Dad of two Dave Townend got the kick he needed to complete the restoration project after son Michael asked to use the car on his wedding day with bride Millie.
David Townend and his son Michael at the MG Midget (
Image: MaxWillcock / BNPS)
A father who bought a rundown sports car the year he had his first child finally restored it 27 years later.
David Townend, 60, bought the 1974 MG Midget for nearly £ 300 in 1994.
He kept the rusted engine in his garage to give it back its old shine.
But “life got in the way” and the restoration project was put on hold.
The father of two got the kick he needed after son Michael asked to use the car for bride Millie on his wedding day.
David, who lives in Poole, Dorset with his wife Christine, said: “My son’s wedding gave me the impetus to end it. I only needed it to give the final boost.
The car was completely dismantled
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Picture:
David Townend / BNPS)
“We hope to be able to use it for the wedding. It’s a very small car so I think they’ll have a hard time getting his wife, Millie, inside in her wedding dress.
“They want to do a photoshoot with the sports car in the New Forest.”
The big day was originally scheduled for April – but the delays due to the pandemic gave David a little more time to complete most of the renovations.
He said, “I had a little more time because it had to be sprayed professionally. You don’t do that yourself because the quality of the paint is the first thing people see.”
In 1994 a couple of David’s friends were buying vintage cars to be polished up, so he jumped on the bandwagon.
David’s children Michael and daughter Kayleigh drive a car in the 1990s
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Picture:
David Townend / BNPS)
He said: “It cost a lot more than it was worth, but everyone did it back then.
“I knew one or two other people who did this and I went out and bought one for too much money.
“I haven’t worked on it non-stop for 27 years. I’ve done a little here and there, but life comes in between.
“We had a family, we moved and did a lot of house extensions, all of which I did myself. There were other priorities, but those have now faded a bit.
The car at the start of the restoration
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Picture:
David Townend / BNPS)
“The old tax stamp was 1998, which shows how long it has not been on the street anymore.”
When the family moved in 2000, the Midget car was there, and it was so small that it could be loaded into the moving van.
The car’s repairs aren’t cheap – so David hasn’t even calculated exactly how much he’s spent on his little sports car over the years.
He said, “It was a lot of money – so it has to be justified. I have no idea how much I spent. I didn’t add it up because I don’t want to know – it will be way” more than the car is worth . “
David Townend and his son Michael at the MG Midget
(
Picture:
MaxWillcock / BNPS)
The Midget recently passed its MOT and since then David has taken it for one lap or another.
It can reach speeds of up to 110 km / h, but on the autobahn it wouldn’t dare to drive it because it is so small.
David said Michael and his 24-year-old daughter Kayleigh have started arguing over who will inherit the car in the years to come.
Michael is going to marry his fiancée Millie in two weeks.
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