got 21st Century gas mileage of about 30-35 mpg. Since all the paperwork on this car is long gone, only a Bill of Sale will be provided.
Well of course the seller is going to boast the low INDICATED mileage, hoping to snag a fool. Anyone that’s had ANYTHING British, knows, their gauges weren’t the best. They failed with alarming regularity. “Sprigets” were actually pretty good, dependable cars, and kind of fit in during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, when there were lots of small cars. Today, I think it would be a bit intimidating with some lifted dually with tires that could literally roll right over you, riding your puny axx.
So,, no dice on the mileage, somebody drove this car a lot, and clearly didn’t take care of it. Parts are plentiful, but pricey. You’ll rarely find a nice one, so if you simply must have one, a restoration is the only way. These were just cheap beaters that were run into the ground. Very few kept a Spriget. Still a neat find.
I’ve found lots of nice Spridgets Howard. In fact, I think the survival rate is much higher for British sports cars than any American car. They were special when new (even the cheap ones) so many were fair weather cars. Spridget parts are among the cheapest of any classic car and I would go with the best I could find rather than restore one. Nice drivers can still be had for under $5k so why bother with a basketcase?
With all respect, you would be privy to a lot more than us average schm,,,um, folks see, frankly, I can’t tell you the last time I saw a Midget actually driving down the road. Maybe a MGB, but the Midget, like you say, was the cheapest entry level offering for a 2 seat roadster, of any quality and for many, that was enough. British cars require a certain,,attitude, that many simply didn’t have. It quit running, most only had a couple hundred bucks in it anyway, it was towed away. It’s one reason why British roadsters fell out of favor, there just wasn’t enough dedicated buyers to keep them going, at least here.
Your idea of cheap may differ from mine, but on a recent Triumph Spitfire refurbishing for a friend, he bought everything through this Moss, and they weren’t giving the stuff away. Cost him a fortune for regular stuff, brakes, suspension. I can’t imagine MG parts are any cheaper.
@Jesse Mortenson- totally agree! I have a Bugeye Sprite (sister to Midget). I see Midgets fairly regularly compared to what would be considered “plentiful” cars from that era. More often than MGBs, but not as often as TR6s. More than Alfas and Fiats for sure. Considering prices for parts – there is nothing cheaper to restore price-wise period. The whole front brake system (rotors, caliper, pads for both sides in under $100). Rear is less than $75 (shoes, springs, cylinders, hoses).Full clutch kit (plate, throw-out, cover) $81. Piston set $224. Lots of parts sources. Moss is not the best pricing by far, but they have a great website and generally they have stock. Engines share almost everything with Classic Minis of the period, so lots of availability and many go-fast (ha!) parts. Try BPNorthwest or Rimmer Bros. There are many more. APTFast, MED, Swiftune, Calver Tuning for the high performance stuff.
They are super tiny and it can be intimidating, but you won’t be driving on interstates. They are very basic cars, so no cross-country trips without many massages along the way. Similar to riding old motorcycles….head on a swivel..
Finally – not this car. You can do better by shopping around. It’s got too many red flags. Start with the best you can afford (AMHIK). Lots of stalled projects around that have new parts still in boxes.
The cars are a hoot!
Brit cars fell out of favor because they fell behind. They continued to build post-war technology when others moved on. Think 240Z.
Optimistic price.If that was market price,mine would be
worth about $10,000.
Hey, yours looks fine.
Maybe from twenty feet.
They might be high but earlier cars are more desirable.
’72 or ’73, pre rubber bumper, and full rear wheel opening( I never knew they changed that for ’72) My ’71 MGB was just like that, silver with wires( that I hated) and I took the middle wiper off,,,drove me nuts,,to be honest, considering what they are asking for this beater, you may be justified at $10g’s.
Oh come on! Silver. Really?
Hi ACD, I know, silver, as common as belly buttons today, there’s a psychological reason for that today( like black cars) but it escapes me right now, however, it never used to be that way. In the mid 70’s when I had my MGB, it was that mustard yellow, which I never cared for. On the 1st “sand and grind”, I decided to have it painted since I worked for an auto paint supplier at the time, and literally had a rainbow of colors to choose from. Silver cars were pretty rare then. Fact is, once I decided on silver, one of the only cars that offered silver was the Corvette.
Hello Howard,
You had a mustard yellow MGB? My ’72 Midget was that color, except I called it gold. Ha ha!
I’m surprised “Little Cars” hasn’t shown up. His photo is of a “gold” Midget, exactlyike mine was.
yours looks great. What year is it?? I have very classy 1968 All White complete (even xtra parts) in great condition new seats (also white w black piping) white top, transmission, even new white side panels, great glass, seals, etc but it is all in pieces, needs to be re-assembled I am moving & may have to sell it as is. When I go to AllBritish Car Shows I usually see about 10 MGAs, 40 MGBs, 15 GTs & usually less than 5 Midgets. I think 1968 has the best chrome :) pdxgogirl at gmail dot com
Maybe I will become a member so I can post pics & list it here?
I’ve thought about fiddling with one of these for a long time, if I could find one at the right price. I think this would either need to be in better condition or less expensive for my taste. I had a person in my neighborhood with one that sort of ran, but needed complete sorting. I asked him about it, and he was going to get around to working on it, as it was a family car. Later I found out that when he was transferred for work he let it go for $1000. I certainly would have taken the chance for that money. I imagine there’s people who know these inside out and will make a decent deal with the seller.
