MG Midget
The smallest, cheapest way into open-top motoring.
The story
The Midget was an Austin-Healey Sprite with an MG grille and a little more trim. The pair were known as Spridgets. It was slow by any measure, but you sat inches off the road and every journey felt like an event.
Inside
Barely room for two, with sliding side screens on early cars and a hood you assembled from a bag of poles.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
Later Midgets had a 1.5-litre Triumph engine, built by what had once been MG's fiercest rival.
Meanwhile, in 1961
Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, and Tottenham Hotspur won the league and cup double.
Best-selling single of 1961: Wooden Heart by Elvis Presley
Before you buy a 1960s car
- Check the sills, floorpans, wheel arches and the bottom of the doors for rust.
- Ask for any old MOT certificates, service records and bills.
- Parts for popular cars are often available from specialists, but trim and body panels can be hard to find.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.
Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.