Having all of the Brookland's books and quite a few others on Spridgets,
I've read the "Get one while you still can" + "Why would anyone want
one" articles.
There's quite a few good reasons for those reports, hopefully I won't
offend anyone by giving my take.
The car's basic premise was 31 years old in 1979, an incredible feat of
survival.
The fact that compared to other cars of the day, the Midget was lacking
was because it was basically the same car in 1979 that it was in 1958
and technology advancements were held to a minimum by British Leyland.
Morgans exist because there is a very small market for them and they
know their niche. You cannot try to to mass produce a car with such a
small niche market.
In 1979 someone that might drool over a 1955 TBird, would hold his nose
up at a 1979 Midget. They just didn't appreciate the fact that this car
was a throwback too!
If you throw in a Labour force and management that was indifferent to
the buyers of the car, you have a receipe for failure.
So why did they all hate the 1979 version?
Rubber Bumpers, at first they injected some life back into the car.
Underpowered smogged engine, if 100MPH wasn't fast enough in such a
small car, the driver needs a head exam.
Change of handling, I drove a brand new 1976 Midget, my 63 handles
better, but I didn't find the 76 to be that bad.
Quality, now we are getting somewhere, my buddy had his brand new 76 in
the shop about 3 times the first month.
What really killed the Midget was...................Jimmy Carter
BL's #1 market for both cars was North America, for us that remember the
misery index owning a car like an MG Midget was simply a luxury most of
us could not afford. My spridget ownership now is based on the car being
a hobby, fun, but certainly not my main family car. At the cost in 1979,
the near 20% (maybe even higher) interest rates. Gasoline that cost in
1979 more for a gallon than it cost now in 1998. That killed the Midget.
Just one more thing to thank Jimmy Carter for.
--
Fred Krampits
1963 MG Midget MK I 1098CG
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/9021/
|