Hallo Leute,
diese Story erhielt ich von Dennis Wharf, Präsident dem MG Midget Registers in GB. Wir kamen zusammen, weil er einen MG MIdget suchte, welcher nach Deutschland exportiert worden war. Das Fahrzeug hatte er seinerzeit für seine Tochter aufgebaut. Heute fährt den Midget ein Freund von mir in Paderborn. Dabei stellte sich heraus, das dieses Fahrzeug die erste jemals gebaute British Heritage Karosserie bekommen hatte.577b08d6-62b3-1673-32b6-e546a9617510.jpeg
Aber erfreut euch an der Story.....
Fifty years on, why still drive a Midget?
In 1958 when I was nine, a near neighbour owned an old pre-war sports car, and although by then probably considered by most an "old banger", as I cycled by on errands for my Mum it always appeared intriguing, like an old competition car, or at least something which had been exciting in the past. I only ever dared look at it over the gate until one memorable day, with parental permission granted, I was invited to go for a ride alongside its owner. Along the way I learned it was an MG J2 dating from 1932, and although I knew little what MG stood for, or how those letters would become such a large part of my motoring life, looking back, while things could have turned out worse, that little old sports car has had much to answer for down the years…..
I was already car mad, knew all the makes and models and adored motor racing, which for that matter I still do, but this old car had an impact far greater than I could ever have imagined, for although by then about 25 years old, compared to my Dad's quite new, but rather sluggish Austin A40, it seemed very exciting. From then on it became an overriding ambition that, when old enough, I too would own something equally as exciting. This was fuelled regularly by not only seeing the old MG, but also a fabulous local Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII, a Triumph TR3A owned by our dentist who used it extensively in competition and replaced it with an early Lotus Elan in 1962, plus the sight of an always immaculate Dove Grey MGA fixed head coupe when visiting my Grandparents. It was however pretty much sealed beyond any reasonable doubt when my Mum's younger brother purchased a brand new Old English White MG Midget in May 1964, (GPU 523B), coming to show us the day after he'd collected it. The smell of a new car in those days was heady stuff, and to this by then impressionable fifteen year old, a new sports car, an MG no less with wire wheels, was the stuff of dreams. And then a few weeks later when visiting that same uncle, he took me along to meet a chum of his who owned a Lotus Seven. Another exhilarating ride followed, the year finishing off with me sitting in a beautiful Ivory white Porsche 356C coupe at the London Motor Show in November.
The fifties and sixties were in fact a fabulous period for young petrol-head's like me, motor racing and sports cars were arguably at their most exciting. I listened intensely to the BBC's hourly radio reports from Le Mans, and the regular updates during the Monte Carlo Rally. Take for example the European Hill-Climb Championship, comprehensively reported throughout the season. I would read avidly about the latest super-lightweight works cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Abarth, and Elva, all driven by the worlds best drivers, and at such exotic sounding places too. I could only imagine Ollon-Villars, Gainsberg, Schauinsland, and Casana-Sestriere, as they were never mentioned in school geography lessons more's the pity, but collecting my copy of Motor Sport, Motoring News, and Autosport from the local shop, plus receiving the odd issue of Road & Track from the States via someone in my Dad's office, I could at least imagine the scene, for I devoured everything published in the English language back then. The Championship of Makes, later the World Endurance Championship which naturally included Le Mans, and the Targa Florio I found especially exciting, sports car racing always surpassing single seaters for me. It was also a time of rapid development for road cars, with forward thinking engineers incorporating some of the latest racing principles into their designs, the Lotus Europa being a prime example. But despite their modest underpinnings and pretty basic design, my soft spot for MG's remained, and by 1971, with apprenticeship and college studies finally over I could at last replace my always reliable 1500 VW Beetle with a brand new sports car - an MG Midget of course - what else!
