To many people, the MG Midget is a blank canvas. A fun, inexpensive sports car that’s easy to work on, with great off-the-shelf parts availability and loads of tuning potential. 

But sometimes, folk get carried away. And with this car, we’re glad that they did as there isn’t another Midget like it. 

With bespoke flared bodywork, side exit exhausts, deep dish Minilite alloys and a raised ride height, it certainly looks a lot different to the yellow Midget 1500 that it began its life as. But it’s not a case of all mouth and no trousers, because it has the power to go with its lunatic looks. Under the bonnet, there’s a 1.8-litre Rover K-Series. 120bhp in standard tune is quick enough for a Midget, but whoever built it didn’t stop there. We don’t know the exact power output, but let’s just say it’s blisteringly quick. And cool. Very, very cool indeed.

Inside, the Midget is a mixture of original and lightly modified, with black vinyl seats and the factory carpets, door cars and dash – all of which are in serviceable condition. 

There’s also an extra bank of rocker switches, including one to operate the essential supplementary cooling fan, and additional dials to show oil pressure, oil temperature, battery voltage and a more accurate coolant temperature gauge. 

It's compact and cosy as Midgets always are, but has a sense of occasion to match the beefed up exterior.

Finished in British Racing Green with Cobra stripes and race roundels, the Midget makes its intentions clear. As If they weren’t immediately noticeable via the deep dish Minilites, Mad Max-style side exit exhaust, flared out arches and de-bumpered front end. Headlight grilles and a detachable factory hardtop complete what is a fantastic period-tuned look – if you like a modified classic then you’ll love this.

It's an older repaint and it’s not without imperfections – there are marks and flaws here and there but nothing we consider of any importance. Underneath, it has seen welded repairs in the past but it appears strong and is described by the vendor as being in generally solid condition.
 

Rover Group’s K-Series engine punches above its weight in all capacities, but the 1.8-litre is the biggest of the lot and was found in models such as the MGF, Lotus Elise and Land Rover Freelander, so it’s designed to have a fair amount of power.

This one has an additional oil cooler and alloy radiator, auxiliary cooling fan and a performance air filter, as well as a stainless-steel sports exhaust system. It sounds terrific and it goes like stink. 

Things are kept in check via heavy duty suspension and an all-round disc brake conversion, while the power is fed to the road via a Ford Type 9 gearbox, as found in the Sierra among other models. It’s described by the vendor as ‘extremely quick’, so not a car for the faint-hearted!

How cool is this? There’s a lot to love about the MG Midget in standard tune as it’s a car that will never fail to put a smile on your face, but this one is something else. Devilishly fast, great to look at and properly built, it’s a fantastic, well-modified classic that oozes driver appeal. It’s one that’s guaranteed to put a huge grin on your face!

The car starts and drives with no obvious faults being evident other than those noted but having said that the vendor now strongly recommends a good going over before any use as there may be faults which are not noted.

Notice to bidders

This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.*