From 1961 to 1979, the MG Midget was one of MG’s most popular automobiles. It was a pint-sized sports car built over four generations. The U.S. market was a popular destination and increasing safety standards made it harder and harder for them to stay in compliance. This 1967 Mk III (third generation) has had only one registered owner and still sports its original red paint. You might not find another that has both of these attributes in one package. Located in Blountsville, Tennessee, this British vehicle is available here on eBay where a single bid of $2,500 will not meet the seller’s reserve.
Changes to the MG Midget for the MK III in 1966 were evolutionary. The displacement of the engine was increased to 1275cc, but the horsepower didn’t change much due to a reduced compression ratio. Fortunately, it would not be until 1974 that the chrome bumpers would give way to black rubber mallets. A friend of mine had a ’66 Midget that looked just like this one. This was the era of the CB radio craze, and he named the car after his CB handle, “Rollerskate.” The car wasn’t in nearly as good shape as this one.
We’re told this machine runs and drives great. Everything works as it’s supposed to, like the lights and gauges. The mileage is an indicated 120,000, but the motor was treated to a rebuild 500 miles ago. The 4-speed manual has a bit of a “growl” going into first but were told the rest are noise-free. The clutch is new, so that’s not part of the problem.
The red paint has held up nicely. But there are a couple of dents in the passenger side front fender which may be making it difficult to close the hood (what a shame). The seller has invested about $1,000 in new seat covers and underlying materials, plus a new top. Besides some handwritten documentation, the car comes with a lot of spare parts. This could be one of the nicer Midgets out there that haven’t been fully restored.
Nice car. The 1275 cc cars were the best through ’73 before the rubber bumpers came out. Our ’62 first year car was a great little car and the ’67 that followed it was even greater. Same color as this car with spoke wheels. It’s on my list of cars I should of kept.
Enlarging the “dent” pic, it looks like there is collision damage to the hood and grille as well as the relatively minor fender dent. That hood is buckled on the right side and has a dent in its leading edge, which should have been disclosed, because that
Is very difficult damage to fix without replacing panels.
67 Sprite and Midgets were my favorite year. First year of the the 1275 motor, last year of the steel dash, no smog controls on engine, no head restraints. This one looks just to have some minor tiding-up to do and you’ve a got fun driver that will just increase (not a lot) but will because of its year! To me Spridgets are the most fun for the least money!!
Knock offs, too!!
First gear may have straight cut gears , including reverse . 2nd – 4th
gears would be helical cut gears , synchronized. Straight cut gear tend to be noisy . The cluster gears riding on the same sets of bearings , all gears would be noisy if a compromised bearing was the underlying issue
I actually pulled the engine/transmission at about 6 months from buying my new ’62 to try to find out why the first gear was so noisy. Found out the hard way but at least I didn’t have to worry about it any more.
Im a heavy equipment technician and specialize in transmissions . You may have learned the hard way but now your educated in the subject . No loss…all win !
It has a trailer hitch for the suitcases!
My older brother’s TR3 had a trailer hitch which we hated.
We always forgot it was there and would smack our shins into it, full stride, hard, as we walked behind the car. It gave a nice bruise.
Dad built a utility trailer on an Anglia rear end.
The Triumph pulled it just fine. So did the Beetle, and the 3100.
A dump run in a sports car with dad was a GOOD time for a twelve year old.
My third car and the one that introduced me to British vehicles was exactly like this one. My first car loan was a used1967 MK3, had a ball with it. Had a serviceable PCV, the SU carburetors were just as simple. My only issue I had was with the positive ground and getting an after market tape player mounted and keeping it insulated from the car. lol Ah when I was young and stupid!
Many fun years an virtually the same car. In the 70’s the only terrifying part was getting stuck between 2 semi trucks on the freeway. Don’t really see where they fit into todays driving world anymore.
At this price and on the right road this is a pretty good deal.
One never knows where these will go ’til the end, but this could be a great deal… Only odd thing is that in the Ebay description the seller says its a one owner car, but then refers to another “original owner”…
By “One owner” it means one owner at a time. Lol
I had this year car. I didn’t have wire rims, I have the alloy wheels. I hate to see the minor bump on the RH front fender but I worry more about the minor bump that appears behind the MG emblem which appears to have caused the bow in the front hood worries me. Bumps like those caused me some headaches trying to get the front end all correct. It took me a year to figure out what was cutting my tires.
But nice looking interior and top for sure!
A 1968 MG Midget was my first car. I bought it in the summer of 1978 in Rumson, NJ for $200. having an expert car mechanic as an older brother didn’t hurt. I drove my pride and joy for my Junior and Senior year of H.S. Great memories including breaking down when I ran out of gas because I could never get that gauge working. I carried a piece of rope to lower into the tank but I just got into the habit of filling her up more often than not.
A 1968 MG Midget was my first car. I bought it in the summer of 1978 in Rumson, NJ for $200. having an expert car mechanic as an older brother didn’t hurt. I drove my pride and joy for my Junior and Senior year of H.S. Great memories including breaking down when I ran out of gas because I could never get that gauge working. I carried a piece of rope to lower into the tank but I just got into the habit of filling her up more often than not.
Ripe for a transplant
Yep, nice 3.0 litre w/auto trans. Certainly no hot rod but still no slouch either and cooling shouldn’t be a problem. More modern mechanicals and better parts availability. What a blast it would be. Just don’t drive between a couple of semis.
Auto trans!!???… In a Spridget… NOOoooooooooooo……
No need to change engines. I’ve got a 1275 street level engine that puts out 120 hp that I built for an autocross car.
Great little cars ,had one when i lived in England ,a new one, it was a 67 with a little work on the engine they are great on twisty roads,.
I had a 66 with a 1275 transplant and I miss it dearly. Best of both worlds, the 1275 but with the 4:22 read end (or was it a 4:11?). Blountville is just up the road and I would like to see this Midget for possible purchase. How do I get in touch with the owner?
Click on the red highlighted eBay in the first paragraph. It takes you to the site and contact information.
The compliment of a recently refreshed engine is helpful, yet consideration from the buyer necessitates understanding that the balance of the powertrain, chassis, electrical etc, still maintains 120K of use, considerable when understanding the duration of time these British cars remain safely streetable.
Oops – ended $7500