Description
** Many more pictures available via our website - RMC Classics Ltd - please see the link below. The car must be viewed and inspected before purchase. Please email, or try to call and leave a voicemail or text message if you are interested and I will get back to you as soon as I have a free moment!**
This stunning little Midget was subject to a comprehensive professional Heritage Bodyshell restoration in the mid-to-late 1990s. It represents excellent value for money – a new shell is £12500, unpainted – meaning to build a car to this spec today would cost in excess of £25k in parts alone. These cars regularly sell for much more so don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange a viewing. The car remains in very nice condition – it is NOT a concours show pony but a car to use, enjoy and tinker with as you please.
The car’s build was commissioned by a vicar who then owned the car for 20-odd years. It then passed through the hands of another enthusiast owner before coming to us. No expense was spared and this was a comprehensive rebuild – not just a ‘stick rusty old bits onto a new shell’ like some of them are!
The bodywork remains very good indeed, the wing-top seams and A panels are all bubble-free and the paint finish is very good. There are a few very minor cosmetic bits here and there but as you can see the car presents very well indeed, with an excellent paint finish. The panelwork all fits very nicely and the doors shut with a satisfying clunk. The chromework is in very good condition, and the car is fitted with chrome wire wheels which are in excellent condition. The engine bay is clean and tidy but a little grubby – some further cleaning and detailing here would make an excellent and rewarding project for the next owner to enjoy, if that’s your thing! Structurally, the car is exactly as you’d expect and has been kept in good condition since the car was built onto the new shell.
Mechanically, the car is in good order. Of course, the vast majority of the running gear was replaced, including all of the suspension, brakes, wiring loom, the list is just endless! The engine starts readily and runs well, ticking over at around 900rpm, just as it should. Exhaust note is lovely and the car pulls and drives very well (for a Midget!). Oil pressure is just as it should be (hot and cold), and the car does not overheat – nor does it appear to use any excess oil or water. Electrically, everything works just as it should, including the heater blower. The gear selection is really nice and slick, with no synchromesh issues, and the car stops in a straight line, just as you’d expect, and rides well with no nasty knocks or bangs. Front suspension has no excess play and the wheel bearings are all good. They’re excellent fun to drive!
The interior is in very nice order indeed – original seats are free from damage. The dashboard has been recently refinished in the correct crinkle finish. The gauges are all good, and the speedo accurate (recently replaced with an item with the correct calibration, hence the mileage figure in the MOT history). The canvas soft top is in very good order, as is the frame - also included is a full tonneau cover.
In recent years, the car has had relatively minimal usage but ongoing maintenance has continued. In recent times the car has benefitted from a new fuel tank and sender, rear brake rebuild with new cylinders and springs, and a service which included a carb rebuild, retune and rebalance, timing reset along with a check-through of everything else – various other minor recommissioning jobs completed.
The car is, of course, tax and MOT exempt but has been through an MOT this year. The current MOT expires in May 2025. There is a raft of paperwork with the car dating back to the early 1990s which includes a photographic record of the rebuild and a stack of bills and receipts for parts and work done during and after the rebuild. The receipt for the Heritage Shell is present.
All in all, this is an absolutely stunning little car that is absolutely ready to be used and enjoyed. No, it’s not a concourse-condition show winner - after all, it was built 20 years ago now - but it’s a car that has been restored very well indeed and presents excellently, and I’m sure that you won’t find another Heritage Bodyshell car of this quality, for this price anywhere.
