So How Does it Drive?

The Hobbit looks decent from 20 feet away… but how does it drive?

So far, we’ve learned that the MG has some bad body work and came with a Toyota drivetrain. Now let’s drive it to see how it does on the road. The handbrake is not connected, so to keep her from rolling, the car is parked in gear. The 1800cc hemi starts up quickly to a high cold start initial idle. The supplemental metal radiator fan can be heard whirring thanks to the hood scoop. The tachometer is bouncy which indicates that some capacitors may have failed on the control board. Despite this behavior, it gives a fair indication of engine speed. The car snicks into each gear easily enough and has good clutch engagement/release.

On the open road, the 3TC engine and T50 transmission seem to be a perfect match for the light MG body. MG axles are notoriously weak, so no hard launches are done. The car has plenty of power throughout the RPM range and is an absolute joy.

The brake pedal is not terribly reassuring and it takes some effort to bring the little car to a stop. The rear suspension is rather soft but the car hugs the road like a go-cart despite the narrow tires. At this point, I’m finding myself going for short drives with no particular purpose or destination in mind.