NationMaster - Encyclopedia: MG Midget

The MG Midget was a small sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 through to 1979. It re-used a famous pre-war name. Automakers or automobile manufacturers are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... BMC rosette logo old BMC share A preserved BMC ambulance. ... The MG T series of cars (including the TA, TB, TC, TD, and TF) was a basic body-on-frame sports car produced from 1936 through 1955. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In automobile design, an FR, or front-engine, rear wheel drive means a layout where the engine is in the front of the vehicle and drive wheels at the rear. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ... Austin Motor Companys small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... Austin Motor Companys small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... Austin Motor Companys small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... 1971 Triumph Spitfire MKIV The Triumph Spitfire was a small British two-seat sportcar, introduced in 1962. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Austin-Healey Sprite was a small open sports car designed by Donald Healey. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1941x1401, 687 KB) Summary Derrick Rowe, Own Car Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: MG Midget ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1941x1401, 687 KB) Summary Derrick Rowe, Own Car Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: MG Midget ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... MG is a British marque that has produced sports cars since 1924, although none have been made since MG Rover went bankrupt in the spring of 2005. ... BMC rosette logo old BMC share A preserved BMC ambulance. ...

MG Midget MkI (1961-1964)

The first version was essentially a badge engineered version of the Austin-Healey Sprite MKII and retained the quarter elliptic sprung rear axle from the original Sprite. The engine was a 948 cc A-Series with twin SU carburettors producing 46 hp (34 kW) at 5500 rpm and 53 ft·lbf (72 Nm) at 3000 rpm. Brakes were drum all round. In 1962 the engine was increased to 1098 cc raising the output to 56 hp (42 kW) at 5500 rpm and 62 ft·lbf (84 Nm) at 3250 rpm and disc brakes replaced the drums at the front. Badge engineering is a term that describes the rebadging of one model of car as another. ... The Austin-Healey Sprite was a small open sports car designed by Donald Healey. ... Austin Motor Companys small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. ...

The doors had no external handles or locks and the windows were sliding Perspex side screens.

MG Midget MkII (1964-1966)

Externally the main changes were to the doors, which gained wind up windows, quarter lights and external handles, and the windscreen which got a new frame. The hood (US - top) though modified, continued to be have a removable frame that had to be erected before the cover was put on. The rear springs were replaced by more conventional half elliptical types. The engine got better bearings allowing the power to be increased to 59 hp (44 kW) at 5750 rpm and torque to 65 lbf·ft (88 Nm) at 3500 rpm.

MG Midget MkIII (1966-1974)

The engine now grew to 1275 cc using the development seen on the Mini Cooper S. Output was 65 hp (48 kW) at 6000 rpm and 72 ft·lbf (98 Nm) at 3000 rpm. However, this was a de-tuned version of the engine that was given to the Cooper S. The Midget retained the standard 12G940 cylinder head casting that was common to other BMC 1300 cars, whereas the Cooper S had a special head with an extra two bolts to fasten it to the cylinder block. The hood was now permanently attached to the car. There were minor changes to the body in 1969 with the sills painted black and a revised black grille. "Rostyle" wheels were standardised but wire spoked ones remained an option. The square shaped rear wheel arches became rounded in 1971. For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ...

22,415 were made between 1966 and the 1969 face lift and a further 77,831 up to 1974.

MG Midget 1500 (1974-1979)

In order to meet US federal regulations, large black plastic bumpers (usually called rubber bumpers, despite not actually being rubber) were added to the front and rear and the ride height was increased. The A-Series engine was dropped to be replaced by the 1493 cc unit from the Triumph Spitfire and a modified Morris Marina gearbox with synchromesh on all four gears. The round rear wheel arches were now square again to increase the body strength. The last car was made on December 7th 1979 after 73,899 of the last version had been made. There was no Austin-Healey Sprite equivalent. 1971 Triumph Spitfire MKIV The Triumph Spitfire was a small British two-seat sportcar, introduced in 1962. ... The Marina was a car manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland throughout the 1970s, a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. ...

Today

The car developed by Donald Healey that started as an Austin-Healey Sprite, and which spawned the late-model MG Midget has more recently been given the generic name Spridget. It really was a Healey, not an MG, but the generic name does not reflect this. Donald Mitchell Healey ( 3 July 1898 – 13 January 1988) was a noted British rally driver, automobile engineer, and speed record holder. ...

From the late 1980s on, Spridgets became popular cars for inclusion in club racing in the UK, because they were readily available and the lack of development by the original manufacturer made them easy targets for performance tuning.

