The fantastic plastic Midas car

There is a huge satisfaction in creating something from nothing.  Ask any entrepreneur, for example.  But this creative process typically demands a huge amount of work.  If you want to build your own house, for example, you need to dream up your ideal vision of its design and features (say a wrap-around porch and secret passages), hire an architect, contract builders, and on and on, until it is done.  But, at the end of the day, it is yours, and is as unique as you are.

In today’s world of cars, you would be hard-pressed to go so far as to build your car from scratch.  Most of us are accustomed to going to the car lot, talking to the dealer and buying a mass-produced car, which we then individualize with accessories and other touches (leather seats, iPod connector, Obama decals, etc.), and call it a day.  Today’s post is not for these people, but rather for those folks who want to dig in and build their own car, which is when so-called kit cars come into play.

A kit car is a car you assemble.  If your ideal day involves going to Ikea, purchasing boxes of furniture, and then coming home to assemble it all, a kit car may be just the thing for you.  Think of the kit car as an Ikea version of the car, but with way more complicated instructions (come to think of it, maybe not that different after all…)

Kit cars run the gamut, from underpowered monstrosities to suped up supercars.  Today’s remarkable find is somewhere in between those two descriptors.  Take a look at this 1965 MIDAS MINI GT GOLD (MIDAS MINI GT GOLD, 1985):

From what we read, this kit car is special.  Whether you like the styling is up to you, of course, but the word on the street is that this is one incredibly fun car to drive.  Due to its lightweight unibody construction (all fiberglass), the car is fast, and surprisingly economical for a 27-year-old car.  Here’s the description, from the listing:

“THE CAR IS IN GREAT SHAPE ALL FIBERGLASS WILL NEVER RUST, ITS ORANGE AND BLACK AND PAINT IS ABOUT AN 8 OUT OF 10, INTERIOR IS GRAY AND ORANGE AND EXCELLENT, all fiberglass construction with mini sub frame in front, custom sub in rear with mini trailing arms. AVO coil overs on rear, mini cone’s on front. This car is all fiberglass with no steel chassis! very light 1520 lbs. 1275 cc mini motor runs Excellent…. CAR WILL DO 60 IN 9.5 SECONDS AND CAN HANDLE 100 MPH VERY EASILY.”

This small car handles well, accelerates quickly, is said to get about 45 MPG, and looks very unique.  The only downside, as far as we can tell, is that it will only accommodate a driver measuring 5’11″ or shorter.  This is definitely not a car for a tall (or large) person, even though it has a sunroof that comes off or pops up.

Aside from coming up with a cool brand name (referencing King Midas and the Midas touch), the car company has an interesting history.  Here’s some of its background, as described on midasownersclub.co.uk:

“Harold Dermott, a former Jaguar Development engineer, and his brother, a marketing expert started their business, D & H Fibreglass Techniques Ltd, in 1975.  Initially the company built the Mini Marcos having bought the project from Marcos in that year. In 1977 freelance designer Richard Oakes was commissioned to design a more modern coupe and the Midas was born.”

If you thought this would be another story about a failed company due to the oil crisis in the early 1970s, fear not.  The Midas car company still exists today.  If you are intrigued and are thinking about a new Midas, take a look at the company’s official homepage.  But if you want a unique, 27-year-old piece of automotive history, look no further than our featured car… and get bidding!

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