I'm suddenly the proud owner of a MKIII Gold convertible. The mileage is high, the wiring loom is more of a tangle, it has been standing for a while and, at a couple of inches over six foot, I barely fit in it with the hardtop on, but I can already tell that this is a car I'm going to be getting to know very well indeed! Now I have it home and can start to work out what is good and what is bad. I rather suspect I may have some questions soon, and it looks like this is the right place to ask them, so here I am.
I didn't mean to get a Midas, I knew I wanted a fibreglass sports car, but I was really looking for a late model SSI Scimitar, Sabre or SST and have been waiting for the right one for getting on for two years, but when I saw this Midas advertised I thought I'd give it a look. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as a Scimitar, because I have had a couple of Scimitars and kept my favourite one for well over a decade before passing it to an old friend who still has it. However, there is no denying that the Scimitar was not Michelotti's prettiest design and the Gold has a cheeky charm all of its own. That's all very well, but the Scimitar has rear wheel drive and I LIKE rear wheel drive. As such I didn't expect to be swayed.
But I was. I haven't really worked out what happened, but I made a high offer, bought it on the spot, paid and exchanged documents in under an hour, hired a splendid self drive car transporter from transporter hire in Horsham and had it sat on the drive within twenty four hours. I keep grinning, but I'm still not quite sure why yet.
I know what I like: the A series engine is always nice to have in front of you and I know it well and definitely prefer it to the CVH in the scimitar. However I haven't seen one that looked easier to work on since I sold an old Morris one ton van to a rather pretty student a few decades ago. The 1275 in the Midas doesn't sound like that, no burbles and farts but a very purposeful grumble that hints at a slight deficiency in baffles and slightly smoother ports than the factory provided. Considering the rank lawnmower stink of petrol that has given up the ghost, or at least the spirit, I'm astonished it started and even more surprised that the throttle response is tidy.
I can't say much more than that, because the furthest I have driven it was around the yard to test the basics, straight onto the transporter and off again. (and getting out of a car transporter and into a Midas is a dizzying experience - it's a bit like jumping in a trench!) However, there doesn't seem to be a thing about her that I don't like. I can't wait to get to know her better.