Midas Cars
Encyclopedia
The Midas is a British made kit car
initially using Mini
running gear that grew out of the Mini Marcos
.
Harold Dermott and his company, D&H Fibreglass Techniques, of Greenfield
, Oldham
, Lancashire
, England
came to an agreement in 1975 with Marcos
cars to take over production of their Mini Marcos
model. The car, with its odd-ball looks, was looking outdated so Dermott asked the designer Richard Oakes to come up with a new model. The new car, which was called the Midas was launched at the 1978 Performance Car Show in London. The car had a composite body with no chassis, using the Mini engine/gearbox and front subframe but replacing the rear subframe with a beam on which the trailing arms were hinged.
In 1981 an updated model was introduced with improvements suggested by Gordon Murray
of the Brabham Formula 1 team at the time. The car was available in three versions called Gold, Silver and Bronze depending on completeness. Demand for cars was now outstripping the small workshop in Oldham
so a move was made to a factory in Corby
, Northamptonshire and the company name changed to Midas Cars Ltd.
Further improvements were made in 1985 when the Midas Gold was adapted to take Austin or MG Metro parts. A restyle was also made at the same time, again by Richard Oakes, involving wider wings, a "frogeye" front and larger windows. Gordon Murray provided input to improve the aerodynamics. In order to sell complete cars as well as kits a Midas successfully underwent a full ECE12 crash test. A convertible version appeared in 1989 but all production stopped later in the year when the premises were destroyed by fire.
The rights to the car were purchased in 1990 by Pastiche Cars of Rotherham
, Yorkshire who relaunched the range and made a handful of convertibles before selling the Gold Convertible on to GTM Cars
of Sutton Bonnington, Nottinghamshire. GTM added a series of changes including Hydragas suspension and a hardtop. The range continued to develop with, in 1995 a new 2+2 coupé based on the K-Series engined Metro and Rover 100
models.
The moulds of the Gold coupe were sold to Berlin, Germany by GTM in 1990 where they were used for an unemployment project.
In the meantime the old Mini based Midas had reappeared being made by Midtech cars for a short time.
In 2001 the Midas changed hands again when GTM sold it to a new Midas Cars Ltd based in Redditch
, West Midlands. The range now consisted of the Coupé, renamed the Cortez, and a K-Series powered convertible named the Excelsior. Although the cars were well received the company went into liquidation in 2003.
A new company, Alternative Cars Ltd was set up in 2003 and in 2004 restarted production of kit form versions of the Gold Convertible, Cortez and Excelsior based in a small workshop unit at Clanfield, Oxfordshire
.
In 2007 the Midas Owners Club rediscovered the Gold coupe moulds in Germany and bought them. In December 2007 the coupe moulds were imported back to England.
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
initially using Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
running gear that grew out of the Mini Marcos
Mini Marcos
The Mini Marcos was produced in limited numbers between 1965 and 1970 by Marcos, 1974 to 1981 by D & H Fibreglass Techniques Limited and again between 1991 and 1996 by Marcos. It was based on the DART design by Dizzy Addicott who finally sold the project to Jeremy Delmar-Morgan. Jeremy marketed...
.
Harold Dermott and his company, D&H Fibreglass Techniques, of Greenfield
Greenfield, Greater Manchester
Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is east of Oldham, and east-northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
came to an agreement in 1975 with Marcos
Marcos (automobile)
Marcos was a British sports car manufacturer. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.-History:Marcos was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and...
cars to take over production of their Mini Marcos
Mini Marcos
The Mini Marcos was produced in limited numbers between 1965 and 1970 by Marcos, 1974 to 1981 by D & H Fibreglass Techniques Limited and again between 1991 and 1996 by Marcos. It was based on the DART design by Dizzy Addicott who finally sold the project to Jeremy Delmar-Morgan. Jeremy marketed...
model. The car, with its odd-ball looks, was looking outdated so Dermott asked the designer Richard Oakes to come up with a new model. The new car, which was called the Midas was launched at the 1978 Performance Car Show in London. The car had a composite body with no chassis, using the Mini engine/gearbox and front subframe but replacing the rear subframe with a beam on which the trailing arms were hinged.
In 1981 an updated model was introduced with improvements suggested by Gordon Murray
Gordon Murray
Prof. Gordon Murray , is a renowned designer of Formula One race cars and the McLaren F1 road car.-Early life:...
of the Brabham Formula 1 team at the time. The car was available in three versions called Gold, Silver and Bronze depending on completeness. Demand for cars was now outstripping the small workshop in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
so a move was made to a factory in Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
, Northamptonshire and the company name changed to Midas Cars Ltd.
Further improvements were made in 1985 when the Midas Gold was adapted to take Austin or MG Metro parts. A restyle was also made at the same time, again by Richard Oakes, involving wider wings, a "frogeye" front and larger windows. Gordon Murray provided input to improve the aerodynamics. In order to sell complete cars as well as kits a Midas successfully underwent a full ECE12 crash test. A convertible version appeared in 1989 but all production stopped later in the year when the premises were destroyed by fire.
The rights to the car were purchased in 1990 by Pastiche Cars of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire who relaunched the range and made a handful of convertibles before selling the Gold Convertible on to GTM Cars
GTM Cars
GTM Cars is a component kit car manufacturer located in Kingswinford, UK.The company was founded in 1967 when Bernard Cox and his friend Jack Hosker created the Cox GTM a mid engined Ferrari Dino inspired sports car based on Mini parts. It was an instant hit and they built kits as fast as they...
of Sutton Bonnington, Nottinghamshire. GTM added a series of changes including Hydragas suspension and a hardtop. The range continued to develop with, in 1995 a new 2+2 coupé based on the K-Series engined Metro and Rover 100
Rover 100
The name Rover 100 may refer to one of two different British motor vehicles:* Rover P4 100; produced by The Rover Co. Ltd. from 1960-62* Rover Metro, at various times also known as the Austin Mini Metro and Rover 100, amongst other names; produced by Austin Rover Group and MG Rover Group from...
models.
The moulds of the Gold coupe were sold to Berlin, Germany by GTM in 1990 where they were used for an unemployment project.
In the meantime the old Mini based Midas had reappeared being made by Midtech cars for a short time.
In 2001 the Midas changed hands again when GTM sold it to a new Midas Cars Ltd based in Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, West Midlands. The range now consisted of the Coupé, renamed the Cortez, and a K-Series powered convertible named the Excelsior. Although the cars were well received the company went into liquidation in 2003.
A new company, Alternative Cars Ltd was set up in 2003 and in 2004 restarted production of kit form versions of the Gold Convertible, Cortez and Excelsior based in a small workshop unit at Clanfield, Oxfordshire
Clanfield, Oxfordshire
Clanfield is a village and civil parish about south of Carterton, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Little Clanfield west of the village, on Little Clanfield Brook which forms the parish's western boundary. The parish's eastern boundary is Black Bourton Brook and its southern...
.
In 2007 the Midas Owners Club rediscovered the Gold coupe moulds in Germany and bought them. In December 2007 the coupe moulds were imported back to England.