Showing posts with label Midget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Midget. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Crappy Summer Runabout Challenge: MG Midget vs VW Super Beetle vs Benz 450SL

This next triple feature comes as tip from Zach Z who writes; Which runt would you pick the of this ~$4k, early '70s ragtop litter?  We've got a 1975 MG Midget, a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle Ragtop, and a 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL (that comes with a parts car).



Monday, April 6, 2020

V8 Powered Monster: 1972 MG Midget

The Shelby Cobra is known for bad shifting ergonomics because the Mustang based Ford V8 and transmission were designed for a car with a much longer hood. Shelby wanted to the V8 mass as far back as possible and the result is a strangely shaped shifter that arches forward like a scimitar to meet the driver's gear demands...and it is even worse when you drop in a T5 transmission. Today's next car takes that paradigm to an extreme and I think it'll need a driver with a 3rd arm growing out of his back to reach 4th gear.  That 3rd arm will also be extremely handy to scratching and/or protecting the enormous steel spherical appendages of said driver. Find this 1972 MG Midget offered for $25000 in Lenoir, NC via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!



Monday, February 10, 2020

The Real Luftgekühlt: 1958 King Midget III

The King Midget is not a child's toy that someone sneaked past the dimwits at their local DMV, but a micro car that traces it roots all the way back to 1946.  The initial versions were kit cars offering the unbeatable value of a 500 lb car for $500, but later the guys at the Midget Motors Corp offered fully assembled King Midgets...which is a strange name for a car powered by a single cylinder aircooled Wisconsin motor that pushed out 9.2 horsepower into a 2-speed...royal indeed. Find this 1958 King Midget offered for $11,500 in Northwest CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.



Friday, June 7, 2019

V8 Swapped: 1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite

The Austin Healey Sprite was known as the 'Bugeye' in the US and the "Frogeye' in the UK...we can only assume that Frogs look like Bugs in dreary overcast Britain...but this next Bugeye has a spring in his step like none other.  In face, this little Frogeye wants to be a Cobra when it grows up. Find this 1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite here on eBay offered for $10,500 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Anaheim, CA with a few hours to go.



Monday, December 3, 2018

Small Car, Big Project: 1978 MG Midget

I hate getting other people's half baked projects.  It never ends well.  It always starts with a simple -- hey I'll adjust the timing, air up the spare, and drive it...but ends with crap, where the blazes can I get another a double cardan constant velocity u-joint for a Simca?  The ONLY reason I'd ever take another project is if the price was really good...yeah...$500...that'll do.  Find this 1978 MG Midget in pieces here on eBay offered for $500 buy-it-now located in Haddam, CT.



Thursday, November 29, 2018

Mazda 12A Power: 1970 MG Midget

People love to exaggerate on their craigslist advertisements. This is the lowest mile Maserati BiTurbo on craigslist or This is the nicest salvage titled M3 for sale in Ft Lauderdale...but this next seller starts with a simple statement: For Sale...the fastest Bay Area MG midget around.  Yup.  I'm just gonna nod my head and agree.  Find this 1970 MG Midget offered for $15000 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!



Thursday, September 21, 2017

Jolly Green Dwarf: 1967 MG Midget

The MG Midget is a peppy little chihuahua of a car, with more zip, zap, and yip than you would ever expect from a classic British sports car.  Pound for pound it'll put more smiles on the faces of random strangers than a puppy-money-baby and good luck getting your puppy-money-baby to give you a ride to work.  Find this 1967 MG Midget for $2500 near Ft Myers, FL via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.



Thursday, July 6, 2017

British Bulldog: 1975 MG Midget

The MG Midget was a pint sized little runabout from Morris Garage that shared mechanical parts with the odd looking Bugeye Sprite from Austin-Healey. The Midget shared basically every part of its bill-of-materials (except the badge) with the Sprite, but it survived its corporate sibling as the British automotive industry imploded.  At least for a few years.  Find this 1975 MG Midget offered for $1800 near Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.


