The vehicle pictured is an MG Midget, a small two-seater sports car produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) from 1961 to 1979. This one is post 1974 disguishable by it being bumper less, a 1980 MG Midget 1500 in Pageant Blue. The latest version is still a show stopper although the most valuable MG Midgets now are the MK 1 made between 1961 and 1964.

I don’t have any pictures of my first car a 1972 MG Midget round wheel arched MG in the original paint, damask red, a distinctive dark claret red; a model that was only available for two years from 1972 to 1974. Mine was M reg and I loved it. I remember it costing a staggering £250. I got a loan from the bank to buy it with a repayment of about £30 a month, which was a lot at the time but I didn’t care, I wanted the car so badly I was prepared to make any sacrifice to get it. These days the same car will cost you anywhere from£1000 up to £10,000 in pristine condition.

I found the dream car about 50 miles away from my home and I took the National Express coach alone one way to go and check it out, with a plan to buy it and drive it back home much to my parents horror. I was young, single minded, working and I wanted that car. I knew nothing about car mechanics, running a vehicle, the cost involved, insurance, petrol, road tax, repairs. Simple tasks like keeping the engine oil topped up which I failed to do and blew up the engine eventually but not before driving all over the country, London to Edinburgh, Harrogate to Berkshire, Windsor to Brighton, I loved the freedom, I loved the top down, I loved that powerful little heater that meant it was bearable to drive open topped in all weathers. I even raided my mother’s selection of silk head scarves as I soon discovered the one downside of open topped cruising was knotted, tangled beyond belief hair.

The ashtray was always bursting with fag butts and I joined the MG Owners Club for the badge and the connections with other MG lovers around the country. I even learned how to change the wheel myself when I had a puncture, AA membership and roadside assistance was a much later luxury. And my weekends were spent making small repairs like replacing brake pads and brake discs and working on sanding, filling and repainting areas on the body work rusted away around the wheels, polishing the chrome bumpers to a high shine. When I wasn’t chasing formula 2 racing drivers; one in particular around the local track to get a go behind the wheel. I even made a poor decision to lend my precious MG to a questionable charming character I left home and moved into my first flat to date against my parents wishes. When the police tracked the car down and came knocking, he was long gone and I was lucky I knew very little about the extent of his shady dealings.

I’ve owned and driven a lot of different vehicles over the years from an Audi Quattro, to Porsche 928S, my dating was often foolishly steered by the cars boys drove. I was always angling to be included on insurance policies and offering my chauffeuring services for an opportunity to get behind the wheel. I once got the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 308 2.9 GTS from the south coast back to London for someone I knew who’d lost their license for drinking and driving and had no way of getting the car back to town.

Later in life I’ve driven everything from a BMW 635csi, a car I swore I would own one day, to a jaguar XJS and my other favourite wheels the iconic Etype jaguar. Famous images of actor Paul Newman cruising around London in a white E type jaguar spotted in a cafe I go to on Walton St in the london borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Walton Street Cafe, worth a visit to see the pictures always take me back to my love of an open topped car.

My boss in my 20’s had a company BMW a 3 series, silver metallic she’d often let me drive, and loaned me whenever she went on holiday which was a lot. At the time I had a less exciting VW golf that incurred more parking tickets in London I think than any other vehicle in living memory. If they locked you up for them back in those days I’d have been in clink. I remember when I had to make sure both vehicles were legally parked I spent a lot of time looking for people with residents parking badges or an empty garage space I could blag now and again.

But of all the cars I’ve had the pleasure to own and drive, and it’s been a lot over the years the MG Midget was that first love you never forget. If you are a car driving lover you’ll undertstand. It’s a big milestone, your driving license. The day when driving provides that coming of age freedom to put your peddle to the metal and just go. When the thought of a long drive was not a chore but a pleasure, when mix tapes were made just for that purpose and the experience was the journey not the destination. I still love driving and am always thinking about driving East to West Coast US, route 66, driving from the North of France into Spain, or exploring the route across Northern Europe through Poland and Czech Republic.

I took some pretty long journeys in the MG alone, I never worried about breaking down and funnily enough, I am sure my MG Midget wasn’t all that reliable except I don’t remember ever being stranded. I have only feelings of it being the best little car ever.

When I spotted this one parked on the street in the small public school town of Uppingham in Rutland I had to snap take a few pictures. If she’s yours she’s an absolute beauty.