Funny you should ask that. In 1976 Road & Track did a 6-car comparison test
featuring the Midget, Spitfire, TR7, MGB, Fiat 124 Spider and X1/9. In the
subjective rankings the Midget placed 6th and the Spitfire 5th.
Subjective totals:
X1/9 1371 (out of 1600)
TR7 1247
124 1214
B 940
Spit 920
Midget 761 (ouch)
[Personal aside: In mitigation of these results, in reading tests of this
period I get a strong impression that the writers were fascinated with
mechanical novelty (IRS, FI, and mid-engines, particularly) and tended to
underrate the older designs with which they were long familiar. From our
vantage point today the innovations which obsessed them in the 70s are old
hat, and we have a much greater appreciation for the "old world" virtues of
heritage and character. And the minor differences in measurable performance
are irrelevant in the context of 30-year-old vehicles.]
Performance stats:
Spit Midget
0-30 4.8 4.8 sec
0-60 15.3 15.5
1/4mi. 20.2 20.1
Top sp. 94 83 mph
MPG 25 29
60mph stop 167 189 ft
% fade/6 stops 10 97
Cornering 0.731 0.737 g
Slalom 58.1 50.1 mph
Specific comments:
Spitfire -- Two 3rd place votes as personal favorite. Best placing: 2nd in
braking. Worst in instrumentation, ventilation, ease of use/top, and body
structure. Tester quotes: "The handling is damned impressive". "The
suspension, steering, ride, and roadholding are much better than I
expected". "It's a surprisingly good car." Hood shake, chassis flex, rough
road steering feedback. Engine peppy, but rough above 5000rpm. Seats
unsupportive. Much roomier interior than Midget.
Midget -- No scores higher than 5th. Last place in 13 categories. Handling
"...interesting and entertaining." Excessive rear-wheel steering. Darty.
Steering quick but numb. Hops about over minor road irregularities. Brake
control good, but fade and distances excessive. Similar performance to
Spitfire up to 70mph (uses same engine, but poorer aerodynamics, more
restricted breathing). Hopelessly cramped interior (seat travel, shoulder
room). Quote: "Anyone who would buy a Midget when the X1/9 was available for
only $1000 more would have to be a complete masochist" (for comparison, the
Spitfire was only $196 more than the Midget).
There was also an amusing sidebar written by the legendary Henry N. Manney
III. He had a few choice words to add.
Spitfire: "...at the back felt fine, but at the front was early Allard" [I
assume that's not a compliment]
Midget: "...along some of the straight but bumpy roads ...the rear end hoist
to meet Fed bumper requirements didn't sit well with Midget rear suspension,
which was marginal anyway; it was easy to imagine oneself as Nuvolari in the
big Auto Union, sitting way up front with the back end steering him about.
However, the twisting pass up to Julian was more fun..."
Realistically, in terms of ownership today, I would think it would come down
to personal preferences for styling, marque loyalty, driving style, and most
importantly, body type. I have spent some time in both vehicles, and there
is an immense difference in cockpit space (as noted above); so much so that
I imagine that many persons would be physically incapable of driving a
Midget. At 6' 1", 165 lb., I find the Midget cockpit too confining for
effective driving-- knees bent at 90 degrees, spread wide to clear the
wheel, elbow and shoulder jammed against the high door, insufficient
footwell room to work the pedals. It' s fun, like a go-kart, for ten
minutes, then it's like a straitjacket. A Honda 600 microcar is a Cadillac
in comparison.
But then, all kinds of folks on this list swear by Midgets, so you will just
have to try one on and see. And don't let a 24-year-old road test sway you
too much -- there are a lot of aftermarket mods in common use today that can
greatly improve both vehicles.
Sorry for the length...
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
on 1/27/01 4:03 PM, MGTD1952@cs.com at MGTD1952@cs.com wrote:
> Recognizing that there might be a slight bias from this list, I'm currently
> looking at two cars. A '76 Midget and a '76 Spitfire. Both are no rust,
> good condition vehicles, similar milage, rebuilt engines, no rust, good
> interiors, etc., etc. Both are also about the same price.
>
> Which is the better car? Since the both have the same 1500 engine, what are
> the big differences? Is one a better handling, more spirited vehicle? What
> are the reletive strenghts and weaknesses.
>
> Discussion please.....
>
>
>
> Steve in NJ
>
> '68 BGT
> '52 TD (in resto)
--
===============================
Max Heim
mvheim@studiolimage.com
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