MG Midget MkIII

Having just written about my first car, a Triumph Herald, it was with some delight that I find a Ciao category for the MG Midget MK III, because that’s exactly what my second car was*. Whilst we probably all harbour particular memories of our first car, getting something that to my mind at least, was an ‘upgrade’ took some of the sting out of selling the Herald. *Don’t worry, I’m not going to write about all of them! It was a case of motoring serendipity – I bought the Midget from a friend at work, and he bought the Herald for his younger brother to learn on! A hefty cash adjustment of a whole ... more

Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and cheap to run, but also very cheerful. The Midget is built simply and simple to maintain, but that simplicity does not detract from its style, in fact it increases it. The later the car the higher the specification in terms of engine and comfort, but not much higher. The Mk III has a 1275cc engine, but earlier versions had the 1098cc engine, and the last version had a 1493cc engine. Radical features such as winding windows and folding roofs were a relatively late innovation. This is a car that can handle like a go kart: point the steering wheel where you want ... more

I bought my Midget two years ago on a spur of the moment. I got it realtively cheap, so it had the inevitable rust in the sills and some wiring problems. But being a Midget it was easy to clean up and get it running. I would say there is nothing better than driving around the coast roads with your roof down and taking corners as if they werent there. This car really does hug the road. Sitting six inches above it makes you feel right in there, like you have control of what the road does. Ive found it has had a few problems, but that is expected after several years of sitting in a shed. But ... more

Lets face it, regardless of practicality or running costs we'd all like a convertible for the few sunny days we have every year. But what we also want is a car with style and unfortunately a lot of todays cars look too simular. The Midget is the perfect summer car, it's distinctive body gains the looks, the hood is easy to take down allowing you to make the most of the sun, and the height of your bum from the floor gives the impression of speed even at 40mph. The only downside is that as the name suggests this is a small car so driving on a motorway amongst the lorries can be an unpleasant ... more