The Adorable MG Midget Is Still An Absolute Classic Car Bargain

Gg Mg Midget Ts
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If you live in a big city, getting into classic cars can be hard. Not only do you need space to store one, you need space to work on one, and that’s at a premium in urban centers from Toronto to San Francisco. Thankfully, little British roadsters exist, and one popular model stands out as smaller than most. The MG Midget puts the ‘little’ in little British car, and while its model name would never fly today, the compact size, wind-in-your-hair sensation, and bargain pricing make it an excellent first classic car today.

The last MG Midget started life as a badge-engineered MkII Austin-Healey Sprite, but it ended up being a runaway success for MG. Some 224,473 examples of this little car were sold through its production span, with sales really picking up in 1969. While four major variations of MG’s adorably tiny roadster were made, the two that did big volume in America were the MkIII and the 1500, so those are the models we’ll focus on here.

Let’s start with the MkIII, the last of the chrome bumper cars. Produced between 1966 and 1974, it saw a huge displacement increase over the MkII model, bumping engine capacity up from 948 cubic centimeters to a whopping 1,275. Power output? A heady 65 horsepower at launch, which in a car weighing less than 1,600 pounds, is plenty enough to do slow-car-fast things. Granted, sometime in 1968, the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.22:1 to 3.9:1, and while this did make highway cruising a little easier, it came at the expense of acceleration. Still, trading a bit of pull for a better cruising experience seems like a change well-suited to North American driving. In 1969, the MG Midget MkIII got a facelift to include round rear wheel arches, and it’s these 1969 to 1974 models that are most coveted by enthusiasts.

1973 Mg Midget 2

However, change was on the horizon. While late 1974 models got rubber bumperettes to comply with U.S. regulation, 1975 saw a drastic appearance change when the rubber bumper brigade came for the baby MG. Another change was the engine, moving from the 1,275 cc BMC A-series inline-four to the 1.5-liter Triumph SC inline-four. Home market power still stood at 65 horses, but more torque under the curve made it a 100 mph car. British magazine Autocar managed zero-to-60 mph in 12.3 seconds, and while that was strong at the time, things weren’t quite so rosy in America.

1976 Mg Midget 2

Smog regulation meant that the 1976 U.S.-market MG Midget swapped twin SU carburetors for a single Zenith-Stromberg unit, with power plummeting to 50 horsepower. Still, 67 lb.-ft. of torque isn’t anything to sneeze at in a car this small, and despite raised ride height and detuning, these cars are still a riot to throw around.

1973 Mg Midget 1

Aside from a few Concours-grade examples, you can buy pretty much any nice later MG Midget you’d like for less than $10,000. This chrome bumper 1973 model just sold on Bring A Trailer for $7,900, and from the paint to the upholstery, the restoration job on this car looks great. This is a car you could proudly take to local shows and traverse backroads with in equal measure. Nice enough to display, but not so nice that you’re afraid of driving it.

1976 Mg Midget 1

If you’re willing to venture into rubber bumper territory, you can get a solid-looking MG Midget in driver condition for much cheaper than $7,900. Take this 1976 model for example, which sold on Bring A Trailer in December for $5,300. Sure, it might not be cosmetically perfect and could use convertible top refurbishment, but replacing a top on these cars is easy, and $5,300 is a fair price for a little red classic convertible that can just manage to keep up with modern traffic.

1976 Mg Midget Project 2

Oh, and if you’re cool with getting greasy, you can pick up a reasonably solid project for cheap. This fixer-upper 1978 MG Midget runs on an external fuel source, doesn’t seem to be made of Swiss cheese, and sold for $2,700 on Bring A Trailer in January. Look around more typical online classifieds like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and I bet you could pick up a solid project for slightly less than that.

1973 Mg Midget Interior

Now, I know what you’re thinking — can’t you get a faster, more spacious rubber bumper MGB for similar money? You totally can, although the MG Midget does hold a big advantage over an MGB. Or should I say a small advantage? The biggest barrier for getting a hobby car, other than cost, is typically space. From urban dwellers with tiny postwar single car garages to suburbanites crammed into three-quarter-sized houses to townhome dwellers, lots of people love cars but don’t have the space for a dedicated fair weather machine.

1976 Mg Midget Project 1

At just 11 feet, five inches long and four feet, seven inches wide, the MG Midget isn’t a difficult car to find space for. You can fit an MG Midget in a six-by-twelve shed, meaning that even if you’re out of garage space, you could still get inconspicuous, relatively inexpensive covered parking in your backyard for one of these little roadsters. If you have a single car garage, you can still have some room to tinker on an MG Midget indoors, and a roof to keep the rain off of your head is a huge improvement in wrenching conditions.

