Last Midget Made

[Boink]

Here it is... 1979.
Snapped this photo of it in the Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon (https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1876881,-1.4770749,15z), Warwickshire.
It's an amazing museum (of essential Leyland products). They had the winning Monte Carlo Minis and countless other cars (maybe 200), many famous.
Not often visited but worth the drop in when we were driving from Leeds to Goodwood.

 

[Boink]

Forgot this pic to go with it (the close-up of the sign):

 

[aeronca65t]

Cool.

I believe you can still, technically buy a Midget tub (or MGB tub or Moke tub). So in a way, they are still being built.

 

[Boink]

I think I saw a brand new "B" at Goodwood. Cost a bomb. Essentially a newly made car from a specialty shop.

 

[jlaird]

As i remember Bugeye bodies are about 3500 LBs, plus shipping.

 

[SaxMan]

Poor Midgie went directly to the museum and never got to experience the fun of driving on a winding road. Even the last Hawker Hurricane PZ865 "The Last of the Many" is still being regularly flown by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The whole point of these cars was to drive them! Having it cooped up in a museum collection is sacrilege. There may will be a day when the Spridgets may be considered suitable for museum display only, but it won't be in our lifetime.

I imagine the second-to-the-last Midget made lived a more fun life.

 

[Roger]

As i remember Bugeye bodies are about 3500 LBs, plus shipping.

Never realised they were so heavy. :excitement:

 

[Boink]

Never realised they were so heavy. :excitement:

Good one.

 

[JPSmit]

Poor Midgie went directly to the museum and never got to experience the fun of driving on a winding road. Even the last Hawker Hurricane PZ865 "The Last of the Many" is still being regularly flown by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The whole point of these cars was to drive them! Having it cooped up in a museum collection is sacrilege. There may will be a day when the Spridgets may be considered suitable for museum display only, but it won't be in our lifetime.

I imagine the second-to-the-last Midget made lived a more fun life.

IIRC the last? (or one of the last 100) MGB's ended up similarly, was later sold and caught fire as the new owner drove it home - they don't like sitting!

That said, Mark, thank you so very much for thinking to take and post these pics! I notice them interspersed throughout the board - I love that even if I can't see it, I can share it! kudos!

 

[Boink]

Thanks JP. I figured that some would appeal to some sub-boards and not others. I put the general stuff in the PUB.

 

[sqbsprite]

Interesting that the last ones went to Japan. Compared to a 1979 Celica, this would be a very crude car to them, but then they were not building any two seater convertibles at the time. The late seventies were a dark time for cars.