Highlights
- Fully prepared for sprint and hill-climb use
- Extraordinarily quick with its 1.8-litre Rover K-series engine
- Many parts from renowned MG performance specialist Frontline
- New British Motor Heritage body shell
- To be enjoyed in hardtop and soft-top configurations
- Mountains of invoices documenting parts used in the build
The Appeal
The MG Midget: to most people, it’s a fun, affordable little sports car which is ideal for brisk country-lane motoring, destined to end with a lunch stop at some quaint rural hostelry. To a select few others, it’s merely a template from which to build something even faster and more thrilling, destined for glory at the chequered flag of a racing circuit or sprint course.
In the 1960s and ’70s, racers professional and amateur went to tremendous lengths to squeeze every last drop of power and speed out of MG Midgets and their sister Austin-Healey Sprites, with their 948, 1098 and 1275cc BMC A-series engines. Notably, two streamlined Midgets were prepared by Abingdon for Dick Jacobs to campaign at Le Mans from 1962 to 1964, with engines tuned to Formula Junior specification.
As time progressed, more possibilities for modifications became available, and the MG Midget and Rover K-series engine must be a match made in heaven. Introduced in 1988 as a 1.1-litre engine for the rather unglamorous Rover Metro and Rover 200, over time it grew to 1.8 litres and was more respectably employed in MGs including the F, TF, ZS and ZT.
In those MGs, it was a fairly speedy engine. In one this small and light, it is almost unbelievably quick. It positively takes off in first gear, pressing you firmly against the back of your seat, and it doesn’t need any encouragement to slide its back end out. There is quite a number of Midgets currently being campaigned on the British hill-climb and sprint circuit, and the MG Car Club even runs its own Midget & Sprite Challenge. In the hands of a skilled driver, we believe this could be one of the most competitive cars out there.
The History and Paperwork
- Little is known of this Midget’s history, except that it was built as a full-blown sprint car from 2011 to 2013 using £33,000 worth of parts, plus labour
- A large percentage of the car’s build was completed using Frontline performance parts
- Believed to have been campaigned in a handful of competitions in Northern Ireland, including the Rathfriland Motor Club’s 2015 Around a Pound Targa Rally and a Dungannon Motor Club event
- Acquired by its most recent owner in July 2019
- Paperwork includes the V5 and an enormous collection of invoices and technical documents
- Invoices mainly date from between 2011 and 2013
- Technical documents include an operating manual for the engine management system, and detailed workshop information and diagrams for the K-series engine
The Interior
- MG TF bucket seats
- Extensive modern instrumentation
- Sports steering wheel
One doesn’t always expect sports-cars to be comfortable, much less fully race-prepared ones, but, for what it is, this Midget must be considered a fairly comfortable car. Equipped with modern, leather-upholstered bucket seats from an MG TF, you do not suffer the discomfort associated with purpose-made racing seats, but you still get the head restraints and side supports which, in a car that accelerates and corners like this one does, are pretty vital.
Of course, the Midget has been extensively modified and little remains in the interior which might have been there when new in 1970. It is fitted with a fully bespoke custom dash panel which contains the necessary array of gauges and switches. The gauges are all modern items and the speedometer contains a digital odometer.
Since it consists mainly of fairly new parts, all is in very good condition, although there is some very light, superficial wear on the seat leather and steering wheel. That hardly matters, though – it’s supposed to be a racing car, not a concours queen. Rubber floor mats are installed, along with very useful Dynamat sound insulation.
The boot is predictably Spartan, but that makes it easy to see just how solid the floor is. Unfortunately, there is no spare wheel provided.
The Exterior
- New Heritage body shell
- Supplied with a works hardtop
- Minilite-style alloy wheels
We mentioned that a lot of new parts have been used on this car, and that extends as far as the British Motor Heritage body shell. Since the car was built as a racer only 10 years ago and hasn’t been driven on more than a handful of occasions, it might be a given that all the bodywork is still very much like that of a brand-new car. The paint has just a few very small blemishes, which is to be expected considering this car has been driven in anger in a few competitive events, but there really is nothing to be concerned about, only a few small chips and retouched areas which, on a racing car, might be dismissed as entirely trivial.
As may be expected, there are several external deviations from standard, including the period-correct Minilite-style alloy wheels, plus the bonnet scoop and vents in the wing to assist with engine cooling. The Minilites are in excellent condition, with only some very mild, superficial scrapes in isolated places. The slatted chrome grilled was used on 1961-1969 Midgets and simply serves to make it a bit prettier.
The works hardtop is a useful feature to have for racing, and in terms of paint it is, like the rest of the car, very good but with some insignificant cosmetic blemishes. For road use, you may well like to revert to the soft-top, although we find it slightly difficult to secure in the raised position so it may require some adjustment.
All things considered, this is a highly presentable car considering its competitive purpose, and it may be seen to be very solid underneath. The only damage we noticed was some cracks in the reversing lights, but they do not necessarily require attention and are easy and cheap to replace should you want to.
The Mechanics
- 1.8-litre K-series has been extensively tuned to produce 178bhp
- Ford Type 9 five-speed gearbox and back axle
- Brakes, suspension and everything else upgraded as necessary
We already know that this MG has been modified beyond our wildest dreams, so let’s begin with just a run-down of its most important mechanical features:
- K-series engine producing 178bhp, with a new crank, solid cam followers and more
- Rebuilt Ford Type 9 five-speed gearbox with quick stick
- Ford back axle with limited-slip differential
- Wilwood disc brakes front and rear
- Hydraulic handbrake
- Stainless exhaust system
- Alloy radiator
- Jenvey throttle bodies
- Emerald ECU
- Frontline front suspension
- Frontline rear shocks
- Competition half-shafts
- Lowered rear springs
Now that you know what you’re getting, you might well wonder what it’s like. The answer to that is ‘jolly fast’. While it still appears reasonably unassuming from outside, the sudden, loud snarl that emanates from the exhaust pipe when it fires up should dispel any ideas that this is a tame sports-car. From first gear, it just wants to fly away, and with every burst of acceleration you are thrown back against your seat. If one is liberal with the throttle around corners, it will quite happily slide, so it promises to be a lot of fun provided you’re careful with it.
What’s more, we were only able to sample it for a short drive around suburban London, which is not its natural environment. Had we a race-track at our disposal, we expect our knuckles would still be white even now.
The Summary
Even when standard, MG Midgets are fun, enjoyable cars. When tuned, they can be virtually out of this world. This one is leagues ahead of what most Midget drivers will ever experience in terms of performance, and will certainly embarrass a lot of much newer cars.
Make no mistake, this is not your ‘Sunday amble and a pub lunch’ sort of Midget. This is a ferocious, all-out racer which demands to be driven by a competent and enthusiastic driver. Whether in road rallies, circuit-racing or hill-climbs and sprints, this is a versatile and capable car that promises to be highly competitive. We’d get racing if we were you, and even if you don’t win your first event, you’ll have brilliant fun.
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