1976 Mg Midget Rear

As a bonus, parts are dirt cheap and still fairly available due to a strong community of British car enthusiasts, and fuel economy is fairly good, considering it doesn’t have a huge engine or much mass to push around. Sure, you’ll still have to wrench on an MG Midget, but it’s a classic car that won’t ask much of your finances or available space. A little bit of love, a little bit of time, and one of these little cars can rock your world. Even if the model name isn’t in tune with the times, the car sure is. For those with serious space constraints, it might be the best classic car bargain out there.

(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)

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59 thoughts on “The Adorable MG Midget Is Still An Absolute Classic Car Bargain”

  1. a 69′ MG Midget was my first project car. It wasn’t drivable when I bought it because the clutch slave cylinder was shot, so I got it for less than 2 grand. It was a great car to learn how to wrench on because parts were cheap and its mechanically simple. It had a BRG paint job, apparantly done with a roller. Pre seatbelts so very dangerous with modern traffic. I always said if I got into a crash they’d probably have to bury me in it. Even with all that it was fun to tool around in and got a lot of smiles and thumbs up from passersby.

  2. Believe it or not, my first car was a 71 MkIII. I adored that car. I wrecked that car. Me and my dad rebuilt that car. I eventually had to sell it because I needed something that would hold more than a shaving kit in the trunk – I was college-bound – but man that was such a fun car to drive, when it ran.

    It was notoriously cold-blooded (those twin SU carbs), but since I lived atop a good hill, I could roll-start it in winter. Talk about starting the day with a gamble!

    But, for real, if you have the means, this is a fun little car and I highly recommend it. Just … maybe not if you are likely to ever see snow.

  3. I grew up riding in my dad’s ’66 MGB, so I have a soft spot for these. That said, the Midget always just seemed too small to me. Maybe I need to spend time in one, but if I were going to go this route, I’d get a B.

    Slight aside: my dad’s B had a (removable) hardtop with a large, green, plexiglass panel over each seat. I’ve never seen another like it – anyone here seen one?

    1. I haven’t seen that kind of hard top for the B, but my grandmother (I swarez!) had a B with a hard top and convertible top, depending on one’s mood. Claims it came with.

      The weird thing was that I always felt like I was in a boat in the B, whereas my Midget felt like a tight little fighter plane. That’s total bullshit, I am aware, but I just felt floaty whenever I was in that B, comparatively.

      Now my wife has a caddy. Let us float on.

      1. My dad’s had the regular convertible top as well as the hardtop, too. Never had the chance to drive it, so I can’t say how it felt to me, unfortunately. Probably owe it to myself to figure out a way to drive one, some day.

  4. I love my Midget. ’76 1500, rubber bumper yes. I’ve got more in it than it’ll ever be worth. About 10K at this point. I had a whole new wiring harness put in it, the engine has been rebuilt last year. We just did seat covers. I bought it with a new top and a terrible paint job. Some minor body work and paint was supposed to be next but in the course of redoing the seats I discovered what the prior owner had done to the floorboards, so it goes in for floorboards next month. I’ve had a ton of fun with that little car in the 3 years I’ve owned it. 2 years ago, my buddy and I decided we wanted to see Hoover dam so we road tripped it from Northwest Oregon to Vegas and back over 5 days. If you’ve never driven across the desert at night at 60 miles an hour with the top down go do it right now. Transcendental.

  5. I had a lot of fun driving a friends pre 71 Midget down in Texas. 40 MPH might as well have been 80 MPH. Best part I could fit in it unlike the Mazda Miata

    1. Fun thing I remember about my 71 – when my old man brought it home, his friend Woody, who was over 6 feet 4 inches tall, drove the Midget in while dad drove his Bronco. When Woody got out of the Midget it was like watching a carpenter’s ruler unfold itself. But, yeah, that little car had amazing foot room.

  6. I have owned three Sprites (Midget’s Austin Healey older twin brother). There are a few inaccuracies in the article. There was a 1098 engine between the 948 and the 1275. From memory that was 63(?) to 66. The round arch Midget started in 72 and went to the rubber bumper cars. The early 1275s have the most grunt, and the round arch cars are arguably the best looking (and it doesn’t take much to get the grunt back.

    Also worth mentioning, the 1275 is the small block Chevy of the British car world, with a huge variety of go faster stuff, big bore kits, cams, aluminum heads, superchargers, headers, and more. Mini mania has a lot of the stuff in the states, and you can get a lot more if you order from Jolly old England.

