ROUND 4: MIDGET vs SPITFIRE

Sticking with the sports car theme but moving down to the lightweight division, we've got two perennial favourites of the classic car scene – MG's Midget and Triumph's Spitfire. Now, before we get into the cars themselves, I do need to explain a little about what is and what isn't included under the MG banner. That's because from 1961, MG Midgets and Austin- Healey Sprites were produced alongside each other on the Abingdon lines, with little other than badges and a few bits of trim to distinguish one from the other. After the licencing agreement with Healey was cancelled in January 1971, there were also 1022 cars badged simply as Austin Sprites, after which production carried on under the MG banner alone. Therefore, I don't think that too many people will cry 'foul' when they learn that I have included all of these in the MG sales totals.

When it comes to the original Austin- Healey Sprites (the Frogeye Sprites) of 195861 however, the situation is less clear. After all, there were no equivalents of those carrying the MG badge, and the design was created by the Healey Motor Co rather than MG. On the other hand, considerable development work was carried out by MG at Abingdon, and the Sprites were built there. They were also essentially the same as the later Sprites and Midgets apart from having that idiosyncratic front end and no opening boot in the curvaceous tail.

To be honest, whether or not I included the 48,987 Frogeyes in the MG camp makes no difference to who wins the production battle, because once you have factored in the extra months then Triumph still comes out on top. It does affect the current values though, as a MkI Midget is ticketed at a mere £8600, while a Frogeye is given a sticker price by Hagerty of bang on £20,000. It was a hard call, but in the end I felt that the Frogeyes should be counted as part of the Midget camp. So with that out in the open and letters of complaint from Triumphisti no doubt already being prepared, let's move swiftly on.

The MkI Sprite was launched in May 1958 and claimed to be the first mass-produced sports car of monocoque construction. It made use of Austin A35 and Morris Minor running gear, with a 948cc A-series engine, rack and pinion steering and an independent front suspension that comprised wishbones, coil springs and lever arm dampers. At the back were short and rather unforgiving quarter- elliptic springs. Stylistically, those bulging headlights which became such a signature mark of the model (and indeed gave it the Frogeye nickname) were initially intended to rotate back and sit flush with the bodywork when not in use, but that idea did not get the bean counters' approval. That has to be one of the few occasions where accounting decisions actually led to a more attractive car.

Yet while we all love the Frogeye look today, in period it was felt to be holding back sales and so the more conventional styling of the MkII Sprite and MkI Midget was developed – the front end by Healey and the back end by MG, would you believe! Fortunately the two sets of designers learnt of their respective tasks and did communicate to ensure a harmonious whole. These were launched in May and June 1961 respectively, offering a new look but with very little altered under the skin, though the engine was enlarged to 1098cc and the car gained front disc brakes from October 1962.

The changes got more extensive on the MkIII Sprite/ MkII Midget of 1964, the cars gaining winding windows instead of sliding sidescreens, external door handles, swivelling quarterlights and semi- elliptic rear springs among other tweaks. The Sprite MkIV and Midget MkIII arrived in October 1966, the engine growing to 1275cc and cars getting a new folding hood. In October 1971 the Midget (now the only variant) got rounded rear wheelarches, the so- called RWA models that for many years carried a price premium on the classic market.

1974 saw some major changes to create the Midget 1500, mostly made to allow the model to meet evolving US regulations. Visually the ride height was raised and the car gained large black polyurethane bumpers, while under the bonnet was now Triumph's 1493cc Spitfire engine. I will leave you to imagine the Angst and anguish caused by these changes to MG fans... The rear wheelarches also reverted to the earlier square top type because they were found to be stronger in the event of a rear end shunt. In this form it ran through to the end of production in 1979, the last Midget coming off the Abingdon lines on 7th December.

Meanwhile, over at Standard-Triumph

thoughts had turned to a sports car in this class from 1960. With their OHV SC (Small Car) engine having proved very successful in the Standard Eight and Ten, and now powering the new Triumph Herald that was slowly finding its feet in the marketplace, the building blocks were all there.

A Herald was sent to Giovanni Michelotti in Italy, and he carved up the chassis to create a prototype sports car. It kept the Herald running gear, but the chassis lost its outriggers and instead of the Herald's self- supporting full-width chassis, what became the Spitfire would have its strength concentrated in the central backbone and, in due course, some very structural sills.

It so nearly didn't happen, though. Michelotti's mock-up arrived at Canley in October 1960, just in time for Triumph's financial position to nose- dive. In fact, it was only the takeover by Lancashire truck and bus manufacturer Leyland Motors in December 1960 that saved StandardTriumph from bankruptcy. It also saved the Spitfire, because when new boss Stanley Markland found it in the summer of 1961 hiding under a dust sheet in one corner of the experimental workshop, he liked what he saw and approved it for production. Just like that, it was game on once more and MG were to get a rival that would henceforth keep them on their toes.

The Spitfire 4 was launched in October 1962, with an 1147cc version of the now familiar SC engine. Calling it the Spitfire 4 suggested to some that there would be a six- cylinder variant in due course, but that was only ever offered in the later GT6 closed coupé. In fact the Spitfire 4 name was chosen to distinguish this car from the forthcoming Vitesse, which was to be marketed in the US as the Sports Six.

Most people nowadays refer to the Spitfire 4 as the Mk1, and it was to undergo a process of evolution over the next 18 years in a race of leapfrog to stay ahead of its equally evolving rival from MG. I say 'stay ahead' and that might cause the MG fans to take umbrage, but I am talking in terms of overall specification here rather than making a personal observation. The Spitfire is the bigger car of the two, and this is reflected in more room for elbows, legs and general storage. It was also invariably better equipped, which is why it was also invariably more expensive.

For 1964, overdrive was offered as an

option, and the Mk2 Spitfire arrived in March 1965 with more power but still only 1147ccs. This grew to 1296cc and gained an eight-eightport head for the Mk3 of January 1967, a proper folding hood arriving at the same time. There were major revisions for the MkIV of 1971, with external seams removed and a new Kamm tail added to reflect the new corporate style. More importantly, the cheap transverse leaf rear suspension was finally improved, and synchromesh was added to first gear. The final iteration was the Spitfire 1500 with 1493cc from 1975 (in the UK – the USA got that for 1973).

So how do you choose between these two deadly rivals today? Well, if you have marque loyalties or prefer one style to the other, then the decision is pretty much made for you already. If you are still on the fence, then my own experience is that the Spitfire is a more spacious and comfortable proposition, and maintenance is a doddle thanks to the lifting front end. Road holding from that poor rear suspension is better than many would have you believe unless you are really pressing on hard, and overdrive is a definite bonus. The Midget in contrast can be a devil to get in and out of thanks to its small door opening, but on the road it feels the tauter of the two. In standard trim it sticks to the road better and feeds the driving experience more directly back to the driver. One is not necessarily better than the other, but for all their many similarities, each has their own character.