| Midas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | D&H Fibreglass Techniques (1978) Pastiche Cars (1990) GTM Cars (1991) Alternative Cars Ltd (2003) |
| Production | 1978 onwards |
| Designer | Richard Oakes & Gordon Murray |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door coupé and convertible |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Various |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual 5-speed manual CVT automatic |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Mini Marcos |
The Midas is a British made kit car initially using Mini running gear.
Harold Dermott and his company, D&H Fibreglass Techniques, of Greenfield, Oldham, Greater Manchester, 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 The car, with its odd-ball looks, was looking outdated so Dermott asked the designer Richard Oakes to come up with a new model.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 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.
The September 1981 issue of Motor Magazine carried a review of the new car which was subsequently used for advertising: “100 mph, 41.2 mpg, 0-60 in 9.9 secs, & it will never rust.” In adverts the company claimed the Midas Gold was “Britain’s economy superstar” with a lifetime no-rust warranty, and readers were urged to address enquiries to Harold Dermott himself at the Corby works.[1]
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 and featured on the front cover of Car magazine,[2] but all production stopped in March 1989 when the premises were destroyed by fire.