Midas: The Smart Person's Kit Car

The British kit car industry of the 1970s and 80s was a wild and wonderful world of optimistic sheds, wobbly fibreglass, and cars that often had the structural integrity of a wet paper bag. Most kit cars were a triumph of enthusiasm over actual engineering. Midas was different. It was the thinking person's kit car, a machine that took the basic, cheap-as-chips mechanicals of a Mini and clothed them in a genuinely advanced and beautifully engineered fibreglass monocoque body. It was a car that offered all the giant-killing fun of a Mini Cooper, but in a package that was lighter, more aerodynamic, and significantly less likely to rust.

The story begins with the Mini Marcos, a car that looked like a running shoe that had been in a terrible accident. It was a successful little racing car, but by the late 1970s, it was showing its age. The company building it hired a brilliant designer named Richard Oakes, who took one look at the old car and then promptly designed something completely new. He created a proper composite monocoque shell, which was a revolution in the world of kit cars, where most 'chassis' were just a couple of rusty steel bars welded together. The new car was so different and so much better that it was decided to launch it as a new brand altogether. In 1978, Midas Cars was born.

A Mini in a Spaceship Suit

While most of the kit cars were flimsy, rattly things, the Midas was a proper, grown-up piece of engineering. The monocoque body was incredibly strong and light, and gave the car a level of handling precision that was a world away from the wobbly creations of its competitors.

The recipe was simple and brilliant. You took the engine, gearbox, and suspension from a humble Mini or Metro. You then bolted these proven, reliable, and endlessly tunable mechanicals into the advanced Midas shell. The result was a car that had the cheeky, go-kart-like handling of a Mini Cooper, but in a sleek, futuristic body that was immune to rust and fantastically aerodynamic. 

More Than Just a Pretty Face

The Midas was a genuinely quick car. Because it was so light, even a standard 1275cc Mini engine was enough to give it very lively performance. And in the hands of amateur racers, a tuned Midas was a formidable weapon, often running rings around much more powerful and expensive machinery on the racetrack.

The company continued to evolve its design through the 1980s, launching a convertible version and constantly refining the chassis and bodywork. These were properly engineered, low-volume sports cars that just happened to be sold in component form. The quality and the thinking behind them were a class above almost everyone else in the specialist car industry.

A Trial by Fire

The company's commitment to quality was put to the ultimate test in 1989 when a fire tragically destroyed the Midas factory. It was a disaster that would have finished a lesser company. But Midas, in a testament to the strength of its design and the loyalty of its customers, rose from the ashes. The rights to the car were bought by a new company, GTM Cars, another respected specialist manufacturer, who put the Midas back into production.

This was a rare vote of confidence in the kit car world. Most of these small companies flared brightly for a few years before disappearing without a trace. The fact that another established manufacturer thought the Midas design was good enough to save and invest in speaks volumes about its inherent quality.

The Enduring Appeal of a Clever Idea

The Midas has continued to evolve over the years, passing through a couple of different owners, with new models and updated designs. But the fundamental concept has remained the same: a lightweight and sophisticated composite body, powered by humble but effective mechanics.

The story of Midas is a story of quiet, intelligent success. It was never a company that sought to build a headline-grabbing, V12-powered monster. It focused on doing one thing, and doing it brilliantly. It took the raw, unfiltered fun of a classic Mini and repackaged it in a modern, and rust-proof shell. It was, and remains, a testament to the idea that in the world of performance cars, brainpower is often much more effective than brute force.