MG Midget (1961 to 1979)

The MG Midget is the small, two-seat open sports car that BMC, and later British Leyland, built at the MG works in Abingdon from 1961 until late 1979. It was not a new design. It was a lightly reworked Austin-Healey Sprite, sharing the Sprite's body, monocoque structure and running gear, and the two were sold side by side as badge-engineered twins until the Sprite was dropped in 1971. The Midget name itself was a revival of a pre-war MG title.

The appeal has always been simplicity. The car is tiny, light and low, with quick steering and a short wheelbase, so it feels lively at modest speeds. Hagerty notes that the short wheelbase can make it twitchy when pushed hard, which is part of the character rather than a fault. Early and mid-period cars use the BMC A-series engine familiar from the Mini and Morris Minor, while the final 1500 uses the Triumph Spitfire's engine and sits higher on its rubber bumpers to meet American rules.

Today the Midget is one of the most accessible ways into British classic sports car ownership. Almost every mechanical part is available, the engines are well understood, and club support is strong. The catch, repeated by every guide consulted, is corrosion. The structure is a welded steel monocoque, and a rotten shell is far more costly to put right than any mechanical fault.

• Years: launched summer 1961; last car built in November 1979 (per Wheels Alive; other sources say simply "late 1979").
• Body style: two-seat open roadster, with a factory bolt-on hard top option and many aftermarket hard tops.
• Engines (BMC A-series, 1961 to 1974): - 948cc, about 47bhp (1961 to 1962) - 1098cc, about 56bhp, then about 59bhp in Mk2 form (1962 to 1966) - 1275cc, quoted at 64bhp by Autocar and Classics World and 65bhp by Wheels Alive (1966 to 1974)
• Engine (Triumph, 1974 to 1979): 1493cc four-cylinder from the Spitfire, about 65bhp, giving a top speed just over 100mph.
• Gearboxes: four-speed manual throughout. A-series cars have no synchromesh on first gear. The 1500 uses a Morris Marina-derived gearbox with synchromesh on all forward gears.
• Brakes: drums all round on the earliest cars, front discs from the 1098cc era onwards (Classics World dates this to 1962, Autocar to 1963).
• Production: Classic Car Hub states over 225,000 were built, most of them for the United States. This figure could not be confirmed against a factory or club source, so treat it as approximate.

• Mk1 (1961 to 1964): 948cc then 1098cc from October 1962. Sliding sidescreens rather than wind-up windows. Early Mk1s used quarter-elliptic rear springs, and the earliest "smooth case" gearbox has fragile synchro with scarce parts.
• Mk2 (1964 to 1966): uprated 1098cc engine, wind-up windows, exterior door handles, new dashboard and semi-elliptic rear springs.
• Mk3 (1966 to 1974): 1275cc engine related to the Mini Cooper S unit, a proper folding hood and a larger fuel tank. The most plentiful chrome bumper Midget and the one most buyers seek.
• 1968 to 1970 (British Leyland era): Autocar places Rostyle wheels, new trim and new rear lights from 1968; Classics World describes a 1970 facelift with a matt black grille, black sills and Rostyles. Sidelight positions moved around 1968, so mismatched sides suggest a repair.
• 1972: round rear wheelarches introduced. Hagerty notes this change weakened the rear of the shell, and it was later reversed.
• 1974 to 1979 (Midget 1500): black polyurethane bumpers for US crash rules, raised ride height, square rear arches back again, Triumph 1493cc engine and all-synchro gearbox.

Bodywork and structure

• Sills: inner and outer sills are the critical structural members. A soft or flexing outer sill may hide a rotten inner. Doors that drop or catch on closing can point to a sagging shell or poor sill repair.
• A-posts and scuttle: water traps, as is the rear of the front wing where it meets the sill.
• Floors and footwells: check from above, lifting carpets, and from beneath. Leaking hoods soak carpets and rot floors. Check jacking point plugs.
• Rear spring hangers: the mounting boxes for the rear springs are a known weak point, especially on early cars.
• Rear end: rear wings, inner arches, the double-skinned area behind the rear wing, boot floor, spare wheel well and rear panel.
• Front: bonnet leading edge, front lower panel, valances and the extremities of the front wings.
• Filler and bodges: take a magnet, and be wary of thick paint and "bitsa" cars built from several Midgets.
• Bumper conversions: many rubber bumper cars have been converted to chrome. Check the ride height and front valance were properly altered, not just chrome parts bolted on.

Engine

• A-series: generally long lived. A light top-end tapping usually means tappets need adjusting; a deeper rattle from low down suggests a rebuild is near. A guide figure from Classics World is about 60psi oil pressure from cold and no less than 45psi when warm, if a gauge is fitted.
• Smoke: blue under load suggests bores or rings; blue on the overrun suggests valve guides or stem seals; white suggests head gasket trouble.
• 1500 engine: weaker bottom end. Rumbling from the crank, low oil pressure when hot, and crankshaft thrust washer wear are the known issues. With the engine running, watch the crank pulley as the clutch is pressed; fore and aft movement points to worn thrust washers. It also runs hotter than the A-series.
• Tuned 1275s: big valve heads, hot camshafts, Weber or Dellorto carburettors and 1380cc conversions are common. Poorly matched work shows as a lumpy idle and poor running.

Gearbox and drivetrain

• A whine in first and reverse is normal on straight-cut gears.
• Check for weak synchro on second (usually first to go), and for third jumping out under load.
• The rear axle should be quiet. Whine or clonks need investigating.
• Five-speed conversions exist; they are not original.

Suspension, steering and brakes

• Front kingpins need grease every 1,000 miles or so. Look for fresh grease on the nipples. Worn kingpins and trunnions are an MoT failure.
• Lever-arm dampers on all four corners can leak; check for oil on the bodies.
• Rear leaf springs sag, break or seize with rust. Check the car sits level.
• Brakes: seized caliper pistons, scored discs, corroded pipes and handbrake cables.

Electrics and interior

• Electrical gremlins usually come down to poor earths and corroded bullet connectors. Complete looms are available.
• Check the hood for tears, a crazed rear window and mildew in the folds. A hard top's perimeter seals are the usual leak point.
• Trim varied by year. Autumn Leaf interior trim is hard to find except as a complete new set, and early steering wheels can be scarce.

Identity and paperwork

• Check chassis and engine numbers against the V5C. Many A-series cars now carry a different or larger engine.
• A British Motor Museum Heritage Certificate will confirm the original specification, colour and build date.
• Check that grille, bumpers and arches suit the stated year.
• Cars over 40 years old can be exempt from the MoT, but substantially modified cars are not. A current MoT remains a useful independent check.

Parts supply is excellent. Mechanical, trim and body parts are widely available, including complete new bodyshells, and service kits are easy to source. Brakes and tyres wear slowly on such a light car, but the front suspension needs frequent greasing.

Clubs:

• MG Owners' Club (opens in a new tab), founded in 1973, with technical archives for the 1275 and 1500 Midget.
• MG Car Club (opens in a new tab), which runs the Midget Register covering Midgets and Sprites from 1958 to 1979.
• Midget & Sprite Club (opens in a new tab), a dedicated club for the twins.

• How much of the shell has been replaced or repaired, by whom, and are there photographs of the work?
• Is the engine the original unit, and has the car been converted from rubber to chrome bumpers or vice versa?
• When were the kingpins and front suspension last greased and checked?
• Does the car have a Heritage Certificate, and do the chassis and engine numbers match the V5C?
• For a 1500, has the bottom end been rebuilt, and has crankshaft end float been checked?