I can't remember what expectations I had the day before delivery, but I'm pretty sure they didn't include some of things I encountered on that first drive as the bonnet stay fell off, the passenger door refused to stay closed, and a worrying clonk developed from beneath. With all my savings spent, justifiably had every reason to question what had I bought? But even at this stage there was something about it. Couldn't ignore the pin sharp steering and responsiveness, as BJN 590K was like nothing I'd ever driven before, (although admittedly I'd only driven my Beetle and Dad's newly arrived Triumph 1300). I loved how it responded to the lightest touch, and enjoyed it immensely when fragility allowed, considering if a relatively inexpensive little MG could be this engaging, what about those more specialised offerings? Because of my interest in cars, and a few willing colleagues, I very occasionally had the opportunity to drive other sports cars. An MGB, Triumph Spitfire, a rather old Healey 100/4, even an Alfa Spider once, but by far the most impressive was a work mate's Lotus Elan SIII, which was in another league. Not unlike a Midget in size, but more comfortable and of course with greater performance, its overwhelming and outstanding feature was its unbelievable handling - Colin Chapman sure knew his stuff. Sadly though they were fragile. For like my Midget was proving, Elan owners also had to return home via their outward route to collect all the bits which had dropped off earlier. Plus there was something rather off-putting, not to say scary, when at night waiting to turn out into traffic, seeing the headlights of passing vehicles shine through the plastic doors. Chapman's theory of "adding lightness" quite literally clear for all to see! They were and are still however fabulous cars to drive, and I've always understood their ongoing appeal to enthusiasts.
Returning to BJN 590K however, as described, it was a very poor example and not a good introduction to MG's by any measure. Ordered new in November 1971, it arrived late March the following year, being first registered on 1st April - very appropriate! Initially suffering just the annoyance of various bits coming loose, suggesting it hadn't received a pre-delivery inspection, compared to all the warranty work the supplying dealer, Kennings, were required to carry out - including a re-paint due to fading - it hardly mattered. Remaining out of action for weeks I decided to walk away from MG entirely. Less reliable than even my colleagues Elan, but now armed with an extra few months of savings, I was convinced a TVR Vixen would be the ideal choice so headed for my local dealers just outside Braintree. So imagine my dissapointment on discovering their demonstrator was even worse than my MG. Not only did the doors not fit, but it had a damp smelly interior and wouldn't even start! I also considered a Ginetta G15, an interesting alternative built at Witham not far from my parents home. But close up it seemed almost home made, not unlike the TVR and my chums Lotus in fact. A used Triumph TR6 was fast, but felt vintage and not at all what I expected from a then modern sports car, and the Ford Escort Mexico, while fairly quick and impressive, wasn't what I wanted at this particular time. Although way beyond my pocket, a friend let me loose in his 4.2 E-type Jaguar one day. Riding behind that silky smooth straight six, by 1275cc Midget standards it's enormous power and torque was electrifying, but large and heavy it lacked the agility I had become accustomed, or I lacked the skill or courage to exploit it, but either way left me wondering how many other fabulous looking and powerful cars might only be at their best on long straight roads… In discussion with my Dad he quite sensibly reasoned I should give MG another chance, and by the following spring Kennings had a one owner 1969 Mineral Blue MG Midget, XYK 824G in their showroom, which looked perfect.
I'd learnt much about Midgets by this time, but it was still with considerable feelings of relief that I swapped BJN for XYK, the immaculate low mileage three year older model instantly proving to be the complete opposite of its younger sibling. It had a solid "all in one piece" feel about it, allowing me to finally enjoy MG Midget motoring with confidence. I'd also discovered Dick Jacobs Mill Garage by this time, the staff there far more interested in customers MG's than the large main BL dealer I'd been using for warranty work. As my everyday transport XYK was put to a variety of uses, in 1974 with the roof folded down it transported carpet and underlay back from the shops when buying our first house, a loft ladder and steps too, but also won concours trophies and in contrast auto test awards, because typically being an MG, it wasn't too precious for anything. A year later we added a second rather tatty Blue Royale Midget, (PAR 177H), which we used for all night road rallying. Only mildly tuned, we couldn't compete with the RS1600 and RS2000 Escorts, Holbay Avengers, and 2.3 Vauxhall Firenza "Droopsnoots", which were dominating, but did generally finish quite well up the results due to many of the quicker teams becoming intimate with the scenery. (The times we'd see lights arc across the night sky as yet another expensive car rolled into a ditch was extraordinary)! It was good fun though, and we did give a few of the Opel Kadett's a run for their money, our pair of Midgets proving the versatility of these simple yet addictive and highly competitive cars.
