∙Low mileage, rare round wheel arch example ∙Freshly recommissioned after lay up ∙Bare metal respray ∙New seats, carpets and door cards ∙Ready to be enjoyed
The Background
The MG Midget started life as an imposter which is to say it was a mark 2 Austin Healy Sprite with an MG badge and a few MG trimmings. This gave rise to the collective name ‘Spridgets’ to refer to both models which continued in parallel until the demise of the Austin Healey brand in 1971. In 1972, the Midget, by then on mark III, received a restyle which included rounded rear wheel arches where previously they had been squared off. These were only in production for a few years before the Midget received rubber bumpers and are generally regarded as the most sought after.
The round wheel arch cars feature a 1275cc A series engine similar to that found in the contemporary Mini Cooper S but slightly detuned to maintain the badge hierarchy. Even then, it’s enough to give the car spritely performance (pun intended) driving the rear wheels through a four speed manual gearbox and sporting a suitably fruity exhaust note. Right from its inception, it was regarded as a light weight and fun sports car and it remains popular to this day with strong club support and parts availability.
This example was bought by the vendor as a project in September 2019. The previous owner had been in possession for some time and had been planning to restore it but changed his mind and decided to make the space. Prior to that it is believed to have been in the same family for a number of years. Although MOT exempt, it was last MOT’d in 2007 and the current owner suspects that it was off the road and in storage between then and when he acquired it.
Since then it’s been recommissioned and had a bare metal respray in Teal Blue with fresh seats and carpets. This has got it to a very usable state but the owner’s eye has been drawn by a fresh project (an eighties hot hatch, as you ask) and he’s decided to let someone else enjoy the summer weather in it.
The car has a current V5 and an MOT until 8 March 2022 and is accompanied by a full photographic record of the respray and the invoices for the interior and the recommissioning work.
The eye is immediately drawn to the refreshed seats, carpets and door cards which look very smart and complement the fresh exterior paint job. The dashboard is a model of simplicity with Smiths dials nestling behind the three spoke Mountney leather steering wheel, though it is fairly heavily patinated and, while it doesn’t detract from the functionality, it would benefit from being refreshed to match the standard of the rest of the interior.
This being a ‘no-frills’ sports car, there is not a huge list of refinements to discuss, but inertia reel seat belts are fitted and there is an MG badge in the centre of the gear knob which was thought to have been mislaid but happily turned up midway through our photo shoot.
The roof is in good condition and can be taken down with ease. It is thought to be weatherproof but the current owner has never taken the car out in the rain to prove it. In the boot under an MG-branded cover there is a matching spare which has been repainted to the same standard as the wheels on the car, and the original jack.
Roof up or down, the car has the cheeky look of a quintessential British sports car. Teal Blue suits the car very well and the recent respray looks to be a quality job and has yet to acquire any stone chips. There is one small mark from in the garage on the passenger wing which has been touched in but it doesn’t detract from the overall very attractive appearance which is completed by the freshly painted Rostyle wheels, all shod with good tyres.
Had the vendor kept the car, the next job on the list would have been to sort out the chrome which has started to weather and the front grille would need a little attention to be as fresh as the paint job. Overall, however, it’s a real eye-catcher and will surely make its new owner proud.
Under the bonnet, the engine bay is very original and the engine fires up first time courtesy of a new battery. It pulls well – the initial acceleration is surprisingly quick – and, accompanied by a lively soundtrack, it will keep up with modern traffic. Given its physical size, it’s happier on smaller roads than on the motorway, but it’s a joy to drive with a smooth gear change and progressive brakes and there are no untoward noises from the drivetrain or suspension. It’s everything you would hope for in a classic British sports car.
Now that we finally have some summer to celebrate, what better way to enjoy it then from behind the wheel of an MG Midget? The ingredients to the recipe may be familiar, with MG styling and a Mini Cooper engine but the sum is greater than its parts and there’s plenty to savour. You won’t be alone in your enjoyment either as it’s sure to attract a lot of positive attention and, with a very active owners club, you won’t be short of advice or spare parts.
