Stop dreaming and start driving! C&SC tests the classics you can buy. Click here for the full listing – and see below for our expert’s conclusion.
This Midget had a Downton ‘Touring’ engine conversion from new – which cost a third again on top of the list price. The bill remains with the car, along with photos of the restoration around a new Heritage shell that was only completed in 2014, with around 500 miles covered since.
The body is almost like new. There’s no rust or rot, and the paint is all good, with gloss black inside the wheelarches. The wheels are newish Minators with almost unworn Champiro radials, though the original rather aged Minilites come with it.
The hood’s not as new as the rest of the car, but is in good shape. The seats, wearing later-style head restraints, have been re-covered in leather, which is slightly loose and baggy, and the paint to the instrument panel isn’t the greatest.
The throttle pedal has been modified for easier heel-and-toeing, and there’s a cassette deck in an aftermarket centre console. The motor is tidy, and was rebuilt during the car’s restoration, using a slightly milder Kent 285 cam than Downton fitted.
The bill lists an oil cooler along with a front anti-roll bar, both still in place, plus an allowance for the original SU carbs, which were replaced by a Weber 45DCOE.
