The story so far..
In many ways this is the story of John Cowperthwaite of Sheffield who came up with the original design for the Midge. He not only thought up the Midge, but the Locust, the Husky, the Mayfair and several more.
Before the 'Plan and Pattern' car, he had produced bodies in fibreglass under the name 'Moss' The first Moss model (the Malvern) was produced in 1982 in Sheffield, the following year the Roadster, a 2 seater version of the Malvern and the Mamba went into production. Then 1984 saw the set completed with the production of the Monaco. It must have been 1985 when the first prototype of the Midge appeared, the early price lists and advertising sheets showed a Midge without paint and with doors on, but no handles .
Overleaf was the most tempting reason for building a Midge way back then. Neil's car in the 'cars built by Club members' section, built his first Midge for £750 including tax and insurance!
In 1987 seeing the demise of the Marque, 3 members of the owners Club liked the car so much that they bought the moulds and the rights from Hampshire Classics for all the cars except the Mamba and continued on until the mini-depression of the early 90s when the company Moss Cars (Bath) quietly followed many other manufactures into obscurity.
Due to the loss of the sales records in the fire at Sheffield it is impossible to give accurate production figures, estimated figures make the most popular model the Malvern followed by the Roadster, then the Monaco with the Mamba bringing up the rear.
Following the fire, the marketing and development of the Midge was taken over by T&J of Rotherham. 'T' stood for Trevor who fabricated all the difficult parts (eg chassis) and obtained other bits and pieces to make the build easier, whilst 'J' stood for Josef who was a very accomplished upholsterer and hood fabricator. Trevor's wife Denise was also a part of the business and kept a watchful eye on both men! Unfortunately, like so many other car manufacturers (large and small) in the mid 90s, the business folded and the Midge project was looking for yet another sponsor.
There was some relief when White Rose Vehicles in Gillingham, Kent, took over marketing of the Midge, along with the supply of parts to assist the builder. By this time, the donor car had changed from Triumph to Ford, although the concept remained unchanged. A contemporary flier for the WRV Midge is shown below.
Midge enthusiasts were happy once again in the knowledge that their car had been saved. There were stands at Kit Car Shows and a number of new Midges appeared on the roads. And then history repeated itself! White Rose Vehicles ceased trading and the Midge was in danger of becoming extinct. A number of Club members couldn't bear this to happen, so they raised some money and bought the rights to market the car.
This brings us up to date, so if you feel enthused to start your build, then do get in touch with the Club Secretary who will be pleased to help. Don't forget that although the basic design is constant, each car is different. It is not a kit car in the true sense of the word, but a self build vehicle which allows the constructor maximum freedom of expression. Some cars have been built in six months whilst others have taken six years. Each one is unique, and provides a challenge to the practical enthusiast which is satisfying and enjoyable.