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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Frogeye front wing profile

Currently renovating the front end of the Frogeye. I've made new beadings and wondered if the front wing is supposed to curve upwards slightly towards the rear (after it has dipped a little) along the top edge? Both of mine do. In other words, what is the profile along the top edge. Picture attached - ignore the paint finish as I was rushing to get some etch primer on as the rain started so it got a bit messy!


Bill Bretherton

I like the camouflage!

Yes the line along the top bead sloes very slightly downwards and then a little upturn towards the rear edge. On mine, the lowest point of this curve is about 4 1/2" from the rear edge of the bonnet. But its very slight, maybe dips 3/16" from a straight line.
GuyW

Thanks Guy, that confirms what I thought. The "camouflage" is temporary to stop the rust after I had the old paint removed but maybe I'll get to like it!
Bill Bretherton

Since the bonnet came off, I've looked at that tiny dip, and wondered why. But I've read that the design was intended to be similar front and rear, so maybe this subtle line was intended to hint at the lovely rear wing shape.

Or - and I like this better - a model was made with the front wing in a straight line from the scuttle, and it just didn't fill the eye in a way that pleased the designer; so he tried all sorts of things, and this tiny mod did the trick.

Or - best of all - he took it home to show off to his wife, and she said it wasn't quite perfect, but she couldn't say why.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Nick, my initial instinct was that the dip shouldn't be there but both yourself and Guy have confirmed it should be. I'm no "shape" designer and you now have me thinking if it indeed was a modification as you suggest i.e. they played around with a model until it looked right. I do think the Frogeye is a good looking car even by modern standards.
Bill Bretherton

"good looking car" - probably more now than in its day! When it first came out there was apparently a lot of criticism of its looks, especially the headlamp positioning and the grill.

If you look at a Healey 3000 you can see quite a lot of similarity in some of these subtle sweeps and curves. The rear wings especially. They were definatly trying to keep a family feel about the design.
GuyW

Yes - I can remember people much preferring the MkII when it came out, seeing it as a proper car at last, with a bonnet and boot. And square cars were the rage from then on for many years - TR4 in the same year, all the Farinas, Imp in 63, etc.

But the rear end of the Frog is much more beautiful than the Big Healey's, I think. When the chap who's painting mine came round to look at the job, he went into raptures about the little reverse curve just in front of the tail lamps, which I'm ashamed to say I hadn't noticed as a particular feature. I go into raptures about it now, though.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

This thread was discussed between 08/10/2017 and 10/10/2017

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.