This example has had the heavy lifting of the restoration work needed already completed and can quite happily be used during the summer months. The dashboard and chrome could be jobs for the winter but with so much fun to be had on the road, you might just want to keep on driving it.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
Please see our FAQ's here and our Terms & Conditions here
Consulta le nostre FAQ
qui
e i nostri Termini e condizioni
qui
Il modo più sicuro per acquistare un'auto d'epoca online
Il sistema di pagamento sicuro di Car & Classic protegge acquirenti e venditori. Al termine dell'asta, l'offerente vincente trasferisce il pagamento su un conto vincolato di terzi. Una volta completato il trasferimento del veicolo, entrambe le parti confermano di essere soddisfatte della vendita e il denaro viene rilasciato al venditore.
Maggiori informazioni su come acquistare con noi
1972 MG Midget
Come funzionano le offerte massime
Il processo di offerta massima ti permette di fare offerte senza preoccupazioni.
Inserisci la tua offerta massima e il sistema farà offerte automaticamente per assicurarsi che tu sia il miglior offerente - fino all'ammontare da te stabilito come tetto massimo.
Anti-sniping
Car & Classic contrasta il fenomeno dello “sniping”, ovvero il fenomeno dei rilanci all'ultimo secondo per vincere l'asta.
Se viene fatta un'offerta nei 3 minuti prima della chiusura dell'asta, la scadenza di questa viene automaticamente estesa di 2 minuti per permettere agli altri offerenti di reagire e, se lo desiderano, di rilanciare.
Incrementi di offerta automatica
Se la sua offerta massima è uguale o inferiore al prezzo di riserva, la sua offerta massima sarà applicata per intero se lei è il miglior offerente.
Se siete il miglior offerente e fate un'offerta massima superiore a quella di riserva, la riserva verrà automaticamente inserita come prima offerta.
Una volta raggiunta la riserva, Car & Classic si assicurerà che tu sia il miglior offerente utilizzando solo gli incrementi di offerta indicati di seguito.
Vi terremo in testa fino alla vostra offerta massima O all'incremento più vicino alla vostra offerta massima, a condizione che la vostra offerta massima sia sufficiente a coprire il valore dell'incremento.
Ammontare dell'offerta
Incremento
Da £0 a £9,999
£100.00
Da £10,000 a £49,999
£250.00
Da £50,000 a £99,999
£500.00
£100,000 +
£1,000.00
Superamento immediato dell'offerta
Quando piazzi un'offerta massima e questa viene immediatamente superata, questo significa che un altro offerente ha impostato una soglia di offerta massima superiore alla tua.
Puoi fare nuovamente un'offerta o impostare una soglia più alta di offerta massima e il nostro sistema rilancerà fino alla nuova soglia, cercando di portarti a essere il miglior offerente.
Offerte massime di pari ammontare
Quando ci sono due offerte massime di pari ammontare, quella impostata per prima è quella che viene considerata “migliore offerta”.
Pre-autorizzazione
Potremmo trattenere un piccolo importo di pre-autorizzazione sulla tua carta fino alla fine dell'asta, quando quest'ultimo verrà poi stornato. Se vinci, verrà prelevata una caparra che verrà detratta dal pagamento del prezzo di vendita per il veicolo e non comporta costi aggiuntivi per te.
Cosa sono le Offerte pre-asta?
Offerte pre-asta significa che avete la possibilità di fare offerte prima dell'inizio ufficiale dell'asta.
Verrà comunicato se si è il miglior offerente o meno all'inizio dell'asta.
Problema con l'offerta
Le offerte sono contrattualmente vincolanti. Per tutelare l'utente, sono previste alcune regole nel caso in cui si ritenga che sia stato digitato in modo errato. Si prega di controllare e modificare quanto inserito.
