When I was growing up, you used to see quite a number of these cute little MG Midgets on the road. A buddy of mine bought one and when I rode in it for the first time, it had more leg room than I thought it would have. These were fun little British Roadsters to tool around in and they had a pretty long run, being produced from 1961 through 1979. Here’s an example of the fourth-generation Midget (produced for the 1974 through 1980 model years) that’s obviously been sitting in a barn for a while. It has the dust, cobwebs, and flat tires to prove it. The seller, identified as “Jimmy,” is doing work (or having work done) on the Midget and says the price will go up as more work is completed. One big plus is that the engine cranks over. It won’t start, however, which isn’t a big surprise. Jimmy says it’s most likely old fuel related.
I’m not sure how long this MG sat in a barn, but I wish there were “before and after” photos taken to show us how it cleaned up and give us an idea of what the paint looks like. There aren’t many photos, but Jimmy describes the car as “untouched, very solid car, not much rust at all, trunk is rust free, solid floors.” The Midget will need a new convertible top and tires and I’m not sure what kind of shape the glass and chrome rear luggage rack is in. And then there are those big black rubber bumpers. When the U.S. Dept of Transportation mandated the 5-mph front and rear bumpers in 1974 (to protect a vehicle’s lighting system), European cars were affected the most from a styling perspective. Starting with the 1974 models, oversized black rubber bumper blocks were added front and rear to MG Midgets. I also read where Midgets had to be raised slightly to meet the minimum height requirements for a vehicle sold here in the States. Talk about a one-two styling punch!
There’s only one photo of the Midget’s interior, but it looks to be in good shape and the tan (Biscuit) seats and door panels look well preserved as does the lighter tan carpet. The black instrument panel, dash, steering wheel, manual transmission shifter, and handbrake compliment the tan interior and coordinates nicely with the green exterior and black convertible top. For some unknown reason, there are no photos of the Midget’s 4-cylinder 1493cc/55.5 hp engine. The odometer is listed at 52,224. I read where finding bone stock rubber-bumper MG’s like this one are getting harder to find since many owners have converted them back to chrome bumpers. You’ll find this little MG in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and listed for sale here on craigslist for $10,500. We’d like to thank super tipster, T.J., for sending this tip our way. I’m not sure if the seller will get his asking price since Hagerty currently values a 1976 MG Midget Mk IV in #2 excellent condition at $12,000. Anyone reading this ever owned a ’76 MG Midget?
WAY, WAY overpriced. I’ve been looking at Midgets for sale here in Ohio over the last couple months, and there are some near mint ones for less than 10k
Agreed. I’ve been looking at them lately here in the New Jersey area and one like this wouldn’t be more than $5k, especially in not running condition. “Jimmy” might have this one for awhile
In the craigslist ad the seller says this is a King Midget from Midget Motor Corp. And his business is named Expert Sales LLC. Say what?
I had a ’74 Midget back in the late 80s, and I loved that car even though something broke every other time I drove it! I don’t really care for the “rubber nose” of these later Midgets, though they do have a larger engine than mine had.
That engine is the 1500 Spitfire engine.
Mine had the older 1275 engine which I think was also shared by the Spitfire and other Austin cars.
No 1275 BMCs in Spitfires. Spitfires had the same 1500 engine all the way to ’80.
If I were selling I would install air in the tyres, pull outside and wash.
These are the least desirable of the current MG hobby. A friend has unsuccessfully tried to sell theirs for years for well under 10K. That car is mint, nearly a concours car, ways Garaged in SoCal. Not only did they have the rubber bumpers, but also the extended ride height and a Triumph engine. Not worth over 2K.
The ad says “not much rust,” “cranks over but no start.” That plus no pictures of the underside, floors, trunk or engine plus the flat tires, dirt, and poor photos makes it a $1,500 car. The ad continues “price will go up as start doing work to it.” Oh, please.
And Jimmy calls this a King Midget . . . . WRONG!
Jimmy–evidently ignorantly–claims it has a five-speed transmission.
This would be a decent project for a motivated youngster.
That looks like my 75. Even the same colour although mine was originally white from the factory.
The 1500 is the Rodney Dangerfield of Midgets in that it gets no respect.
People who dump on the 1500 are in my opinion wrong. Where I live the extra inch of ride height is helpful due to the poor condition of the roads. It is easy to bottom out a Midget if you are not paying attention.
Unless you are racing the slightly higher ride height does not affect handling to any noticeable degree.
The collision bumpers do work!
A kid reversed into me with his Toyota pick up. Had I not had the collision bumper my car likely would have been written off.
There is nothing wrong with the Triumph motor. It is the same motor used in the Spitfire.
The only real drawback to Midgets is that the top gear is 1:1 and the car really could benefit from an overdrive. This also applies to the Austin powered earlier cars.
They are fun to drive and cheap to own.
You can and should do most of the work on them yourself. Virtually every part is still in production.
Good turn key cars can be found for $5k in Canada.
Jimmy: “But honey I’ve been trying to sell it…nobody’s interested!”