I hope you like fiddling a lot, Jim. I had one of these, and of all the cars I’ve owned (100s), I worked on this the most. Almost every day there was something.
Really? My Spridgets have all been great little cars! Just don’t want a worn out one or a 1500.
Sounds like my Jeep. As I said, the Midgets biggest problem, is they run out of steam on a modern highway. They are capable of freeway speeds, by that I mean at LEAST 70, however, and I’ve driven 2 cycle Detroit powered vehicles, you want to buzz down the highway at 4 grand, well, it gets mighty old. I’m not aware of an O/D setup for Midgets, although I’m sure they exist, a Midget is best at home on a country 2 lane, tree covered road, 45 mph, top down, oh yeah, HOWEVER, at some point, to GET to that tree covered 2 lane, you’ll have to take a major highway, and the way and what people drive today, may God have mercy on your soul.
There are 5 speed conversions available. I have one from Rivergate using a Datsun 210 transmission. There are others as well. Transforms the car. I can run 70 fairly comfortably (even 90 if I want to scare myself). Still not a highway car other than to get some place where you can enjoy them.
I don’t have to drive anywhere to get to a tree-lined 2 way country road, but ok.
Unless this sat outside for 40 years, there’s no way the indicated mileage is correct.
Owned 2, a bought new ’62 and a used, rust free ’67 which I should have kept. Already had 2 Bugeye race cars and just couldn’t get the time to do the details needed to make a really good car. As for durability etc. we drove the ’62 over 14,000 miles in two years with only tires and maintenance to deal with. Did put a TR2 door handle on the driver’s side after a sleet storm froze the sliding windows shut.
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hardtop for these. I had one on my MGB. It enabled owners to drive them through the winter, ruining most of the cars. Once the floor rusted and your axx dragged on the ground, it was time for something else.
That’s a factory hard top Howard. I don’t remember seeing more than one other all these years. Picked up a flood Bugeye several years ago with a factory hard top and sold it to a friend just so I could keep him from calling me every week trying to buy it. Just not a lot of them around these days.
I worked on many many of these 50 years ogo. I owned 1. My wife wanted one, I found it, I bought it, it lost its clutch, I sold it. I had no desire to pull the engine on an old Midget.
My wife was driving home from work, when something in the clutch broke, (I trust her diagnosis) She called me, I called a buyer, and sold it. I picked her up, and took the plate.
Compare these to a Spitfire. 1) I fit. 2) Front sheet metal tilts for access.3) Clutch/transimission tunnel is removable. 4) Upgrade to a GT6 frame, and a TR6 engine. All plug and play.
You have to pull the engine and transmission. I got good at it with mine.
It wasn’t very long ago this would have been a $200 car. And I mean, I can count on one hand the number of years ago, and I don’t have extra fingers. I love these cars, have had 2 MG’s, but $4500 for that car that needs one of everything is completely insane.
I have always liked these little cars the dealership that sold them where I grew up went out of business when I was still to young to drive, now I would be afraid to buy one because of finding parts.
Parts are everywhere Troy.
I had a MG Midget Most fun I ever had driving. Bought it used in college and like Boatman, I had to fidget with it quite a lot. Took me months to get the twin carbs set right. Even after I replaced the fuel pump it was still iffy. But I bought recap snow treads and would put two cinder blocks in the truck and that car was terrific in the snow (as long as it wasn’t too deep). Never burned oil, but I did have to put head gaskets and play with the oil sending unit more than once.
Surprisingly there was a lot more leg room in a MG Midget than the MGB in my opinion. I was 6′ 2″ and my best friend was 6′ 6″ and neither of us had a problem driving it. Granted, a little tough getting in with the top up but when down, what fun and easy to get into. Also, with that low end first gear and nearly no weight, you could really get off the line and I still think it was the best car to carry any speed when on a winding road that was built in the 60s
I would agree, not sure I would drive it on any heavy use roads today. The tires on most standard trucks and suvs seem taller than that car. I do regret letting that car go.
I disagree – the MGB has a lot more legroom.
I have a ’67 MGB GT & a ’74 Midget.
$1000 parts car at best. Far better off buying a previously restored one and playing with that. This one was ridden hard and left in the wet – it wasn’t even put away wet!
cheers,
BT
Some of these comments remind me of the phrase “It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.”
The earlier sliding window 1098 cars are fun weekend runabouts to the tennis courts and ice cream stand, but if you want to go any distance, the later cars with a 1275 and a 3.9 rear end are the ones to have. 70-series tires helped the ride. I had my ’72 for about six years and drove it all over Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
Tack-welding a couple of the electrical grounds helped a lot and friends got the SUs to perfection.
$4500 in a bit much for no paperwork and the engine and radiator left open to the world.
I have a sprite (61 with the bumperettes first after the bug eye) and a 76 midget. Fix and drive like anything british but easy to work on , parts are easy to get (sometimes pricey) and a ball to drive. My 2 seat midget has been ignored since I got the 4 seat convertible Herald. Personally if this price is right my midget is worth 10 k too and my sprite is just about the same condition as that but complete is worth the same.
This is $ 600 car or just leave for a fool
FWIW -the 1275 and. 3.9 differential can easily be fitted to this car. Common upgrades. My bugeye has these upgrades plus OD kit.
Still I would walk away from this one without regret..