The MG Midget is one of the best known British made sports cars to emerge from the 1960s and it has managed to retain its popularity to this day thanks to its classic styling and inherent personality.

The Midget Mark I was produced in 1961 and at the time it was basically intended to be a slightly more upmarket iteration of the Austin-Healey Sprite, but with the all-important MG badges to give it a little more credibility and help it to stand apart.

While the two seater Midget came as a convertible in its standard form, you could add a hard top as an extra. Its feature set could also be rounded out with the addition of a radio and a heater, while the basic engine could develop a modest 46bhp at peak revs.

A year into its life, the Midget got an engine boost, with the capacity upped to 1098cc and the horsepower taking a leap to 56.

This first generation of the Midget did not even have door handles on the outside, while the side windows were rigid screens, lacking the winding system that would later become popular.

In total little over 26,000 Mark I Midgets were produced, until the Mark II was introduced in 1964. The introduction of wind up windows and external handles meant that this new edition felt far more modern, even if most of the changes had been made to the doors.

A 59bhp engine gave the Mark II Midget more power and it was also produced in about the same numbers as the Mark I before being put out to pasture.

The longest lasting of the Midgets arrived in the guise of the Mark III, which hit the roads in 1966 and took advantage of the same engine used in the Mini Cooper S at the time, albeit without the factory tinkering and tuning, which meant a lower power output.

Three years into the Mark III's lifespan there were a few design modifications that revised the look of the car without altering the specifications.

The MG Midget 1500 would be the final fling for this marque, introduced as it was in 1974 until its demise in 1980.

A number of safety features, such as a roll bar and black plastic bumpers were introduced, altering various performance aspects of the car and changing the way it handled. A bigger engine meant more power and the new iteration could break the 100mph barrier and hit 60 miles per hour in 12 seconds.

Almost 74,000 of the final generation of the MG Midget were produced, making it the second most prolific iteration of this vehicle. Many Midget owners still drive and race their classic cars to this day, allowing it to retain its high profile.