The Midas touch

Posted by John Mellberg January 25, 2021

The Midas touch

While not well known outside of the UK Kit Car scene, Richard Oakes was a notable and prolific car designer. His diverse portfolio includes some of the most iconic specialty cars ever created. One such marque Oakes lent his talent to was Midas.

Despite the initial success of Oakes' sensational Nova, its planned replacement, due in 1974, did not see the light of day. The business fell victim to the energy crisis and the design was licensed to various manufacturers around the world. In its wake, he was able to secure a spot in the Royal College of Art's Automotive Design Course, with sponsorship from Rover in his first year and Ford in his second.

The prototype Midas MK1

His study at RCA also connected him with Harold Dermott, who was looking to create a successor to his line of Mini Marcos cars. This meeting inspired Oakes' Degree Project, called the "Midas". It was the first full scale model course entry the department ever had.
It was also the beginning of a longstanding relationship with Dermott as a client and the creation of a very successful make of kit car. The car won Oakes a good deal of critical acclaim, even getting the attention of the famed racecar and McLaren F-1 designer, Gordon Murray. Oakes subsequently became a director of the company along with Harold’s brother, a seasoned marketing professional.

The first Midas appeared at the Performance Car Show in December 1978 and the initial customer kits were delivered in August 1979. The initial (MK1) version of the car was based on the ubiquitous BMC Mini. The donor car's running gear and suspension mounted to an all composite monocoque chassis which became a signature feature of the brand. Even the dashboard was Mini derived. The only non-Mini donor parts were Renault 14 door mirrors, a Fiat 126 windscreen, and the rear lights and fuel cap from the Triumph TR7.

An ad for the Midas MK2 with a young Gordon Murray

By 1980, Oakes was already working on an upgrade that incorporated larger arches, to allow 13″ wheels to be fitted, and a new interior. Gordon Murray had purchased an example and suggested suggested some aerodynamic tweaks. These changes were also incorporated into the design and the Mk2 was introduced in 1981.

Some of the differences between the MK1 & MK2 were rather subtle. The MK1 for instance, was denoted by its front indicators being mounted below the one-piece bumper. On the MK2, the front indicators were set into split bumpers and the dash had a wrap-around design, using an Mk1 Metro instrument cluster. The Mk2 came in three different build standards: Gold, Silver and Bronze. These comprised levels of feature content and varying degrees of pre-assembly.

The Midas MK2, at rear

After the Mark 3 Coupe was launched, the Mk2 continued to be sold as the Bronze until 1989. Wraparound bumpers, styled by Steve Pearce, were offered on later models.
The line continued in a number of additional iterations, with the final version being the "Excelsior" 2+2 convertible, which was unveiled at the 2001 Donnington Kit Car Show.

The marque changed hands a few times in the ensuing years, after a disastrous factory fire led to the original Midas company's demise. Pastiche Cars Ltd bought the rights to produce the Midas in 1990, but this proved a false start. GTM subsequently bought up the Midas assets and added new models to the range, but Alternative Cars Ltd took the baton in January 2004, focusing on production of the Gold convertible and 2+2 models in kit form.

The Midas Gold MK3, at rear

Following the economic downturn in 2008, Alternative Cars changed course. Rebuilding the older cars and supplying parts for the whole Midas range would become their main line of business, offering brand new bodyshells for the Gold Coupe, Gold Convertible, Cortez, and Excelsior. The firm also moved from Little Clanfield Mill, to a new facility at Enstone Airfield in North Oxfordshire.

Richard Oakes continued his illustrious career, becoming the premier product designer for the UK's specialty car industry for nearly more two decades. His prolific output included the GTM Rossa series, GTM Libra, GTM Spyder, his own Blackjack cars (the Avion and Zero), as well as 2019's ADO Coupe a revived and reimagined replacement for the iconic MG Midget built in Dundee, Scotland.

Sources:

The Midas Owners Club
Midas Cars