1974 MG Midget

As a late (September) 1974 Midget, as evidenced by its history and the tax disc in its windscreen, this fine example only just missed out on having the ‘rubber’ bumper and 1500 Triumph engine update, which arrived at the end of the year. It’s all the better for it too.

With only four keepers recorded, the second apparently owning it from 18 months old right up to 2015, this MG remains highly original, if restored. Said refurbishment is catalogued not only in the car’s history file, but also via an accompanying (and substantial) folder of photographs, which chart the car’s resurrection from bare shell to fully rebuilt.

Beyond being a remarkable and low-mileage survivor (until its refurbishment in 2016/17), this Midget also boasts a link to automotive and motorsport royalty, Gordon Murray. We’ll let the vendor explain. “This MG was purchased by Gordon Murray and gifted to me, by him, for my 50th birthday. The car is in virtually as new/concours condition, having undergone a full rebuild and restoration… Even down the last sticker in the engine bay. It's never been out in the rain since it was rebuilt.”
 

Finished in an evocative and oh-so-1970s shade of Blaze Orange, this Midget still presents as fresh from restoration, despite the work taking place nearly a decade ago. The paint finish still appears to be excellent with no obvious faults detected. The charming condition extends to the underside and within the wheel arches, both of which still look as though they’ve only just been painted.

The excellent chrome perfectly matches the paint, and the panel fit looks exceptionally neat and even, somewhat uncharacteristic for a Leyland-era Midget. This one’s clearly been put back together with more care than its initially assembly. A nice set of Rostyle wheels, again showing no obvious flaws, are shod in Firestone ‘Multihawk 2’ tyres (dated 2016), including what looks to be an unused spare in the boot.

All-weather gear includes a very good tonneau cover and hood, the latter retains plastic rear and side screens. If things get torrential, there is even a black hardtop to accompany the car, which also seems to be in great shape.

We really were looking hard for anything to blot this MG’s copybook, but could find very little worth mentioning, beyond the pedantry point that the ‘MIDGET’ lettering on both sills is slightly wonky.
 

The history with this car contains specialist invoices and a letter from (A.R Griffiths, Derby), which seem to have taken the time to retain as much of the car’s originality as possible. That included largely leaving the interior alone, aside from replacing the carpets. The only niggles we could discover in the cabin of this excellent Midget related to that trim, the fit likely able to be improved on the transmission tunnel. Plus, there’s a slight wrinkle to the vinyl on the nearside door card.

Steering inputs are currently metered via a Moto-Lita wheel, but the vendor mentions that the original is also included. MG embossed mats protect the pile under foot and the rest of the vinyl, covering the seats and trim, looks good with no obvious rips, tears or even any of the usual signs of wear.

All the dashboard dials, switches and levers look great and seem to function as intended and even the boot area seems clinically clean. We’ve no reason to doubt the vendor’s claim that the car’s only travelled around 100 miles in the past five years. It’s likely covered fewer than 1000 since its restoration.
 

It’ll come as no surprise that this sparing use is also reflected by the appearance of the engine bay and the car’s mechanical components generally. The ’bay still seems like it’s been freshly assembled, with a nice nod to originality via all the safety stickers found on various components. The only thing we noticed that was mildly amiss was the cylinder head coolant bleeder, at the back of the engine, showing powdery dry coolant, likely from a past spill.

The seller says "It runs on unleaded with an additive. We have 2 bottles that will come with the car." 

This Midget’s underside looks extremely tidy with fresh paint and parts evident throughout. It certainly seems as if no part of this classic has been left without refurbishment or replacement. Bushes, brackets and bolts all look fresh, with a concerted effort to find any surface rust largely proving fruitless – there’s a little on the odd nut here and there but barely anything.

The metal under here seems to have either been painted or powder coated to look its best, and it seems to still be holding up very well. There’s also what seems to be a stainless-steel exhaust, which no doubt further improves the fruity soundtrack, performance and longevity of this MG.
 

The vendor reports that this Midget comes with a good amount of paperwork. Although an online check shows that it’s only seen two MoTs – one in 2016, and another in 2017 – there is a stack of old paper tests showing consistent use.

The rebuild seems to have been completed in early 2017, judging by a detailed letter and description of the work carried out from A.R Griffiths, signed and dated 25 January 2017. Said total rebuild apparently involved stripping the car down and sending the shell to be chemically stripped at Pro Strip Nottingham. The aforementioned note from A.R Griffiths also states that very minimal welding work was required – outer sills and a couple of ‘under arch’ repairs were apparently all the new metal needed. The stripping firm was impressed that so little work was needed for a then 42-year-old MG.

The suspension was apparently rebuilt using poly bushes and the substantial folder of images from the car’s restoration certainly seems to corroborate this. There’s been far too much other work to list here but, in essence, it seems that this MG has been totally gone through from grille to boot badge.
 

Even without the link to a famous former keeper, this MG Midget has huge appeal. It’s a late version with the ‘better’ engine and body style and seems to have been expertly taken apart and put back together, likely to a higher standard than new. The low displayed mileage seems to be another feather in its cap, though with minimal use of late, the car is being offered for sale. It’s simply too good to just sit unused in a garage!

Despite the light use under its current owner, the car has been cherished and enjoyed. The vendor reporting “It runs beautifully” and that, “The car has been used to attend a few car meets on sunny days, otherwise it’s been kept under cover in a garage. It’s been to Goodwood breakfast club a few times.” All that seems to be needed now is a new keeper who can enjoy the car as much as its former keepers, or perhaps even more…

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £11,000 - £14,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in 
Farnham, Surrey. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.