The smallest of sports cars were still quick sellers when new – MG Midgets and Triumph Spitfires hit positions 3 and 4, respectively, on the Sports & Exotic Car ragtop list. And it’s not surprising, really – simple drivetrains and Italian-ish styling made for a compelling experience. By the 1970s, Midgets had received some compelling upgrades, including a fixed convertible top, 1275cc A-series engine, and several US-mandated safety features, along with a short-lived switch to rounded rear wheel arches and split rear bumpers. Those last design changes made the 1972-73 Midget the most attractive of its range. Unfortunately, it was also detuned with lowered compression to comply with new emissions regulations, so you had to make do with a stock 54.5hp. However, the ubiquity of the A-series engine means upgrades are fairly straightforward, 40ish years on. You can find this stock-looking 1972 MG Midget for sale in Mesa, AZ for $3995 (or less, if you’re willing to risk an auction for some savings).
The first shot shows the specific design changes for 1972/73. And this particular car has some critical British sports car cliche boxes checked – British Racing Green paint, a luggage rack, Rostyle wheels, and a difficult-to-erect top. The car is said to idle roughly, which the seller hopes is a vacuum leak or carburetor issues. Everything else looks to be in excellent condition, and if this is an original Arizona car, there should be little to no rust. What’s remarkable is that there’s no sun damage visible, but perhaps some interior components have been replaced.
Oh, there’s one other sports car cliche – the Raydot mirror. But that’s no criticism – all of those bits (perhaps with the exception of the luggage rack – why would you install a chrome jungle gym on your trunklid unless you’re doing a cross-country trip?) conspire to give the impression of an enthusiast-owned, well-loved little car that doesn’t need much to get going.
Under the hood is tidy enough for a driver level car, and you can see by the missing air filter that the seller has been struggling with the rough running. It would be helpful if he provided more detail on his attempts to repair the car, as well as performing a thorough pre-purchase inspection to rule out anything more serious. Non-rebuilt engines seem to be available in the three-figure range, and if you want to go over the top, an aluminum cross-flow head is available from Moss for about $1500, and you can plop in a supercharger for about the purchase price of the entire car.
The interior looks to have received some attention, and from some angles the synthetic materials don’t match. However, this is not unusual even for original cars that are anything but black. For the most desirable body style, the condition, and a little elbow grease to get the rough running sorted, this seems like a good deal.
Rusty But Trusty 
January 24, 2014 at 2:39 pm |
Good going MG Midget! bummbumm, you sure make the going good!