The MG Midget 1500 leads our list of British roadsters that won’t stay cheap much longer. These are our picks, chosen for what each car offers against what published guides say it costs.
The verdict is our opinion. However, every price below comes from a named and dated guide.
1. 1974–1979 MG Midget 1500
From 1974, the Midget wore polyurethane bumpers for the U.S. market and a 1500cc engine. Hagerty UK’s Sam Skelton writes that the low seating makes 20 mph feel quick. He also rates the rubber-bumper 1500s among the easier Midgets to restore, because they’ve had less time to rot and their panels are easier to find.
In Hagerty UK’s 2020 buying guide, the price guide put rubber-bumper 1500s between £3,000 and £10,800. Before buying, check the sills, floor and rear arches. Our take: those are small numbers for a usable MG Midget 1500 with easy parts, and we doubt that holds for long.
2. 1974–1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500
Triumph built about 314,000 Spitfires before production ended in 1980, and the 1500 was the last version. It carried on the MkIV body, including the tail it shared with the Stag. That makes it one of the more usable Spitfires.
Hagerty UK’s price guide, quoted in its 2021 buying guide, put a perfect 1500 near £11,100. A good one was just over £6,000, and a usable car was about £4,000. In addition, the guide flags sills and front trunnions as key checks. In our view, the late 1500 is the easy-to-live-with Spitfire, and that should keep demand up.
3. 1979–1981 Triumph TR7 Convertible
The TR7 convertible arrived in early 1979, and U.S. buyers got it first. Right-hand-drive deliveries followed in early 1980. Later that year, in August, production moved from Canley to Solihull, and the line closed in October 1981.
Every TR7 used a 1998cc slant four with 105 bhp, according to Classics World’s buyer’s guide. Because it left the factory with hardened valve seats, it runs on unleaded without additives. The guide also says convertibles survive in greater numbers than coupes, and that coupe prices are now strong. Our take: the open cars are next.
4. 1989–1995 Lotus Elan M100
Lotus launched the front-drive Elan in 1989 with an Isuzu-sourced engine. The turbo SE made 165 bhp, while the rare non-turbo car had 130 bhp. Production stopped in 1992, then restarted under Bugatti ownership for a Series 2 that ran until 1995.
Classics World counts 3,855 built, including only 129 non-turbo cars and 800 Series 2 cars. In March 2023, the guide priced nice examples at £6,000–£9,000 and the best at £14,000–£16,000. It also said values were nowhere near as high as they deserved to be. We agree, and we think buyers will catch on.
5. 1984–1995 Reliant Scimitar SS1
Giovanni Michelotti drew the SS1 in 1980, four years before it went on sale. Reliant built it on a backbone chassis made by Thyssen in Germany, with unstressed plastic panels. The 1600 version had 96 bhp and weighed 839 kg, according to Hooniverse.
Later, a 1.8 Turbo with Nissan power arrived in 1986. William Towns restyled the car as the SST in 1990, and it became the Sabre in 1992. In 2020, Classics World priced tidy SS1s from £2,500 and show cars up to £3,500. Our take: few roadsters with this much design history cost so little, and that gap looks hard to hold.
6. 1986–1994 TVR S
TVR took 150 deposits for the S at the 1986 NEC show, before production moulds even existed. Deliveries began in September 1987. By 1988, the S made up 75% of TVR’s output.
Classic & Sports Car lists a 160 bhp 2.8 Ford V6 at first, then a 168 bhp 2.9 from the 1988 S2. A Rover-powered V8S joined in 1991, and TVR built 2,604 by 1994. In October 2020, the magazine put an average S1 or S2 at £5,000. In our view, a sorted S is an affordable way into a hand-built TVR, and that won’t last forever.
7. 2002–2005 MG TF
The MG TF grew from the MGF in 2002, but steel springs replaced the costly Hydragas units. MG Rover built it until Longbridge closed in April 2005. Behind the seats, the TF160 used a 1.8-litre K-series rated at 157 bhp.
Classics World’s 2025 buyer’s guide counts 39,249 built in the UK. It also warns that head gaskets fail often, so look for mayonnaise under the oil cap. Even so, cherished British-built cars sell for £2,500–£5,000, and mint TF160s top £6,000. In our view, a well-sorted TF is a lot of mid-engined car for the money, and that price won’t last.
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