Due to Austin’s capacity being overrun, the 1959 Healey Sprite ‘Frogeye’ was built at the MG factory in Abingdon – a move that was carried out originally for convenience’s sake but ultimately led to the revival of a name of old – and one that would carry on for much longer than Austin-Healey.  

With the Sprite being built at Abingdon and MG needing a boost, it was decided that the tiny sports car would be redesigned with an MG front end. In 1961 the MG Midget made its debut, alongside the Austin-Healey Sprite Mk 2. Both cars had a squarer body, with separate front wings and a more conventional bonnet, while the car also got a boot – something that was missing from the original Sprite. 

The little 948cc engine, meanwhile, got bigger carbs for slightly more performance. The purest Mk1 Midgets lasted until 1963, when the engine was upgraded to 1,098cc, front disc brakes were added and the rear quarter-elliptic leaf springs gave way to fully elliptic ones, making those earliest Midgets rare beasts indeed. They’re identifiable by their sliding side windows and lack of external door handles, which are features of this example here – one of the very last original spec Midgets. 

The car was restored over a decade ago, with the quality of the work of far greater importance than the speed. It’s one of the smartest early Midgets left, restored to be as close as it could be to original specification. 

First registered in June 1963, little is known about the early history of 397 EAX. It was acquired in the early 2000s by a garage proprietor, who kept it as a plaything and had the car restored over a 10-year period, either by doing the work himself out of hours or getting his mechanics to work on it ‘between jobs’ during quieter periods. 

The restoration was completed more than 10 years ago, but to a very high standard and the car has been garaged with minimal use since, covering less than 2,000 miles since 2005.

Because the car was restored by a mechanic in his own premises, there are very few receipts with the Midget. 

It is supplied with  a full UK V5C and it has an MOT-exempt status.

This is a terrific example of an early Midget and is in structurally excellent condition having been fully restored. 

There’s no rust to be seen anywhere on top or underneath, while the finish of the Tartan Red paint is excellent, maintaining a deep lustre. 

The car also has a new hood and matching full tonneau cover, both in excellent order. The windscreen seals have recently been renewed and the detachable side windows, with sliding glass, are present and in good order. 

It wears period-correct steel wheels with hubcaps, shod with good quality Uniroyal tyres all-round, and the chrome and brightwork across the car is in superb condition. 

There’s not much inside the cabin of any Midget, but what is here is absolutely terrific, with immaculate retrimmed black seats piped in red, new carpets and a smart red vinyl crackle-finish dash. 

All the controls and switches work as they should, including the optional rev counter to the right of the steering wheel. 

Basic is very much the name of the game, too. Plain and simple, the cabin is dominated by the large two-spoke steering wheel that’s at odds with the car’s sporty nature. There are no door trims – just open pockets, with the door handles (internal only) inside the doorframe. Condition-wise, it’s immaculate. 

The engine bay is superbly presented, clean and with no signs of any leaks or inner wing or scuttle corrosion. 

The twin-carb A-Series was rebuilt as part of the car’s restoration and it fires up straight away with very little choke, ticking over smoothly once warm and responding eagerly to the throttle. We had it running for quite a while during the photo shoot and it maintained and held a steady temperature. 

The stubby gear lever slots smoothly between all of the ratios, and the car’s lightness makes it easy and fun to throw around. The vendor reports that it drives exactly as it should, with no known issues, and is guaranteed to make you grin.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive and painless entry into classic car ownership then a Midget is a great choice – they’re huge fun, cost pennies to run and are extremely simple to maintain, with peerless parts back up thanks to the huge number of MG specialists there are out there. 

This one is particularly appealing as not only is it in excellent condition, but it’s also the Midget in its purest form. Cute, basic, simple yet endearing, it’s the definitive example of one of the most popular British classics of all-time, with lots of delightful features that can only be found on the very first examples. It’s a lovely and extremely charming car.