1961 MG Midget

Convertible

1275 cc

Manual

GAN1L/1974

Clear

Gasoline

Up for auction is my 1961 MG Midget. This car is a VERY EARLY example of the MG Midget, which began production in 1961. This is car number 1974 which means that it was manufactured in the summer of 1961 as one of the very first MG Midget versions of the iconic MG Midget / Austin Healey Sprite partnership. The actual VIN number is GAN1L/1974 which translates as: "MG Midget, 1st Version, Left hand drive, 1,873rd car produced." I have been told that this car has spent its entire life in the Southwest United States and from looking at the condition of the car and the undercarriage etc., I am inclined to agree.The only HINT of any kind of rust is in the right rear quarter panel and I have included pictures of this area. I am told that rust in this area occurs due to a leaking trunk lid seal, which allows water to sit down in the quarter panel crease and slowly eat away at this area. I have receipts and maintenance logs going back to the mid-1980's and from these I can confirm that over the last 25 years the car lived in Southern California, then moved to Tucson with the same owner, then moved to Las Vegas with a new owner and most recently moved back down to the Phoenix area where I have been its happy custodian for the last nearly three years. All receipts and maintenance logs are included with the car. If you are looking for the best and most sought after MG Midget, the earliest of the early chrome bumper models are what you are looking for. I have taken it to several British car shows over the years and we have always done very well. I am including my display plaque and the awards that we have won with the sale. However, this Midget is NO TRAILER QUEEN. In short, this is an antique car that is driven frequently but is VERY WELL MAINTAINED and could be driven around town daily or even cross-country if desired. It has had the performance and reliability upgrades to make it a very comfortable, reliable and fun little car. Specifically, the original 948cc engine has been replaced by the bigger and more robust 1275cc engine. For your reference, the engine number is 12V/671Z/L11082. This marks the engine at a manufacture date of 1973 to 1974, which are probably the best years for these engines. This 1275cc BMC A series engine is the engine that everyone wants. Another trouble area for these early Midgets and Sprites were the transmissions. The early "smooth case" transmissions were somewhat fragile, so in later years they were upgraded to stronger, better "rib case" transmissions. This car also has this upgraded "rib case" transmission. This makes for an easier-shifting/driving experience and a longer-lasting transmission. I've included more detailed pictures in addition to the pictures that eBay allows me to post with this listing. I have set up an additional Picasa photo album link as follows: https://picasaweb.google.com/109245776343750539744/1961MGMidgetMK1VeryEarlyGAN1?authuser=0&feat=directlink Please be sure to read the photo descriptions as they will provide additional insight into what the photo is showing. Here are some additional details... BODY: As mentioned above, there is one tiny rust spot on the right rear quarter panel. This is typically caused by water leakage into the trunk due to a bad trunk lid to body gasket. The gasket has been replaced and the trunk is always dry now. Included with the car are two patch panels for both the right and left rear quarter panels. I always felt like this would be good work to do prior to a repaint, but the car isn't in need of a repaint just yet. On a scale of 1 to 10, the paint (overall) is probably a 7 more or less. The point being: Good, but not perfect. There is an area below the gas filler that the paint has come off. I have included a picture of this area as well. There are no other dents or damaged areas on the car excepting a few stone chips here and there that I've kept protected with matching touch up paint over the years. I've crawled around under the car many times and there is not even a hint of rust or rot that I can see anywhere. The floorboards are firm and sound. The rockers, sills and crossmembers look very nice and clean and rust and undercoat free. The A-pillars are strong and clean. The quarter leaf hangers are solid and strong. Trunk floor... good. All good. All of the brightwork is there and, well, bright. The chrome shines up nicely and is complete. All of the bumpers and overriders are there and nicely chromed. The aluminum cockpit cowling is all there, well cleaned and clear coated... which keeps it bright and clean. The grill is original, meaning it is not the cheapo aftermarket stuff you'll see from time to time. Again, see the pictures to confirm: https://picasaweb.google.com/109245776343750539744/1961MGMidgetMK1VeryEarlyGAN1?authuser=0&feat=directlink ENGINE: The engine is a 1275cc BMC A Series engine from 1973 or 1974. The smog junk was never installed with the engine. Recently, I rebuilt the carburetors and refinished the original canister air cleaners. There is a set of aftermarket air filters that I took off that are included with the sale. I also refinished the valve cover and repainted the entire engine to the olive drab green that