At $7,000, Is This 1967 King Midget A Big Bargain?

For today’s Nice Price or No Dice contest, we have a certified classic, mid-engine, RWD convertible in fly yellow with a black top. Oh, and it’s powered by a 12-horsepower lawn mower engine. Let’s find out if this King Midget demands a princely sum to buy.

People say that everything in Australia is out to kill you. Whether it’s the spider bites, crocodile death rolls, or kangaroos that want to go all Mike Tyson on you, it’s like the entire continent has put a bounty on visitors’ heads.

The 2016 Chevrolet SS we considered on Wednesday came from Australia, as it’s a badge-engineered version of that country’s Holden Commodore. With an LS3 V8, a manual gearbox, and a rear-wheel-drive chassis not above sticking its tail out, the SS appeared to be a fun car, and, surprisingly, one that likely wouldn’t kill you to drive. At $45,500, however, its price tag proved quite deadly to the Chevy’s chances in our vote. You all deemed that way too aspirational, giving the SS a massive 88% ‘No Dice’ loss as a result.

I want you to think of all the mid-engined convertible sports cars there have been in the world, and then consider how long each has been in series production. It’s not a long list, and, save for Porsche’s Boxster, which has been in continuous production (albeit across multiple iterations) for nearly 30 years, few have had much in the way of staying power.

While a decade shy of Porsche’s feat, the King Midget proved surprisingly long-lived, having been built for 20 years straight, from 1947 through the end of 1967. That’s a remarkable feat for any model, and especially so for one powered by a lawn mower engine. Its manufacturer, the Midget Motors Company, was even longer-lived, having been founded in 1946 and finally going out of business for good in 1970. This 1967 King Midget III hails from the final year of production and is one of the weirdest cars ever to be built in America. In fact, it’s unique enough to have engendered its own International Car Club!

Midget Motors was founded by Claud Dry and Dale Orcutt, who met while in the Army Air Corps, flying civil air patrol during WWII. Their original concept was for a single-seat car designed to look like a Midget racer (hence the name) to be sold as a kit with instructions for how to build the body. That evolved into the creation of turnkey models, sold out of the company’s Ohio factory, and, in 1951, the introduction of a new model, which offered tandem seating for two surrounded by a jalopy-style body. 

That second model would be further refined over the years, adding hydraulic brakes, safety glass for the windscreen, an available heater, and even an electric windshield wiper. The model was variously touted as the “World’s Most Exciting Small Car” and the “500-pound car for $500.”

This 1967 Midget III features the final form of the model, with a 12-horsepower Kohler K301 single-cylinder air-cooled engine, a centrifugal clutch, and a belt-driven continuously variable transmission. It also has an electric start and a reverse gear, both of which were optional equipment when the car was new. Fancy!

According to the ad, this King Midget has been in the same family since 1981 and will come with a clean title and street registration. It’s claimed to run great, but it will need a rebuild of the brake master as it suffers from a dropped pedal if it sits too long.

But why would you let something this quirky and weird just sit around? It would be much more fun to drive (slowly, of course) around the neighborhood scaring small children who naturally fear that a terrifying congress of clowns might come spilling out of it at any moment. How cool would that be?

Per the seller, even more fun is to be had with the Midget, stating:

Want to drive under a semi trailer? Here you go! Want to be mobbed wherever you drive it? Here you go! If it breaks down, two people can just carry it home, no need for a tow truck!

The car (yes, I’m calling it that) looks to be in pretty decent shape, with just a few waves in the bodywork, likely from people attempting to pick it up and abscond with it. The paint is a respray in a non-original color, but it seems shiny enough, even if it looks like it was left over school bus paint. A fun fact: Midget Motors used a selection from Ford’s color palette for its cars and scooters. The convertible top and upholstery also seem perfectly serviceable.

Now, unless you’re a Shriner (or the aforementioned circus clown, in which case, stay the hell away), this Midget is probably not something you’d want to have as your primary car. Its performance (top speed is likely around 45 miles per hour), safety, and ease of theft prevent that scenario outright. However, as a fun car, a parade fan favorite, or just a whimsical tchotchke owned as a reminder that not everything in the world is a raging dumpster fire, this Midget holds significant value. Is it $7,000 in value? That’s to be seen. The seller is also willing to entertain trades for “second amendment items or things with a motor.” Yeah, we’ll just gloss over that. We’re a cash-on-the-barrelhead crowd.

What’s your take on this King Midget and that $7,000 price tag? Does that seem fair given the car’s history and presentation? Or does that price simply dwarf the car?

You decide!

Eau Claire, Minnesota, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at [email protected] and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.