They were both swapped for a late chrome bumper MGB GT, (GMH 67N), in 1977, but once sold I missed Midget motoring massively, so within a few months we had KOR 161L, a 1972 Blaze round arch Midget to live alongside our GT, This car remaining with us for seventeen years.
With work taking me to Buckinghamshire in 1983 I began visiting Peter Woods, (the MGA Twin Cam expert), for spares and advice from time to time, where I'd noticed tucked away in a corner of the workshop LYL 411D, his own 1966 BRG MkII Midget. Always preferring the MkII's simpler lines, after some lengthy negotiations I finally purchased the car from Peter, a decision I've never regretted. Original in appearance it does in fact enjoy much improved performance, the modified 1330cc engine installed seven or eight years ago producing over 80% more power than did it's original 1098cc engine, while a few suspension modifications by Malcolm Beer has resulted in the car having plenty of power with handling to match. (I met Malcolm in 1974 at the family garage, Beer of Houghton, the same year Dick Jacobs Mill Garage was compulsory purchased and demolished to make way for the M11, Malcolm helping me ever since).
So having owned a few modern sports cars alongside the Midgets, and some other MG's too, has made for some interesting contrasts, and put into perspective just how good the Spridget was when first introduced. Its also given raise to often being asked, why still drive that old Midget? Well it's a very good question, and not easy to answer unless you're only reason for owning a sports car is the sheer pleasure of driving it. All of our MG Midgets, being A series models, not surprisingly enjoyed a similarity in feel. Each possessed that light precise steering allowing easy controllable oversteer, and the characteristic noisy first gear, but compact and balanced they were simply miles ahead of the other MG's we've owned from our own J2 to an MGB GTV8 in terms of the their shear sporting appeal. In standard form none had power to spare, but the willing "A" series always offered great tune-ability. Indeed these cars can be transformed into seriously quick machines, class A race cars for example able to reach 0-60mph in just a sniff over 4 seconds, but even with just a mildly tuned and balanced engine they become smooth and responsive, and far more than just another form of transport, perfect if creature comforts are not high on your list of requirements. For me its good handling and responsiveness which are important, and emphasises just how good Donald Healey's original concept and layout was. Especially so given the restrictive budget imposed by BMC for the design. Refined and improved by the Abingdon drawing office, but using quite simple components, MG constructed low priced sports cars enthusiasts could enjoy and compete with very successfully too it they wanted, and all for a comparatively small outlay.
Never used for anything more strenuous than a few club auto-tests, LYL 411D has taken us several times across Europe, on more than one occasion climbing a number of Alpine passes in a single day, visited the Nurburgring, Rheims, and Spa-Francorchamps en-route, and generating enjoyment way beyond anything its modest specification might suggest. Quite simply they are one of the nicest sports cars you could ever wish to drive, which I've been fortunate enough to enjoy almost unbroken for nearly fifty years. Regrettably I cannot look forward to another fifty years driving an MG Midget or anything else for that matter, but will nevertheless continue for as many as I can before my motoring days are finally over.
Like I said at the outset, that old pre-war MG all those years back has had much to answer for, but would I change anything…. Not a chance.
DW
Hier noch ein paar Bilder zur Geschichte:
Factory visit 1977.jpgBJN 590K.jpgImage - Version 2_2_autoscaled.jpgImage 1_autoscaled.jpgImage 5_autoscaled.jpgIMG_7445_autoscaled.jpgKOR171l in 1977.jpgMidgets ALG and LYL.jpgXYK824G my then Midget 1974.jpgKOR171L my Midg for17 years.jpg