To many, the MG Midget is the archetypal classic small sports car. Front-engined and rear-wheel drive, it boasts simple mechanicals, excellent parts availability and plenty of fun for what can be a very attractive price. It’s little surprise, then, that it continues to enjoy a buoyant following.
The Midget was in production for more than 18 years, but it wasn’t a clean-sheet design. It was essentially an updated Austin-Healey Sprite, a car launched in 1958 with the oily bits from the Austin A35. The revamped Mk2 Sprite arrived three years later, with a remodelled rear end to include proper access to the boot and the ‘Frogeye’ clamshell with its famous upright headlights superseded by conventional wings and a separate bonnet.
A badge-engineered MG version was inevitable. After all, the Sprite was already made at MG’s Abingdon factory, and the octagon badge was still synonymous with small sports cars. Launched in July 1961, the new Midget brought sub-1000cc motoring back to MG enthusiasts for the first time since 1936. That was short-lived however, as the engine grew to 1098cc a year later, and a 1275cc in 1966.
A big post-Leyland facelift occurred for the 1970 model year, with new colours, black sills, revised trim, rear
