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MG Midget and Sprite General - Anyone had a GT6? (NMC)

All this talk of Lenhams had me looking at pics the other day, dreaming of when my own one is finished, and then remembering that I always fancied a GT6; anyone got one, are they any good?
David Smith

My mate had one and I went with him to buy it. The best thing about them is the exhaust note. I understand they are uncomfortably hot in hot weather (his was very hot in winter). The engine is also a heavy lump and doesn't produce wild amounts of power but does produce lots of torque, especially if a 2500cc conversion.

Is it any good? How many do you see at the racetrack and what are the lap times like?
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

I've always liked them but never had one.

I did have a TR6 once and it was a real PITA to work on. Not that nice to drive, either.
Dave O'Neill 2

I set fire to one once, the owner asked me to weld a patch into the floor and he was the fire watcher. I was using oxy-acetylene and he had lifted the carpet away from the weld zone but was more interested in watching me weld and I noticed the smoke from the burning carpet that had fallen back into place when I looked up from under the car. Not much real damage but we used to kid each other about the liability for years after. BTW he had not long had the car back after being banned for a few years for DUI and trying to drive across a foot bridge narrower than the GT6. Apart from that I always thought the design of the GT6 and Spitfire very good aesthetically, shame about the suspension faults.
David Billington

Mate of mine has one. Midget offers more space inside and road holding, well, like a shopping trolley
Alex G Matla

I had a K reg mk111 when I was 18 along time ago, thought I was the dogs danglys, straight line speed was very good, came with overdrive, all my mates had Escorts etc at the time, I always had them on the straight but when it came to corners forget it.

Saying that I would still buy it back if I could find it.
I will see if I can dig out an embarrising picture of me and the car in my youth.
Rob Newt

I think that they are very pretty cars and they look easier to load than a Frogeye, however I was chasing one (with the 2500cc engine) through France last year and agree with Rob that he was fast on the straights but a bit scary on the roundabouts at speed. If he'd been behind me instead of infront of me I'm sure that I would have left him behind on the twisty bits.
I used to have a Vitesse 1600 which was always fun (in a dangerous way) around corners.
Gary & Gaps

thanks all; I'll put that thought back in its box...
David Smith

Gee whizz - if you want one - what happened to the idea of going to see one for sale and taking out for a test drive and making your own mind up???!!!!!!!

Perhaps someone should tell me what colour knickers I should wear tomorrow ;)
rachmacb

Well Rachel, that depends. Are you due a change? Is it your birthday?
Guy

Rach, if I did that with every passing fancy I'd not have time to go to work or race or even eat Anyway you cannot get out of a 5 minute test drive what others can tell you from several months or years of ownership.
David Smith

No Guy - even with another birthday due - I'm not needing "depends" yet!!!!!

Perhaps so, but no-one had:)
rachmacb

David

Get one with the proper lower wishbone (fitted the wrong way round, if you've ever seen on). The the handling should be fine.

I've always liked them. Poor man's E-Type is the phrase normally used.

I'll still respond to your posts when you buy one ;)

A
Anthony Cutler

John Wolfe races one and it goes like stink! But no, there's something else in #1 spot for 'next project after the Lenham' - a 240Z.
David Smith

Worked at a TR dealer. Fixed lots of gearboxes. They redesigned it - several times - be careful buying parts. Once had to rebuild two, straight off the truck that delivered them.
When doing gearbox or clutch, always swept up all the screws and washers and brackets off the floor and put them back where they belonged. Just like all Tr, though it is stiffer and takes a bit longer to fall apart. Loctite and a screwdriver are your friend. Do all the comp suspension mods, as the factory should have done before they let any cars out on the street, hate it when lower A- arms come off the frame.
Pretty quick though, and had brakes - a good start as a race car kit.