    In my opinion the Midget is a lot more fun to drive than an MGB (as a fun car, if you are going to use it as transportation the B is much more of a car). All things are relative, if the MGB is your first sports car experience it will feel very sporty and mechanically direct, but if you go from a Sprite to a B you may ask yourself, who shot novacaine into my sports car?

    1. Can validate that my 71 MkIII did not have round rear wheel arches, and thanks for confirming my own memories. I was starting to doubt my own mind! For the record, that rear arch looks better IMO 🙂

      Regarding the B: EXACTLY. Not hating on the B, but if your first exposure was the Midget, you’re gonna wonder what happened when you get in a B.

  7. I have a 62 Sprite, 1098 CC A series making a strong 56hp. It is an absolute hoot and the best value for owning a classic car. All parts are available, they are very inexpensive, surprisingly reliable, and I regularly get 27-32 mpg even while hooning everywhere. The early bucket seats are super supportive and comfortable, even at 5′ 11″ I fit well.

    The biggest issue is you have the visibility to other motorist similar to a motorcycle. To combat this I have mega bright LED headlights and a ribbon tied to the top of the radio antenna. You sit very low in traffic, Camarys tower over you.

  8. I always thought it was interesting how many of these are still for sale. Cars from the 80’s are extinct but MGBs are still floating around despite their reputation of never working. Kind of cool that even during the heyday of American cars people were still buying these in the 60’s and 70’s.

    They seem to always be perpetually $5,000. I remember almost attempting to buy one in high school almost 2 decades go but wasn’t brave enough to go through with it.

    1. It was the lack of reliability that saved them. They spent more time in shops and garages than on the road getting beat up, rusted out, and worn down. That, and little roadsters are summer weekend cars that don’t get drove in bad weather and are spared the horrors daily drivers are forced to endure, like Walmart parking lots.

  10. The Triumph Spitfire is an even better bargain, IMO. You can find well sorted examples all day long for around $5k. They are great candidates for engine swaps if you need more power.

    1. My grandfather had two Triumph cars of some sort (they had little humps on the hood, possibly where the carb was) on his farm, rotting away, and it was so many years later that I had the chance to do something about that, and of course he was long dead by then. Both were British Racing Green. Might have been Spitfires? But probably TR4s.

      The weird part was one had the hump on the left, one on the right.

      Two TR4s rotting in the woods in West Virginia. 🙁

  11. Also worth noting is that the rubber bumpers weight a TON, and are easy to remove, no weird filler panels needed like on MGBs. They’re much easier to back-date to chrome bumpers, or, if you really want to get crazy and can find one, a Bugeye/Frogeye nose.

  13. I think old European roadsters like this are the perfect things to electrify. Most of them aren’t so precious that retaining originality is of any concern; They’re not expensive and pretty simple, mechanically; and they wouldn’t need a huge whopping battery pack or a ton of power to be better than original in a lot of ways. Old Fiats, MG’s, Alfas, etc. I kinda wish I had the resources and know how to do one myself.

    1. Plus, the irony of making a car notorious for electrical gremlins into an EV. You’d have to make custom Lucas badging for the major EV components.

    2. With some exception, the aerodynamics of most small classic roadsters are such that they will be less efficient than a Nissan Leaf at highway speeds. In the case of the MG Midget, this is in spite of weighing the better part of a ton less than a Leaf. A converted Midget will need around 350 Wh/mile to hold 70 mph on the highway. Its drag simply sucks. Its light weight will give it good range around town at low speeds, but its aero will ultimately impose a leash that will make long trips a non-starter.

      But classic roadsters and sports cars that have a lower CdA than most modern cars are out there. The Leaf is not a very slippery car, and it needs about 250 Wh/mile. The classic sports cars available at accessible or somewhat accessible prices that could match or beat the efficiency of a Nissan Leaf include but are not limited to the Triumph Spitfire and GT6, Saab Sonnet(all generations, but pre-wedge is better), Toyota MR2(all of them, but 1st gen is the most slippery), Porsche 914 and 944, Opel GT, Lotus Elite(1st gen, avoid the wedge thing), Lotus Europa, Lotus Elan(the 60s one, NOT the Kia), VW Beetle(avoid the Superbeetle), Datsun 1200/240Z/260Z, Nissan 240SX…

      Unfortunately, the best choices of chassis out of all the retro sports cars built are not affordable or even available. They are museum pieces. An Alfa Romeo Disco Volante coupe, Alfa Romeo BAT7, Triumph Spitfire ADU1B race car, Maserati Birdcage/Osca, Jaguar D-Type, Lotus 11/Lotus 23, Panhard CD Peugeot 66C, Matra Djet, Porsche 550 Spyder and Coupe, and light/slippery cars along those lines, would all make way more efficient EVs if converted than any EV currently sold in the USA today. It is unfortunate that nothing along those lines was mass produced and made widely available to convert.

