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MG Midget - the 'half-strong' in the test

Name: MG Midget 1962
Brand: MG

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Created on May 1, 1962

Text:

Hanno Parsifal

Photos:

Archiv

MG Midget Mk II (1964) - with 60 hp from a displacement of 1.1 liters

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MG Midget (1962) - a lively little sports car

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MG Midget (1962) - two-seater with storage space behind the seats, unfortunate handbrake arrangement

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MG Midget (1962) - only the rev counter makes the cockpit look sporty

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MG Midget (1962) - bulging engine compartment

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MG Midget (1962) - important trunk, because you can lock away important things here

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MG Midget Mk II (1964) - rare color photo together with the Minis of the Monte-Carlo Rally

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MG Midget Mk II (1965) - for a relaxing trip for two, for example to the chalk cliffs of Dover

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MG Midget Mk II (1965) - the ladies loved it

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MG Midget (1962) - the small Midget with extra charge for wheel disks - from the brochure

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MG Midget (1962) - the little front-runner - from a sales brochure

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MG Midget (1961) - still with plug-in windows, but with a usable trunk

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MG Midget Mk II (1964) - Interior redesigned and more luxurious

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MG Midget (1961) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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MG Midget (1961) - the engine with a displacement of 948 cm3 produces 46 hp

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MG Midget (1962) - the engine of the small sports car

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MG Midget (1963) - the Mark I - compact and sporty roadster

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MG Midget Mk II (1964) - door windows at half-mast make it clear: they are for cranking instead of plugging in

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MG Midget Mk II (1966) - the Swiss license plate makes it clear how small the roadster really is.

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MG Midget Mk II (1964) - fully retractable side windows and triangular windows in the doors

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MG Midget (1964) - front view, bird's eye view

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MG Midget Mk II (1965) - entertaining, but sometimes somewhat unpredictable driving behavior

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MG Midget (1967) - side view of the Mark III with the 1,275 cm3 engine

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MG Midget (1966) - further improved as Mark III and now with 65 hp from 1.3 liters displacement

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MG Midget (1961) - the first MG with an engine capacity of less than 1,000 cm3 for 25 years

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Summary

The MG Midget was a descendant of the Austin-Healey Sprite, but could not keep up with the German competition in terms of sportiness, at least according to the testers of the magazine 'hobby'. Nevertheless, they found many positive features. This report reproduces the original test report from back then and is illustrated with historical images and three sales brochures.

This article contains the following chapters

Strong competition - BMW 700, NSU Sportprinz, AU 1000
Racy yes - but sporty too?
Country road domain
Not for sitting giants
Sporty seating
Sporty suspension
More power desired
Feels faster than it is
Demanded engine
It can be shifted
Brakes with limited dimensions
Pretty
For former sailors?
Test results

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The dwarf had been hiding in his underground kingdom for many years. But one day he sent the goblin with the funny googly eyes to explore the earth to see if he was needed again. The goblin came, saw, found many friends and later dragged the dwarf along on his triumphal march. This is not a story from a fairy tale, but a piece of older and more recent automotive history. You can understand this immediately if you say 'Sprite' instead of 'Kobold' and 'Midget' instead of 'Zwerg', as both are called in English: namely Austin Sprite and MG Midget. Sprite and Midget are identical, apart from a few decorative features. The Sprite actually explored the terrain. When it came out, it was a real hobgoblin; some called it ugly, strange, primitive, some put an exceptionally unattractive hardtop on it. It was a car for the undemanding in terms of comfort and for the young or eternally young in terms of driving characteristics. One day Innocenti created a new body; BMC soon followed suit in a similar way, and the googly eyes disappeared. When the time came, the MG Midget came out as the 'Sprite with tradition'.

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