To celebrate the British International Motor Show this year we picked our 100 best British cars. Check out our selection to help you choose your favourite home-grown motor.
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20 MG Midget (page 20 of 25)
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Reviving a pre-war name, MG rebadged and trimmed up the MkII Austin-Healey Sprite to create this £600 fun roadster, which ran from 1961 to 1979. An enjoyable way into sports car ownership, the Midget had the Mini's A-series engine (948cc at first, then 1,098cc). That was adequate to propel a car weighing just 710kg, but 1,275cc versions came in '66, and general updates to suspension, seats and cockpit kept it ahead of its rivals. The British Leyland years bought the 1,500cc Triumph Spitfire engine and the dreaded rubber bumpers; handling suffered and the Midget struggled on to the end of the 70s. A great concept, poorly thought through and neglected, but now influential: many back-to-basics contenders for the 'new Midget' title are in the pipeline.