      With today’s understanding of aerodynamics, modern offerings should be superior to the above rarities, but the modern offerings are instead way, way behind.

      However, there’s a wide assortment of kit cars to choose from that might fit the bill, but do be picky, as most are more about a certain look than actual aerodynamic efficiency. A Fisher Fury with a LeMans front end would probably be more efficient a choice than anything on this list so far, everything having been said. A Westfield 11 would also be an excellent choice, being that it is a Lotus 11 replica. There are some gems in the VW Beetle kit car scene(Porsche 550 Spyder replica), but most are crap. A Miata NA or NB has potential with some custom body pieces, perhaps a Miata Italia front end without the vents/grille cut into it and a custom designed hard top, but a stock Miata NA is a 300 Wh/mile car if converted.

      If you’re looking for something more modern, a Subaru BRZ/Scion FRS where someone blew up the engine wouldn’t be a bad candidate, albeit a little on the heavier side. I’d include the Honda Insight 1st gen in this list, only if you’re willing to build a sports car out of it, because it originally was anything but, and a K-swap would probably be easier/cheaper anyway and still get 45-50 mpg. It’s a shame that VW XL1s are not common or cheap, because THAT is a car that would have similar efficiency to a GM EV1 when converted to a pure EV.

      Look for cars that don’t require a lot of horsepower to have impressive top speeds. You want light and slippery to minimize the amount of money spent to achieve a given range per charge, while keeping the car light and tossable in the corners, as a sports car should be. Don’t go over GVWR by piling on the batteries, either.

      1. I couldn’t agree more, my 62 Sprite is like driving a parachute down the road, the only reason it has any semblance of aero is the cross sectional area is very small. Since drag is cross sectional area multiplied by drag coefficient, the total drag may be reasonably close to say a modern Nissan leaf.

        If I run my Sprite on the highway up around 70mph in stock form, it will get about 30mpg. For a 62 year old engine with a pretty hot state of tune from the factory and no overdrive that really is impressive. At 70mph it is spinning the engine at 4500rpm.

        1. Depends on how big of a pack you fit in it, which would effect its mass. If you put a modest 30 kWh pack in it of modern Panasonic 21700s used in the Tesla Model 3, weight would probably drop to around 2,300 lbs, and Wh/mile consumption probably to around 150-ish at 70 mph. So it would have 200 miles range at 70 mph with Miata-like mass.

          Or you could keep the same mass in batteries it originally had, with its 160 Wh/mile consumption at 70 mph, leaving you enough room to fit about 90 kWh, so a range somewhere over 500 miles!

  14. I would totally take the discount for a pre-75 rubber bumper Midget or MGB. I think they look kinda cool and if you lower the front end a bit (which they may have raised to meet U.S. bumper height standards) even cooler.

    1. I have a 78 MGB that a previous owner took the rubber bumpers off and replaced with chrome. They also removed the center windshield wiper. It is in rough but drivable condition and there would be nothing gained by restoring it to original. I jokingly refer to it as the worst MGB in my local British car club. More than once I have seen a person puzzling over it, trying to figure out what year it is.

  15. A guy I knew had one of these sideways against the far wall in a garage bay. He’d get it in and out for winter/spring by jacking it up, throwing it on 4-caster wheeled dollies he made, and pushing it into place. While I love small cars, I just never had much interest in them—too ubiquitous, bland looking, small for modern traffic, slow, need attention, and now they’re really old, so the problems add up maybe unless it’s been restored. Can’t help but think prices are low and always have been because I’m not alone.

    1. The ubiquity of them is the biggest thing keeping prices low. There are just so many of them out there. Same with Spitfires. Then add to the fact that most people that coveted them are starting to age out so the market for them is shrinking.

      1. Plenty of other cars—many of similar vintage—are also ubiquitous, but remain rather high priced (though I imagine price drops are coming for many, I doubt they’ll completely collapse allowing that society doesn’t collapse). These cars were never expensive, either, so it’s not new, though I agree that interest won’t increase with the younger generation (at least not any time soon and they’ll have plenty of other old stuff to choose from). These (and Spitfires) are the few to buck the trend for most older cars in that they’re not going up.

    2. Yes, these things are literally invisible in traffic mostly because no one these days is looking for cars that small and low. They’ll look at it and not see it.

