News Item

01/04/2008 - John’s Midget victories tower over the competition

The General Manager of Just Car Clinics’ Hartlepool branch just can’t get enough of vehicle restoration. Despite spending his working life overseeing the repair of customers’ collision damaged vehicles, John Jones spends all his spare time bringing his favourite automobile – the classic sports car the MG Midget  - back to life.

Customers at the Hartlepool branch can even catch sight of John’s latest project, the restoration of a 1967 1275cc MG Midget, in the workshop. The car, which will eventually shine in all its British Racing Green glory, is now coated in primer after several months of restoration work.

John Jones said: “Customers see the car on the workshop floor and comment on how great the MG is.”

John’s love affair with MG Midgets started when he was an apprentice with an Austin Rover main dealer. His older brother also had one of these classic cars and it wasn’t long before John followed in his siblings footsteps.

“They are very special cars for me and as soon as I could afford one I bought my first Midget in 1997 and that turned into a full-scale restoration job that took about six years to complete once I started it.”
“On that car I replaced every last nut and washer, absolutely everything was restored.” This included importing a body shell from California and converting it from left hand drive to right hand drive.

John’s hard work paid off when he showed the car at the Northern MG Classic Show in Beamish, winning first place. This prompted John to carry on the good work, driven by his wife’s desire to own a Midget herself, John purchased a 1978 rubber bumper Midget, which he converted to chrome bumper, and re sprayed it from white to a Purple pearl and again carried out a full restoration including a new interior trim.

Following this, John’s neighbour, looking for a rare gift for his own wife, asked John if he could restore another Midget. This was a 1965 wire wheeled chrome bumper model.

“I spent over a year doing that, working most nights and weekends up to 11 pm and even taking a weeks holiday just to complete the vehicle for Christmas. Then when the big day came her husband gave her a wooden steering wheel and we opened up the garage door and there it was, the MG, waiting for her. There were a lot of tears.”

John’s winning streak at car shows has continued. The Midget restored for his wife, Sharon, which is finished in dazzling purple pearl, grabbed a clutch of honours at the Northern Nationals in Harrogate, earning John first prize in the chrome bumper category, best Midget in show and best car in show.

John added: “I just like the cars themselves and they are really easy to work on and restore as every single part is still readily available. The MG has such a following and I’m proud to have owned so many.”

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