The UK still has a a race series dedicated to the MG Midget which is run by the MG Car Club. The MG Midget Challenge is a national race series for MG Midgets and Austin Healey Sprites (built 1956-1979). The championship is run at all major UK circuits, with the occasional visit to Spa-Froncorchamps in Belgium. It is a serious, professional but very friendly championship and has been running since 1977.

Frontline Spridget (later Frontline Costello) of Batheaston have developed the car to a huge extent, so that a modern Spridget can have an engine that develops 100 PS (99 hp/74 kW) more than the original, yet weighs less. A Frontline car can achieve 0-100 km/h in around 5 seconds. The Frontline suspension developments make the car a delight to drive. This company can also support this performance with suspension and brake enhancements that make a 21st century Spridget a real competitor with a Lotus Elise. The Lotus Elise is a roadster conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. ...

References

External links

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Categories: MG vehicles | Sports cars The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand, the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 but declining after absorption into the British Leyland Motor Corporation, and its subsequent troubles. ... Austin Sean Healey (born 26th October, 1973 in Wallasey) is a rugby union footballer, who plays as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and has represented England and the British Lions. ... The British Leyland Motor Corporation (often abbreviated to simply BL), was a Britain in 1968. ... Jaguar Cars Limited is a British luxury car manufacturer, with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England. ... MG is a British marque that has produced sports cars since 1924, although none have been made since MG Rover went bankrupt in the spring of 2005. ... Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ... 1965 Riley 1. ... Rover was a British automobile manufacturer and later a marque based at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ... MG Rover are the largest independent manufacturer of cars in the British motor industry. ... Triumph Logo (1978 version) 1934 Triumph Gloria Six 1937 Triumph Dolomite Roadster 1974 Triumph GT6 CoupÃ© The Triumph Motor Company had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann (1863-1951) and Moritz (Maurice) Schulte founded Bettmann & Co and started selling Triumph bicycles, from premises in London and from 1889 started... Vanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. ... The Wolseley Motor Company was an automobile manufacturer in the United Kingdom from 1905. ... A number of different automobiles of the 1950s and 1960s were marketed under the A40 name by the Austin Motor Company. ... See Austin A40 for other A40 models. ... The Westminster series large automobiles sold by the Austin Motor Company from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. ... The A35 was a compact car sold by Austin Motor Company in the 1950s. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... Mini Mokes packed up for export. ... The Austin 1800 was a saloon car built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) from September 1964 to 1975 and colloquially known as the Landcrab. The 1800 was voted European Car of the Year for 1965. ... The Austin 3 litre was an enlarged version of the Austin/Morris 1800 introduced by British Leyland in 1968. ... Austin Maxi The Maxi was a hatchback automobile from BMC in the 1970s, designed by Alec Issigonis (later Sir) (1906-1988). ... The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1983. ... The Rover Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Leyland Cars division of British Leyland and its successors. ... The Austin Maestro is a mid-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland (BL), and its successors, from 1983 until 1994. ... There is also an American car called the Mercury Montego. ... The Austin Healey 3000 was a sports car built from 1959 to 1967, by the Austin-Healey marque, and is the best known of the big Healey models. ... The Austin Healey 3000 was a sports car built from 1959 to 1967, by the Austin-Healey marque, and is the best known of the big Healey models. ... The Austin-Healey Sprite was a small open sports car designed by Donald Healey. ... The Leyland Princess is a medium-to-large car that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. ... The Leyland P76 was a large car produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. ... The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque. ... The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque. ... 1988 Jaguar XJ-S The Jaguar XJ-S (later the XJS) is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British automaker Jaguar Cars. ... The revolutionary Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September 1948, and attracted immediate attention. ... The Oxford name was used by the Morris Motor Company on a number of models, beginning with the 1913 Bullnose Oxford, and ending with the 1961â€“1971 Oxford VI. This page covers the post-war Oxford MO through the Oxford VI. // Oxford MO After World War II, the Oxford MO... The 1950s Morris Cowley was a four-cylinder midsize car from the Morris Motor Company produced from 1954 to 1959. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... Categories: Automobile stubs | Austin vehicles ... The Marina was a car manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland throughout the 1970s, a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. ... The MGA was a sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1962. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... There is also an American car called the Mercury Montego. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... The MG F was a mid-engined roadster launched in 1995. ... 2000 Rover 75 Rover 75 V8 with new grille The Rover 75 is a compact-executive class saloon car which was produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham. ... 2004 MG ZR The MG ZR is a compact automobile first introduced in 2001 by the MG Rover Group. ... 2002 MG ZS The MG ZS (2001-present) is a sporting family car derived from the Rover 45 (launched in 1999). ... 2004 MG SV-R The MG XPower SV (Sport Veloce) is a sports car made in Modena, Italy in a factory owned by Vaccari & Bosi and leased by MG Rover, based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta (formerly De Tomaso Mangusta). ... The Pathfinder replaced the RMF as Rileys top-line automobile. ... The Two-Point-Six replaced the Riley Pathfinder as Rileys top-line automobile. ... The Riley One-Point-Five and similar Wolseley 1500 were upscale versions of the venerable Morris Minor. ... The Riley 4 was an automobile produced by BMC from April 1959 through the 1960s. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... The Rover P3 car produced by the Rover company in 1948 and 1949 was very much an interim model. ... The Rover P4 series was a group of saloon automobiles produced from 1949 through 1964. ... The Rover P5 series (commonly called 3-Litre and 3Â½ Litre for the engine displacement) was a group of large saloon and coupe automobiles produced from 1958 through 1973. ... The Rover P6 series (named 2000, 2200, and 3500 for their engine displacement) was a group of saloon cars produced from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull, West Midlands, England. ... Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987. ... The Rover 25 was launched in autumn 1999 as a facelifted version of the 200 Series which had been in production since the summer of 1995. ... The Rover 75 (codenamed R40 during development) was an executive car produced initially by Rover at Cowley in Oxfordshire, and later by MG_Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, England. ... In the autumn of 1999, Rover gave the 400 Series a facelift and a new name - Rover 45. ... The Rover 400/45 was a mid-size automobile introduced in the 1990s, and produced until 2005 under the name Rover 45. ... The Rover 200-series / 25 is an automobile produced by the Austin Rover Group, and latterly the Rover Group and MG Rover. ... The Rover Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Leyland Cars division of British Leyland and its successors. ... The Rover 800 series is an executive car introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986. ... The Rover 600 Series is a mid-size automobile launched early in 1993. ... 2004 CityRover Style. ... Rover P6 Estoura The Estate P6 or Estoura as is was known, was a conversion of a Rover P6 Saloon to an estate carried out by H.R. Owen and Crayford using panels by FLM Panelcraft. ... The Rover Streetwise is a small car made by Rover. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Triumph Herald The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company. ... 1971 Triumph Spitfire MKIV The Triumph Spitfire was a small British two-seat sportcar, introduced in 1962. ... The Triumph Vitesse was a compact 6-cylinder car built by Standard-Triumph from 1962â€“1971. ... 1968 Triumph GT6 1973 Triumph GT6 1974 Triumph GT6 The GT6 was a 6-cylinder sports coupÃ© built by Standard-Triumph and based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. ... The Triumph Stag was a car sold between 1970 and 1978 by the British Triumph Motor Company. ... The Triumph TR7 was a sports car manufactured from 1975 to 1981 by the Triumph Motor Company, then part of British Leyland (and subsequently, BL Ltd. ... 1971 Triumph Toledo two-door The Triumph Toledo was a compact automobile introduced in August 1970 as a cheaper version of the 1300, which was at the same time replaced by the 1500. ... The Triumph 1300 was a medium/small 4-door saloon car made by Standard Triumph under the control of the Leyland group. ... Triumph 1500 The Triumph 1500 was a small front-wheel drive automobile produced by Standard-Triumph from 1970. ... The Triumph 2000 was a mid-sized automobile produced by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. ... The Triumph 2000 was a mid-sized automobile produced by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. ... The Triumph Dolomite was a popular smallâ€“medium-sized four-door saloon car, made by Triumph under the British Leyland organisation. ... The Triumph Acclaim was a compact automobile made by BL Ltd. ... Austin Princess was a name given to luxury cars made by the Austin company during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ... The Westminster series large automobiles sold by the Austin Motor Company from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... The 6/90 replaced the 6/80 as Wolseley Motor Companys top-line automobile. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... The Riley One-Point-Five and similar Wolseley 1500 were upscale versions of the venerable Morris Minor. ... The Wolseley 15/60 was the first of the mid-sized Pinin Farina-designed automobiles from BMC. Launched in 1959, the design would eventually be shared with seven other marques. ... The Wolseley 6/99 was the final large Wolseley automobile. ... The Wolseley 6/99 was the final large Wolseley automobile. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... The Austin 1800 was a saloon car built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) from September 1964 to 1975 and colloquially known as the Landcrab. The 1800 was voted European Car of the Year for 1965. ...

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