      1. Can confirm. I have a very tall radio antenna on mine with a ribbon tied to the end, serval people have told me that’s all they saw in traffic. Bright LED headlights help too.

  17. I have a Spitfire 1500 with no overdrive, and even with a Weber carb and a header, it struggles to top 60mph, and if you’re doing that speed, the car is screaming at you unhappily. That said, I am kind of curious to drive a Midget to see how that engine hangs in what I think is a lighter car. The Spit is body-on-frame so the Midget probably is a better use of that engine. Still, can’t beat the lines of a Spitfire.

    I also enjoy imaging the picture of a bunch of city dwellers stashing MGs in storage sheds.

    1. Former MGB & TR6 owner here. The B would scream at anything above ~55 mph, but the TR6 was happy up to about 80.

      You’re right about the lines on the Spit.

    2. GT6 owner here. IF it’s a downdraft Weber that might be part of the problem. No experience with it myself, but they are quite often the subject of derision on the forums, particularly because of the intake design.
      My 6 has a 4.11 rear end from a Spit in it (autocross car) and screams at 4500rpm at highway speeds. Redline in top gear is about 95mph or so. It’d do more with the original gearing.

    3. My 62 Sprite will happily do 70, even with the engine spinning at 4500rpm. Heck I have even done 80 for a 10 minute stint. I’ve once driven a 1500 powered Midget, lots of torque and if the tires had been even remotely balanced I’m sure it would have done 70+.
      All that said, the 1098 cc A series really likes to rev, I’m not sure if the 1500 triumph engines might just be rung out feeling at high rpm.

    4. Nothing like the angry hamster mixed with runaway blender sounds of a non-overdrive British 4 cylinder. My 71 Spit 1300 will do 75-80 mph but it is not happy about it. Weber 32/36 stock exhaust.

      1. My 71 Midget started vibrating in a very unhappy way above 50 MPH, but smoothed back out about 60. Which is pushing the edge of the envelope for that vintage.

        The best fun was sub-40 MPH on mountain roads. As much as the engine hated the climate, the car as a whole was absolutely meant for driving country roads.

  18. Aware that the MG Midget’s unibody roots are from the Austin Healey Bugeye/Frogeye Sprite Mk I, which was a roadster with only a windscreen – foul weather protection being a ragtop and clip-in-place plastic side curtains.
    The next generation MK II Sprite and the Mk I Midget were near identical to each other, the Sprite losing it’s one piece Bugeye bonnet in favor of separate fenders and a bonnet/hood, which continued little changed through the rest of production.
    But these 1st gen with fenders cars still had side curtains, which also means no outer or inner door handles, no roll-up windows, no quarter/vent windows, and no inner door panels.
    The point being without these features on the inside of the doors, there is a surprising amount of extra elbow room in these early cars.

    1. Can confirm. I have an MK2 Sprite and once test drove a later Midget for someone. The first thing I noticed was there was nowhere for my elbow in the door.

  19. What size of adult fits in such a vehicle?

    Or is it like a Miata where being tall necessitates the roof open for headspace (where you’re now eye level with the windscreen frame), or low-sport-seats.

    2. Can’t speak for a Midget, but in a regular B at least, there’s a little more space than a Miata.

      I’m 6’1″ and fit fine in the one I had back when. I think it’s b/c there’s just so much less physical hardware in these old guys compared with modern stuff.

      1. I absolutely agree. I am also 6’1″ and have a 67′ MGB GT and there is plenty of room to stretch your legs. My wife is 5’11” and she cant even touch the firewall with her feet in the passenger seat.

    4. I’m 5’11” mostly legs and arms with a short torso. I fit great, leg room is better than you’d expect once you get yourself through the small door opening. Taller torso people may have issues with the top on or possibly looking straight at the top of the windshield frame instead of through the windshield.

      I fit way better in my Sprite than I do in my friend’s 2018 Fiat Abarth 124 which has inexplicably short leg room.

    5. I had one as a daily driver in college and fit fine. 6’0″ 175 at the time. I have a buddy that has one and now at the same height and slightly heavier getting in and out is a bit tricky as I just don’t bend like I used to. Once in it works fine, seat all the way back, knees a little splayed but perfectly comfortable.

    6. Go find the Wheeler Dealers where they flipped a Bugeye. Edd China drives it and has to wear goggles because his head sticks up over the windscreen. That dude is a tall drink of water, though.

  22. These are surprisingly roomy as I recall from my one ride in a rubber bumper car. Or maybe I was smaller being only 14 at the time. FWIW the BMC A Series engines in the chrome bumper cars are very tunable with Minis running 1460cc engines and 16v heads off of BMW K1200s

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