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MG Midget and Sprite General - 1968 Sebring MG Midget

Hi there,

Seeking information from the numerous Midget/Sprite gurus that frequent this site.

On page 139 of More Healeys by Geoffrey Healey there is a photo of the 1968 Sebring entry. The MGB & MGC remain well known cars today - I am unsure about the prototype Sprite. However my interest is the Midget (according to the Works MGs book registration number was/is LNX828E ).


Does anyone have any information about this car, colour, specification or more importantly photos that would enable a replica to be built.

Any information would be much appreciated.

Regards

Robert Holmes
w r holmes

I've made half-hearted efforts to find similar info with little success. It ran as #74 and the drivers were Gerald Truitt and Randy Canfield, finished 1st in class and 15th overall. 'Works Wonders' gives the reg as LNX628E while the generally accurate Racingsportscars website gives it as 629E !
David Smith

In my searches LNX628E comes up with nothing
But
LNX629E comes up with the following

Make AUSTIN HEALEY

Year 01-03-1967
Chassis No. HAN9-R-157
Engine No.
Fuel Type PETROL
Engine Capacity 1293
Gary & Gaps

LNX is a Warwick registration, so likely to be a Sprite, although could have been rebadged for any particular event, as the works cars often were.
Dave O'Neill 2

One of the busiest of the 'transgender' cars ...

67 Sebring as a Sprite (58), 68 Sebring as a Midget (74), 1968 Targa Florio (112) - as the Sprite ‘TFR 6’ (in GCH's notation), Nürburgring 1000 Km (44) and Circuit of Mugello (81) as a Sprite.

It was/is a red standard-shape car registered LNX 629E and was sold by the Healeys in 1968 to John Harris who sold it to fellow racer Jean Denton in 1970. Survives in the West Country having been rallied for many years by its present owner ...

Robert - it always competed as a prototype, so its spec. wasn't homologated. A replica would be tricky unless you have a dry-sump 1293 XSP engine to hand, mated to the Morris Engines-developed 5-speed box which used the MGB gears in a specially-cast casing ...

At least the centre-lock Minilites would be easy enough to obtain, though the originals would have been in proper magnesium alloy, not LM25.

Surprisingly, the DVLA entry is correct with date of first reg as 15 March 1967 - just in time to be flown over to Sebring. It even manages to get the chassis number right!

Tom
Tom Coulthard

Nice one Tom....!

Chassis number says it all really.... :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

What a fantastic response! Thank you everyone for your replies.

Unfortunately I don't have an XSP engine or prototype 5 speed box but I know of a dismantled 1967 wire wheeled Midget that could be bought cheaply.

Many thanks again.

Regards

Robert
w r holmes

And in which case Robert, there should be nothing to stop you building your own replica of LNX 629E. Looks wise at least.

Good luck and keep us up to speed with your progress...

Mark.

M T Boldry

Mark - please accept my apologies for not responding to you earlier. Unfortunately living in rural Northern Ireland means that the broadband internet response times are not what they should be which means when I click on a thread I can be waiting for ages before it loads up and I often give up. A replica of LNX629E remains an ambition but there is a current MK1 Midget project which requires finishing before I could consider another project.
w r holmes

This thread was discussed between 24/04/2011 and 06/05/2011

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