1964 MG Midget – Project Profile

Forget your Ferraris, Porsches and Caterhams, we reckon the MG Midget is perhaps the perfect base for a race car. Inherently hoonable and eminently chuckable its already go-kart like credentials make it a prime candidate for track shenanigans. Combine that with a basic setup and simple mechanicals and it all starts to make sense. It’s front-engined and rear-wheel drive, which is the correct way round. It’s small and light. It’s incredibly cheap to buy and maintain. It’s a doddle to fettle with. There’s great parts support. We could go on but we’re pretty sure you’re already convinced.

It’s no wonder that many budding racers opt for an MX-5 as their track weapon of choice. The small but mighty Mazda shares a lot of characteristics with the Midget. Hell, it was even influenced by its big brother, the MGB, but we think the Midget is an easier and cooler option when it comes to ragging a small, two-seater sports car around a racing circuit.

Introduced in 1961 the original Midget was essentially a MkII Austin-Healey Sprite with an MG badge on the grille, with both cars being built by BMC. That’s no bad thing though, as the Sprite was itself a capable little sportster, but the Midget struck a chord with the public and would prove more popular in the long run than the car upon which it was based.

As mentioned earlier, it was a pretty basic affair with a twin carb, 1-litre A-Series engine under the bonnet and drum brakes all round. Suspension came courtesy of coil spring and wishbones up front and quarter-elliptic leaf springs with lever-arm shock absorbers and top links out back. So simple was it that the side windows were made of Perspex and it had no door handles!

Things would soon improve though and in ’62 the engine would increase in capacity from 998cc to 1098cc, shifting the car’s power output from 46bhp to a heady 56 and disc brakes would be fitted to the front wheels.

The MkII came along two years later (there would be four incarnations of the Midget over the course of its 18 year lifespan) with a few upgrades, including a stronger engine, improved rear suspension and actual glass windows. The doors now had handles, too. Posh.

What is it? 

What we have here is a 1964 MG Midget MkII that’s almost race ready. Restored and kitted out to FIA-HTP 65 Class specification (including a full FIA roll cage) the car has been built to replicate the iconic livery of Bob Tullius’ Group 44 race team. Most of the hard work has been completed with many new parts sourced from high quality suppliers to the tune of over €20,000. It just needs the final push now and it can go racing.

Why is it a project? 

The bodywork has been restored and the car does come complete with a period appropriate 1.3-litre BMC race engine, close ratio gearbox and brand new brakes, amongst myriad other parts, but it does all need plumbing in and finishing off. The majority of parts to finalise the build are included in the sale but the buyer would need to source various bits and bobs, most noticeably a seat and wiring loom. The potential here though is clear to see.

What should you look for? 

This is an auction car so head on over to the listing for the full run down of parts included, upgrades and modifications but suffice to say we’ve done all the hard work for you, which means a thorough and honest description and well over 100 quality photographs for you to pore over, allowing you to bid with absolute confidence. Not only that but with our new auctions comments functionality you can chat directly with the seller to ask any questions you may have about the car, so have at it.

What should you do with it? 

If it were us we would strip it all down and take this Midget back to its original factory spec. Psych! We got you, admit it. Of course, there’s obviously only one way to go here and that’s to finish the build. Collect what missing parts are still required and then connect it all together like a giant Lego set. With so much of the hard work already completed it presents as a relatively simple project that will leave you with an awesome little race car at the end of it all. Small, lightweight and with plenty of power (we reckon 110 to 115bhp from that motor) we guarantee it’ll be as much fun as is legally possible to have in a car. So in a nutshell, buy it, finish it, race it.