theMillwatermag
millwatermotors If you were to wish for an affordable yet quintessentially British open-top roadster from the late 1960s, one of the most desirable is undoubtedly the MG Midget. Local enthusiast Sandy Macinnes is the proud owner of a 1967 tartan red model and we talked at length about the grin-inducing pleasure that driving this classic brings to Sandy and his wife Jenelle. Sandy moved from near Glasgow in Scotland to New Zealand in 1996, after making the decision to seek out new job opportunities and a better lifestyle. After a short holiday here, he decided that he definitely preferred New Zealand over Canada and Australia! With 30 years’ experience in facilities and property management, including management of the new Silverdale Centre throughout its development and opening, Sandy recently accepted an offer to become an account manager with McAlpine Hussmann. When he was still living in Scotland, Sandy had previously owned an MG Midget, so the love and hunger was still there when he and wife Jenelle decided to get something different and a bit special in the way of wheels, here in New Zealand. They saw the car advertised on Trade Me and made the journey to Kerikeri, where it was an easy decision to buy the red beauty. The rego came as an extra with the car but, as Sandy says, “It just wouldn’t have been right, not to have bought the rego as well”. Sandy’s car is the 1967 Mk.III model, with the 1275cc Series A engine that had been developed for the Mini Cooper S. Back in 1967, MG detuned the engine from the performance produced for the Mini Cooper S, because otherwise the MG Midget would have been faster than the MGB, which would not have been good for the MGB. However, some changes have been made to Sandy’s car since arriving new in New Zealand, all of which have enhanced its performance and road-handling. Electronic ignition has improved starting and running reliability, as has the alternator replacement for the original dynamo. Prior to Sandy’s ownership, the MG was completely stripped down to the chassis back in 1999, with new, larger wheels and flared arches being added at the same time. The new heavy-duty clutch and low-ratio differential have greatly improved handling on the twisty bits. Sandy loves driving the Midget, especially on the winding roads around the Brynderwyn Hills, where there are more curves and uplift than a Miss World contest. “The car sticks to the road like glue and goes round corners as if it were on rails” enthused Sandy with a wide grin, “You just point and squirt”. Outside of family, work and golf, another fascinating facet of Sandy is that he plays rhythm guitar in a six-piece rock’n’roll band, Harley and the Rocket III, performing at a number of venues on a regular basis (and available for hire). However, outside of family, Sandy’s love for the wee red MG is clearly a top option in his busy life.
