1966model MG Midget Mk-III

MG Midget Mk-III…
Anyone who has ever experienced a British lightweight sports car will surely feel their heart stir at the enchanting sound of the name “Midget.”
Its compact body, a pure expression of 1960s automotive design, weighs a mere 710 kg.
Purely—and extremely simply—designed solely for the joy of open-top driving, this captivating form makes lightness its greatest strength. Once you experience it, you are hooked… and before you know it, you are deeply immersed, struggling happily to escape the joy it delivers.

Once you become accustomed to this light-footed agility, even the higher-grade MGB begins to feel less like a lightweight and more like a grand tourer—so proud and evocative does the phrase “minimum lightweight” become.
With such wonderful appeal, the Midget—beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1980s with its urethane bumpers fitted to meet North American safety standards—has drawn enthusiasts around the world, myself included, into a crucible of driving enjoyment.

From its beginnings with the Frogeye in 1958, through badge engineering and the launch of the Midget Mk-I in 1961, nearly 70 years have passed to the present day. Thanks to the deep-rooted British automotive culture of cherishing and continuing to use good things, most parts—including brand-new body panels—are still available new today. Moreover, even as we approach half a century since production ended in 1979, British Motor Heritage Body Shells continues to produce new cars using the original jigs from the period.

As someone who dearly loves British lightweights, my own starting point was the MG Midget.
That origin dates back about 30 years in the United States, where I purchased a restoration-base MG Midget for a surprisingly low price. Thanks to its simple construction, I was able to restore it bit by bit in my garage exactly as I pleased—an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.

The familiar, truly minimal 1275cc A-series OHV engine is a joy: rev it beyond 3,000 rpm and you feel it come onto the cam, and running it all the way out in fourth gear with vigor is simply fantastic!
Despite the tiny body, you climb in with your legs stretched straight out into a classic driving position. With the large-diameter steering wheel held close to your body, elbows bent and cradling it, you guide what feels like a long nose—experienced from just ahead of the rear wheel housings. It may not be objectively quick, yet it feels remarkably quick once driven: the slightly distant nose snaps lightly and crisply into direction.
Driving in this traditional 1960s classic sports car style is, above all else, immense fun!

Even 30 years after that day with the MG Midget, the joy has never left my mind. Though the cars I’ve owned have changed, I have never been able to pull myself away from the enchanting pull of British lightweight sports cars—and I suspect I never will.

Let us take a brief look back into its history…
When one speaks of the A-series OHV inline-four 1275cc engine, it is none other than the evolved version of the engine fitted to the Mini Cooper S that was installed in the MG Midget Mk-III…

With the aim of “building a small, lightweight, appealing, and affordable sports car for young people,” BMC released the Austin-Healey Sprite Mk-I in 1958. When it underwent a model change to the Mk-II in 1961, an MG-branded version was also prepared through badge engineering, giving birth to the MG Midget Mk-I.
Subsequent minor updates followed, and by 1966 the model had evolved into the MG Midget Mk-III. What truly defined this Mk-III was the adoption of the 1275cc engine used in the Mini Cooper S.

However, the interesting point lies here: had the Cooper S–spec engine been installed as-is, the MG Midget Mk-III—being far lighter than the MGB, which was marketed as a higher-grade model at the time—would have been significantly faster. To prevent this, the engine was deliberately detuned before installation.
In practice, the Cooper S engine’s output of 76 bhp at 5,800 rpm was reduced through changes to the cylinder head, exhaust valves, and other components. The compression ratio was lowered from the Cooper S’s 9.75:1 to 8.8:1, resulting in approximately a 15% reduction in power, settling at 65 hp at 6,000 rpm.

Even so, this 1966 MG Midget Mk-III is an immensely enjoyable car to drive.
The driving feel is disarmingly honest and straightforward, with absolutely no need to tense up—its natural character is simply wonderful.
At the same time, careless inputs are reflected directly in the car’s behavior.
Gripping the steering wheel as if cradling it, engaging the light clutch, and briskly shifting from first to second—this sequence alone conveys why this compact sports car is so enjoyable, not through theory, but directly to the body and through the senses straight into the right side of the brain.

What allows this experience to shine so clearly is the fact that this car belongs to the early phase of the later Mk-III generation, specifically the 1966 model year.
Even as a detuned version of the Cooper S engine, the MG Midget of this period—equipped with the A-series 1275cc unit—is often regarded as the most well-balanced and complete form within the series.
Against the lightweight monocoque body, the engine’s 65 hp at 6,000 rpm still provides a subtle surplus of performance—an exquisite balance.
It is precisely this “slight margin of reserve” that allows drivers to fully enjoy the Midget’s signature character above 3,000 rpm as the cam comes alive, ultimately creating an unmatched sense of driving pleasure.