Bear Valley Springs Car Show


5 JULY 2015

The Annual Bear Valley Springs Car Show held in conjunction with our nation’s birthday weekend was supported by King Midget West Club members Bud and Karen Sargent, Ted and Ardith Richardson. Club members Randy and Linda Chesnutt were also present to answer questions about the King Midget, but brought their 1968 California Special Mustang for the car show. It was a beautiful summer day at the 4,000 feet elevation which made it much cooler than on the Antelope Valley Floor. This car show was for a great cause and the King Midgets West Chapter owners were proud to be a part of the $1,000 donation to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

The King Midget is great fun to take to a car show, because it generates so many questions!

Question: What is it?

Answer: This is a King Midget Model III. There is a Model I, Model II, and a Model III and they are all a different body style.

Question: Where was it made?

Answer: The King Midgets were made in Athens, Ohio. The automobile celebrated its 69th birthday in 2015. Among all automobiles ever manufactured, throughout the world, King Midget holds one untouchable record. King Midget was the only small car continuously manufactured for nearly a quarter of a century; from 1946 until operations ceased in 1970. In addition, Midget Motors Corporation was the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in the United States for a number of years.

Question: How fast will it go?

Answer: This is a good question and for the most part it can cruise along comfortably at around 45 miles per hour. It has been known to exceed 50 miles an hour, but only on rare occasions and perhaps it could have been going downhill.

Question: What kind of engine does it have?

Answer: The red King Midget Model III has an original 12 horsepower Kohler engine. The yellow King Midget Model III is modified with a Briggs and Stratton V2 engine.

Question: What kind of gas mileage does it get?

Answer: Many unofficial tests have been conducted by King Midget West club members and as far as they can tell it could go about 50 miles on a tank of gas. Of course on every ride we do have a chase vehicle following just, in case, the unofficial test was not correct.

Question: Is it street legal?

Answer: Yes, all the models can be licensed and driven on the highways. However, one should be selective on which highways and byways you will be traveling. It’s best to just take a leisurely drive on the back roads in a King Midget. It was billed as both "World's Number One Fun Car" and "World's Most Exciting Small Car" to drive in its day! Surprisingly, it is a very comfortable ride.