Lot details Registration No: KDH179N Chassis No: GAN6-154748G Mot Expiry: April 2011
MG had introduced the 'Midget' model name in 1928, but that name and type of MG was suspended in the 1950s. Then, in 1961, the iconic name of 'Midget' re-appeared, on an up-dated, re-styled, version of the Austin-Healey Sprite, which had been in production at Abingdon for three years. In every respect except for its badging and trim, the compact, two-seater, Midget was the same as the latest (Mk II) Sprite. The re-introduced Midget was built around a solidly-engineered steel monocoque. A soft-top was standard, but a removable hardtop (not fitted to this car) was optionally available, as were centre-lock wire-spoke wheels. Although Midget styling changed little in the next eighteen years, this taut-handling sportscar was always a best-seller in the MG range. Original types had a 46bhp / 948cc BMC A-Series engine which, by 1974, had become 65bhp / 1275cc. Then, and so that MG could keep up with the latest safety and exhaust emission legislation in the USA (which was the Midget's biggest market), the 1975 model (introduced in October 1974) was not only given black polyurethane bumpers at front and rear, but also a 66bhp Triumph-based 1493cc engine and closely-related all-synchromesh gearbox. Thus known as the Midget 1500, it became the first, and only, Midget to offer a top speed of more than 100mph and continued to sell very well until the end of 1979. In five years, 1974 to 1979, a total of 73,899 Midget 1500s were manufactured.
Finished in red with beige upholstery, this particular example is variously described by the vendor as being in "good" (engine, four-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment) or "excellent" (bodywork, paintwork, interior trim) condition. Said to have had one registered keeper since 1976, the MG has also reportedly been the subject of extensive restoration work over the last ten years including "a back to bare metal respray" and complete retrim: "new beige leather upholstery with matching door cards and carpets plus a walnut veneer fascia / door cappings and Moto-Lita wood-rim steering wheel". Riding on knock-off wire wheels shod with fresh tyres, this nicely presented Midget further boasts a stainless steel exhaust, new hood and tonneau cover.
PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle has an MOT until April 2011.
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