FRM
FR Millmore

I had a Vitesse 2 litre eons ago and I loved it, once I had sorted out the rear suspension so it didn't try to kill me on every bend. The engine was lovely and made a great noise, but the gearbox just wasn't up to the job and I broke it simply pulling away up a slope. Nice to have overdrive on 2nd gear as well as 3rd and 4th.
Mike Howlett

I had a GT6 Mk3 4 years ago just before my present Midget

Wanted one for 20 years but I was very dissappointed when I finally got

I was warned by my mate but of course didn't listen

I'd prevoiusly had a BGT, B V8 roadster, Spridget and Capri 2.0S Mk2 so was used to coupes and small cars

The GT6 Mk3 has a 2" higher winscreen (doesn't mean 2" more headroom) but despite this the cabin is very tight, seems more so than a Spridget and I'm only 5' 4" but 6 footers say they can get in

Being a small cabin with 8 glass windows the cabin gets very hot when left shut in the sun and remains hot even with the 6 windows open, very uncomfortable in the summer yet in the winter it's not so warm

The engine in mine wasn't the best but even then it wasn't as smooth as I was told the 6 pot, two litre would be

Overdrive is on fourth gear only (3rd and 4th on BGT)

same as a BGT the boot area isn't that practical being open to view and the sun but it is smaller

the car isn't very nippy or fast but neither are the Capri and BGT to be fair

the seperate chassis to body and suspension set up I didn't like the BGT and Capri seemed to me to be better and the Spridgets better still

Capri feels heavy, expecially when you lift boot or hatch or park but it is a true four seater

on the whole Triumph parts found to be not as good as MG parts, the few Ford parts I need were very good

If you're thinking of a GT6 I'd suggest you get (or keep) a Spridget or if you must a BGT

but the GT6 does look lovely



Nigel Atkins

I had a Triumph Herald as a student. My how we laughed!
Wouldn't want that rear suspension on anything faster!
Matt1275 Bucks

Hi Rachel,

I guess the answer to your question is brown knickers if you're going for a drive in a GT6 on twisty roads? Though I guess black might work as well.

Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

"I had a Triumph Herald as a student. My how we laughed!
Wouldn't want that rear suspension on anything faster!"

I didn't want it on my Herald!

GT6 never had that suspension. Early ones had a complex, sophisticated, and costly system unique to GT6. Only problem was Rotaflex couplings, which were expensive and failed frequently. Later cars used the greatly improved and cheap late Spitfire suspension. If hard driven, you replaced a lot of half shaft U joints and the bolts that hold them, since the extra torque made them come loose.

Retroactive performance comparisons are suspect. When the GT6 first arrived, it was considered quite the performer, until bits started falling off.

FRM
FR Millmore

I had a '67 when it was new and kept until '76. It was plenty fast and could smoke the tires. And in the hands of someone that knew how to drive it cornering was fantastic. And handled great at high speed.

My story at the bottom of this page.
http://www.madbrits.org/Tom.htm
tomshobby

I certainly couldn't drive mine that fast round bends but then I'm not that good a driver - probably above average but that's only because the average is so low

Mine was one of the later cars where the rear suspension changed again to a cheaper one

David asked >>anyone got one, are they any good?<< as I had mine about 3 and a half years ago I thoughtthat was recent enough to comment

They were reasonably quick and fast for their time if the statistics can be beleived but mine certainly didn't meet my expectations, maybe the engine I had was a worse example than even I thought

still think as an overall package you'd be better off with a BGT or better still a Spridget
Nigel Atkins

Nigel, I wonder if the early cars, mine was numbered in the mid 200's, were quicker or if mine being a new car had something to do with it. I used to drift through corners at 70 or more mph on the highways. I know, really dumb. Wore a new set of 4 Goodyear radials completely bald in 5,000 miles. I had a Pontiac GTO at the same time. The only thing the GTO could do better was acceleration. Every other way the GT6 beat it. And I preferred the GT6 for a fun car to drive.
tomshobby

Tom, I think on paper the later models were a little quicker but that's only claims

