The classic British roadster has perhaps been the most recognized symbol of the collector car hobby, representing an affordable access point into hobby car ownership. With classic looks, affordable parts, and top-down thrills standard, a first-time collector can find a wide range of options available in the British sports car marketplace. The seller of this pretty 1969 MG Midget is apparently the original owner, and while I love the color of this slumbering Midget, I am digging the garage space more. Find the Midget here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,000 in Connecticut.
The Midget’s location in Connecticut is at first alarming, as New England is oftentimes cruel to vintage vehicles. And while we haven’t seen photos of the underside of the car, the Midget looks to be in good shape from up above and the vulnerable rocker panels don’t appear to be full of holes. The seller reports that he installed several new parts roughly six years ago, which I’m guessing is the last time it ran as well. He does claim the interior and exterior both need some work, but truthfully, I see nothing egregious enough that couldn’t be tolerated indefinitely while the car is made back into a runner.
The old-school Connecticut plates are a rare sight these days; it seems like we see the California sunset and black plates more often than we see the vintage Nutmeg State plates. There’s a bit of rust blossoming just beneath the right side of the trunk lid, which looks to be more a result of a beauty mark that was left untreated rather than a major rust issue. The taillight lenses are in nice shape as are the chrome bumpers, although the rear bumper looks to have taken a bump or two. Overall, this MG looks like any other classic car that, thankfully, has been stored in a dry indoor space while it’s been off the road.
The MG seemingly was parked one day and not started again; the seller confirms as much, indicating it used to be run fairly frequently but no longer fires up. Hopefully, the years in the garage haven’t led to the fuel system becoming contaminated or the gas tank accumulating rust inside. The price is right for a car that’s been parked for a spell but that also appears to be in very good shape overall. Despite the seller’s claims of it needing work inside and out, we see what looks to be a very restorable project and one that can be completed without breaking the bank.
One of the best series of Midgets built and this one looks to be one of the better examples. Rust easy to detect because the the outer rockers are the first to go and there’s no sign of it on this car. Spray can black on the rockers doesn’t help it’s looks but overall it looks solid. Good price, won’t last long.
I was surprised at how much the value has gone up on these.
I sold my ’74 chrome bumper Midget for $4500 to the first guy who
came and looked at it.I was told that I should’ve asked more,but I
was happy with that price,& the buyer took it “as-is,so I didn’t have
to finish the few things that needed to be done on it.
I don’t really miss it,as it was a tight fit for me.They’re called
“Midgets” for a reason.
That’s a sharp looking car. Reminds me of my ’71 MGB, repainted silver( from mustard yellow) and wires, only smaller. Odd story about the silver. At the time ( 1973) I worked at a auto paint supplier, and I wanted to paint the MG. All you see today is silver cars, but in the 70s, it was a rare color. In fact, the only factory silver was a Corvette color. I absolutely hated the wires, liked how they looked, but I had more flats than I could count. I had the “tire changing” ordeal down to less than a minute. Mario Andretti would have been proud.
I thought the Spriget was a bit small too, and the B, for me was just right. I know I spell doom with practically every post, but by all rights, this should have been gone by now. There just is no interest, plain and simple.
BTW, I know how that trunk lid has a kink to the right. The prop stick sometimes wouldn’t release and trying to close the lid bent it.
Your case on tight fit is valid but can be solved by replacing the fat seats with early Spridget or Porsche 914 seats. Gives a minimum of 4″ more fore and aft and the seats are comfortable.
The first car I ever restored was a 68 Midget. Simply putting exhaust headers on it wakes it up considerably. Bob’s correct on those rust spots. If you can paint, this appears to be a good deal with the normal caveats.
Just understand, these are so small and sit so low, you risk getting run over and wedged between the tire treads of today’s pickups. My wife made me sell mine years ago because of this. However, I did OK because years later she let me buy a Jaguar XK150S, so I’m not crying.
I had it parked on one side of my garage,next to the Miata.
It makes the Miata look big.Heck,it even makes a Prius look big.
On the flip side,I was always amazed at all the positive
comments it got,plus a lot of smiles & thumbs up.The Miata – nothing,
except from other (earlier) Miata drivers.
Needs pics of the door hinge area, another vulnerable spot for spridgets…
Sorry, silver was not a “rare” color in the 70’s.
Do you make this stuff up ??
I had the exact car in Red. I have stated here several times, most fun car I ever owned. Notorious for fuel pump issues, but man could it handle curvy mountain roads in Virginia. Truck lid problem was common but not too difficult to ‘bend’ back on a real hot day. I never had the wire wheels for the reason Howard mentioned. However, I was 6′ 2″ and my best friend was 6′ 6″ and we could both drive it easily. I do think I did something to get the seat all the way back but for the life of me I can’t remember what. Maybe someone here. could I have slid the seat tracks back some? Just glad it is a long way away from FL or I would be jonesing big time for it.