Eye Candy for Classic Car Collectors

This car donation is definitely visually pleasing whether you collect classic cars or not. However, this is not the real deal. It’s a kit car replica of the 1951 MG TD. Today, this replica is called a Daytona MIGI. And according to the donor, this kit car has an intriguing history.

This kit car was reportedly owned and driven by LaVerne Martincic, president of the original MIGI kit car company —Daytona Automotive Fiberglass. In fact, this very vehicle was LaVerne’s prototype of the MIGI.

What is a Kit Car?

Although it sounds like something you may buy at a hobby shop, a kit car is not the 10” models you may have assembled as a kid. A kit car is a full-size car made from a kit—just like the name implies. Manufacturers sell the car to customers in pieces except for the chassis (internal framework and running gear) which is already intact, and the customer assembles the rest of the car himself.

Assembling these kit cars can be a work of love too, as the time commitment ranges from 100-1,500 hours to complete, depending on the model and type of kit. In some cases, drivers may purchase the car already assembled for an extra fee . In order to be road-legal, each car must pass an inspection and be licensed.

Revolving Consumer Tastes

Kit cars have been around since the late 1800s, yet they really gained ground in the 1950s. Kit prices start around $5,000 and go up from there. The popularity of styles has changed over the decades.

Decade Demand Examples
1970s Sports car replicas Aston Martin, Corvette
2000s Classic car replicas Bentley, Rolls Royce, MG

The sports car kits of the 1970s were built on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis because the Beetle body was easy to remove from its framework. Most current kit cars are designed as replicas of classic cars, much like our Daytona MIGI, which is a 1951 MG TD replica.

More about the MIGI

Daytona Automotive Fiberglass was the first automotive company to manufacture the MG TD replica in 1975 and called it MIGI. Like other kit cars at the time, the MIGI frame bolts to a standard VW chassis. Over the years, they made modifications and enhanced features to add dashes of flair, but the quality and authenticity remained constant. In a letter to her customers and constituents in 1982, president of Daytona Automotive Fiberglass, LaVerne Martincic, expressed her company’s dedication to stay true to the MG TD design and offer a quality kit car at an affordable price. She worked hard to preserve the quality and reputation of her product and truly cared about her customers.

We treasure opportunities to learn the history of a donated car. Thanks to LaVerne’s dedication to her company and a donor’s heart for Rawhide, this story goes on from here. You might say that a car donation is a gift that keeps on giving. This car donation will give a troubled youth the help he needs to turn around his life.
For classic car collectors, you can bid on this Daytona MIGI kit car on our EBay store.