My car was from the last year of production and 33 years old when I got it, no doubt the engine wasn't at its best

I can't say I got on with the seperate chassis but was still suprised how relatively easy I had to take bends despite having new suspension parts

The ownership of the GT6 was overlapped by a 26 year old Ford Capri 2.0s with tired engine and suspension but this handled better and was much more fun to me

Photo shows one of only three days of snow in 2007 here and the angle makes the GT6 look tiny or Capri massive

Nigel Atkins

Seems strange talking about my GT6 here, anyway here it is, picture about 28 years old !!
Even then I had to have Wolfrace wheels and a rear spoiler.
I bet my mate had kept his Mexico, it was mint, there fetching some serious money now.
Feeling old!!

Rob Newt

Hi David I used to have a mk1 GT6 many years ago, loved it very much even with it's dubious cornering at any speed, lots of power and a very smooth engine and looked like a mini e type


gordon
g c pugh

A GT6 is on my list of wants!! A TR4 a frog and a GT6 will be a nice stable!
Paul Barnes

Ive never driven one but surely like the looks and sound of a GT6.
Arie de Best

wow! so many replies and past owners, seems many have been seduced by the sound and the looks yet ultimately a bit disappointed.
David Smith

I've just finished this one.

Brad 1380

I want this engine in mine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpohZY93iH0

Brad 1380

whoe hoe

It can lap a midget with half the engine size on a highspeed track like Monza

Sat in one and had less space than in my midget.
Then saw it go round the track and got scarred from what that rear end did.

Yes it has the looks but it stops there.
Onno Könemann

I have one at my disposal as a 'company car'1973 Mk3 model.

Good points are the looks, the torque and the exhaust note, the superb steering lock and it's rareity over here.

Not so good points... Poor handling, soft low sprung rear end and it's bad habit of scraping the exhaust on the ground. Not to mention the timphany of rattles and bangs that driving it seems to produce all the time...

On the whole though, a good car and one that is fun to drive.

Would I want one over a Spridget....? No, I don't think so...

If Spridgets didn't exist would I own one... yes, probably... :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

Brad, that's Jon Wolfe who I mentioned earlier in this thread, that car is what revived my interest in them, I was there.
David Smith

It took a little for me to figure out the handling issue with my '67 MkI. I always felt very good at the entire speed range. And at first I was a little uncomfortable in corners. Then I found that the car had a considerable under-steer. To overcome that I was more aggressive in the corners and would over-steer at the beginning of a corner and the car would then become very controllable. Even drifting at highway speeds I felt in control of the car. It could even do u-turns at highway speed without slowing down. Most folks never rode with me twice and after all the years I still have people come up and talk about that car.

I am surprised at the other comments and somewhat saddened that those cars were so disappointing.
tomshobby

Hi David,
Jon certainly has a well sorted car, think he's driving Lotus Cortinas now though.
Perhaps you should pop across to the Club Triumph forum, its well attended & you will get plenty of GT6 advise there.
Brad 1380

Well as rach sais the only way to really find out is to give them a try

prices are lower compared to Spridgets, I think, so you can budget for the higher priced hopefully better sorted examples
Nigel Atkins

Had them both out today, the Sprite is a lunatic around the twisties where as the GT isn't but has loads of low down power, bit of an unfair comparision really as the Sprites very modified everywhere & the GT6 is standard, but they are both good fun, just in different ways.
Brad 1380

>>>>>>>>>Brad 1380, France, doginafrog@fastmail.fm
I want this engine in mine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpohZY93iH0

There was no need to post that particular vid!







Yes, the first car he lapped was me :-(

Humph!
Max max-at-midgetmax-dot-com

Hi Max,
just watched it again & he didn't even wave!
Any idea how much his engine was putting out?
cheers
Brad
Brad 1380

I think it's like Rolls Royces:

SUFFICIENT!
Max max-at-midgetmax-dot-com

This thread was discussed between 09/03/2011 and 19/03/2011

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