Bmc MG Midget – specifications
Built: 1961–1979 · Series: Other models
Data for the version built 1961–1979
More machines from model year 1961
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BMC Riley 1.5 – key facts: sportier-trimmed Riley version of a shared British Motor Corporation platform with twin carburettors and wood dashboard trim, built from 1957 to 1965
Riley was a British car marque that, within the British Motor Corporation alongside Austin, Morris, MG and Wolseley, served as a separate badge for more sportingly tuned versions of shared platforms. The Riley 1.5 was part of this badge-sharing practice, in which the same bodyshell was sold under several names with different trim.
Read on 3 more paragraphs
The Riley 1.5 was built from 1957 to 1965. Within the British Motor Corporation, the Riley version of a shared platform was typically the sportier one: sharper steering, a twin-carburettor engine giving more power than the plainer mass-market siblings, and a more upmarket interior with wood trim on the dashboard, characteristic of the Riley marque.
As a four-cylinder mid-size car of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Riley 1.5 was a unitary-construction saloon with a front engine and rear-wheel drive, typical of this class in Britain. The twin-carburettor set-up of the Riley version targeted buyers wanting a livelier drive than the base versions of its sister marques, without giving up a four-door family car.
Buying such a car second-hand, the condition of the unitary bodyshell matters most: rust on sills, wheel arches and floor pans is the rule rather than the exception for British steel bodies of this generation. The twin carburettors need carefully balanced tuning, or fuel consumption suffers and idling becomes rough, and the supply of Riley-specific chrome trim and badges is considerably tighter than for the visually identical mass-market siblings.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells Riley 1.5
Technical data
Engine
| Engine | 948 cc A-Series I4; 1098 cc A-Series I4; 1275 cc A-Series I4; 1493 cc Triumph I4correct |
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Dimensions and weights
| Length | 137correct |
|---|---|
| Width | Mk I and II 54 in; Mk III and 1500 55 incorrect |
| Height | 48.5 in (before springs enlarged for 1974 Rubber Bumper cars)correct |
| Wheelbase | 80correct |
| Unladen weight | 735 kg (approx)correct |
Working data
| Fuel tank capacity | 27.5 L(1973)correct |
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Origin and approval
| Body | 2-door roadstercorrect |
|---|---|
| Vehicle class | Sports carcorrect |
Other data
| Predecessor | MG TFcorrect |
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Frequently asked questions
When was the Bmc MG Midget built?
Production years: 1961–1979.
What to check before buying
- Check the hour meter against the service records — a replaced instrument is the most common gap.
- Compare the data plate and chassis number with the papers.
- Ask about parts availability for this build year — the running costs hang on it.
A general list for this type of machine — no substitute for an inspection or an appraiser.
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This page carries 13 individual figures for this model. What we cannot document is not here — we leave gaps open rather than estimate them.
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