is correct for this year, even though the engine is no longer original. The engine fan has been removed and replaced with an electric fan. The fan is adjustable and is presently set to come on at 180 degrees. I've had the radiator checked and cleaned just to be proactive because it's damn hot here in the summer... But the car has NEVER overheated... and we're talking Phoenix, AZ! The engine starts easily and settles down properly as it warms up. The oil pressure is always around 70 to 80 at startup and settles down to 65 - 70 when at temperature. The exhaust note is as sweet an exhaust note as I've ever heard from any of the long list of Little British Cars that I've owned over the years. That's the part that I'm going to miss the most about this little Midget. There is no smoke upon startup. There is no smoke on acceleration, nor deceleration. There is no smoke from the engine at all. In summary, there is nothing wrong with the engine, nor is there anything that does not work properly. The car has been converted to negative ground and the original generator has been replaced with a modern alternator. Again, in the name of functionality and reliability. https://picasaweb.google.com/109245776343750539744/1961MGMidgetMK1VeryEarlyGAN1?authuser=0&feat=directlink INTERIOR: The interior is in very nice condition, but there are two trouble areas with the carpet, both due to general usage. There's a worn spot on the prop shaft tunnel and there are two worn spots on the driver's footwell carpet. I have included pictures of both of these areas. All of the interior side panels are in good and clean condition with no tears or scuffs. The carpet throughout the rest of the interior is in fine shape. The seats are red vinyl with white piping. The seat frames themselves are original and both of them are properly bolted down and tip forward as they should. There was a small tear about the size of half of your pinky nail on one of the seats that has been repaired. It is hardly noticeable. The seat belts are aftermarket. All of the guages and switches on the dash work as they are supposed to. The windshield wipers wipe, the parking lights light, the headlights light, the turn signals signal and the heater fan fans. The tachometer has been replaced to account for the conversion to negative ground. Most unbelievably, the horn works as it should; via the center push on the steering wheel. Wow. From the maintenance logs, I know that the speedometer has been replaced. I'm sure that there is some fix that needs to occur here because the speedometer reads about 5 - 10 mph faster than actual. I recently installed a brand new Tourist Trophy wooden steering wheel that really completes the interior. It's large and flat like vintage sports cars should have, yet I yearn for the original steering wheel which was a very rare cream-colored bakelite. Who knows how long ago this was "upgraded", but today they are nearly impossible to find. While you are searching for that Holy Grail Steering Wheel, the vintage-style large wooden wheel is a very, very, very nice consolation prize! https://picasaweb.google.com/109245776343750539744/1961MGMidgetMK1VeryEarlyGAN1?authuser=0&feat=directlink PURCHASE DETAILS: If you have any questions, please ask away. If there are any pictures that you feel like you need/want to see before bidding, let me know. I'm as interested in seeing that the next custodian of this little Midget knows exactly what they are getting and will be happy. There are a couple of small boxes of spares and four manuals that I am including. Please see the pictures for more details. I have a clean Arizona title. It is titled as a 1962 MG Midget, but this is pretty normal for British cars from 50 years ago. There's a decent paper trail of upgrades and ownership history and as a bidder you should know that I am not a dealer and I am not "flipping" this car. I like to think I have a decent reputation in the LBC community and you can ask around about the car and me and feel comfortable enough that you're buying a car as stated. Yes, I have a reserve on the car because I don't want to take a chance that a car this nice could somehow get sold at some silly-accidental price. It's a very reasonable reserve and I expect it to zoom past it without much trouble because the LBC community will recognize that this is an honest car, in very nice shape with a couple of love taps here and there: In a sense, exactly how these cars should present and exactly why I came to buy it when I did. When you are the winning bidder, you must PayPal a $500 non-refundable deposit within 24 hours of the auction close. The balance due must be received by cashier's check within 7 days of the auction close. You'll need to have it picked up within a couple of days after the check clears (even cashier's checks will need to clear). I'll make sure the car and all of the extras are loaded if you have a shipping company come for her. Again, message me if you have any questions. Include your phone number if you'd like to talk on the phone about it. Bid early, often and generously. I think you're going to really enjoy the car. Thanks for looking. Jeff https://picasaweb.google.com/109245776343750539744/1961MGMidgetMK1VeryEarlyGAN1?authuser=0&feat=directlink