Curt Onstott writes >
> I have a few questions for my fellow midget owners. The title says that
> the car is a '70. The VIN# is GAN5UA803096G. Is it really a '70?
>
> I've heard people mention square and round arched midgets. What does
> this mean?
The "Spridget" (not frogeye/bugeye) body style originally had a rear arch
(in Yank-speak "wheelwell") which has a flat top. The opening is
essentially rectangular, with the upper corners rounded off and the top of
the opening straight. This is known as a "square-arch" Spridget.
In 1971 or 1972 (help me out, Spridget historians) the wheelwell was
redesigned. The top of the opening is a semicircle, with no straight
portion on the top. Unlike the front wheelwell, which is basically flush
with the bodywork, the rear has a bit of a flare, which is probably for
chassis stiffness. This is called a "round-arch" Midget. The Sprite name
was not used anymore by that time.
1974 was the last year for the round-arch. When the car was jacked up and
the pornobumpers were put on in 1975 (BLMC got a two-year extension on the
1973 law), the square arches were restored. Two theories exist about
this. I think they are probably both true: The car would not pass the
crash tests with the round arches. The round arch looked stupid with the
car jacked up so high.
> Is one rarer than the other?
Certainly the round arch is rarer. It is more highly prized by
performance junkies because you can stick on 6" wide wheels with 185-60-13
sticky tires without flaring the wheelwells.
> How do I tell what mine is?
If your car is really a 1970, it should have the square arches. At any
reasonable ride height, a straight side view of the car will have the top
of the rear tire obscured by the bodywork.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans St, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676 USA
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 266-6244 phile@stpaul.gov
It's still hip to be octagonal. Whaddaya call the Lotus emblem shape, anyway?
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