Monday, June 5, 2017

MotorScooter For 2: 1967 King Midget

The motor scooter is the Rodney Dangerfield of the 2-wheel world -- it gets zero respect, but it is a useful and cheap way to get around.  The street legal ATV is the modern equivalent of the 4-wheel motor scooter, but back in post war USA, two Ohio based entrepreneurs built something called the King Midget that was awesome. Find this 1967 King Midget offered $6,500 in Kent, WA via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!



Monday, January 16, 2017

Miataget: 1971 MG Midget with Mazda 1.6L

The MG Midget was a badge engineered version of the Austin Healey Sprite and shared mechanical components, sheet metal -- basically everything but the badges on the fenders.  With the low compression US spec 1275 cc inline-4 under hood, the little car seems like it has negative horsepower, but imagine getting that zoom-zoom feeling of modern power with the pre-Sabrina bumpers of the early 70s Midget.  Find this 1971 MG Midget with Mazda 1.6L here on eBay bidding for $78.00 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in Birmingham, AL.


Tuesday, October 11, 2016

A Good Year: 1974 MG Midget

The MG Midget was first released in 1961 with 99% of its parts shared with the Mk II Austin-Healey Sprite, but by the end of production (1980) it was a strange rubber bumpered antique that was long in the tooth and short on speed.  However, early versions had both style and reflexes, like this 1974 MG Midget offered for $3,000 in San Antonio, TX via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.


Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Small Project: 1970 MG Midget

By Adam -- One man’s project is another man’s…er, well, project. Small enough to fit two in a parking spot and still attractive being built prior to the in the era of the “Does this over rider make my bumper look big” this MG looks like a project you could pick up since much heavy lifting has been done. Find this 1970 MG Midget in Chapel Hill, North Carolina but listed on Craigslist in Raleigh for $2,900.


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Tuk Tuk 'n' Roll: 1959 Daihatsu Midget Tri-Mobile

The Daihatsu Midget might have not been the first motorscooter based three-wheeler (that honor belongs probably the the Piaggio Ape), but the Midget was synonymous with the name Tuk-Tuk all over Southeast Asia starting in the late 1950s.  For whatever reason, they never caught on over here in North America (aside from large companies like Boeing and Lockheed using them for inner plant transport), but that shouldn't stop you from having one in your garage for an inner city commuter.  Find this 1959 Daihatsu Midget Tri-Mobile offered for $2,500 in Hawthorne, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.


Sunday, February 7, 2016

3-Cyl Suzuki Turbo: 1972 MG Midget


The MG Midget started life on a shared platform with the Austin Healey Sprite...actually it was a bit more than simply shared parts -- the only measurable difference between the two cars was the shape of the badge.  By 1972 the Sprite has been discontinued, but the Midget survived with a low compression engine -- but today's example isn't anything near stock.  Find this 1972 MG Midget custom offered for $8995 in San Gabriel Valley, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Royal Mess: 1967 King Midget


It never ceases to amaze me that a consumer can't buy something like an Elio or Lamborghini Veneno because the OE hasn't finished millions of dollars of crash testing, but you can buy the following plus sized Shriner-kart and drive it around? How does that make sense?  I'm not advocating a wholesale ban on the purchase/use of classic cars, but I can buy any number of new motorcycles and classic cars without seatbelts, but new cars need 55 airbags and a backup camera?  Forget that.  Instead, let's buy this yellow thing and cheat death for another day.  Find this 1967 King Midget here on eBay offered for $5,000 buy-it-now located in Tucson, AZ with 2 days to go.


Thursday, March 19, 2015

2k: Cheap N Classy: 1979 MG Midget

This next feature comes as a tip from Scott T who writes:   I know, I know, not rare or unique. EXCEPT  1. Fire sale price at this condition, they're only asking $2500  2. Looks solid from above, especially for New England 3. Somebody dumped a bunch of money into it recently, but has to sell, hopefully they woudn't have dumped that kind of cash into a rusty one. Find this 1979 MG Midget offered for $2,500 near Harford, CT via craigslist.