If the MG TD is not the quintessential sports car, it’s on one of the other fingers of your right hand. Sports car purists love its lack of amenities, lack of weather protection, and do-it-yourself top. Disc wheels, independent front suspension, and left-hand drive? Well, you’ve got me there. But still, at least this TD would look good in your garage while you’re restoring it.
MG sold almost 30,000 TDs from 1950 to 1953, and the majority came to America. My mom still speaks wistfully of one belonging to a friend back in her college days, so there’s a certain romance about these elemental cuties. You could be forgiven for thinking that MG changed nothing from the TC to the TD, considering that even the exposed fuel tank remained, but it was actually a fairly thorough update, including the aforementioned suspension upgrade and (gasp!) disc wheels.
The featured TD has been off the road since 1972, so the 71,787 miles on the odometer are plausible. Unfortunately, that means little for a car that needs a lot.
This is so much a barn find that the owner took a picture of it in front of a barn (or maybe a shed). It needs a full restoration, and the seller is forthcoming about its needs.
It does have some rust, although the frame is solid. The seller mentions that the doors don’t close well, and considering the structural wood in the TD’s body, you’ll want to add carpentry to the list of skills you’ll need to fix this one up.
The good news is that the engine is free, “all the valves go up and down,” the transmission shifts through the gears, and the clutch pedal operates the clutch. Obviously, there are no brakes, but that is just another task on the list at this early juncture.
Some extra parts will come with the car, including a Moss seat kit, a top kit, five extra steel wheels, the original side curtains, and some miscellaneous parts and manuals.
Like many cars of the ’40s and ’50s, it seems that values of MG’s T-Series sports cars have stagnated over the last decade or two. That means that there are some decent examples out there for reasonable money, and that’s always the rub when it comes to buying a project. This one is currently on eBay for $5800; however, it does have a “Make Offer” button, so as they say, “Give me a number.” Restoring a car often makes no financial sense, but if it’s a hobby you enjoy, would you take on this TD project?
Our only TD was a ’53 in pretty good condition. It did need a couple pieces of wood replaced but for the most part that wasn’t a big job as most of the wood surfaces are flat. Did the wood on a customer’s ’52 Mercedes convertible doors, all compound curves, and thought I’d never get it done. This car looks like a good candidate for restoration and subsequent fun.
The rust looks minor…. I’ma carpenter by trade and do all my own car work including paint. I would have fun putting this back together as a nice driver….no concours work…. just a nice acrylic enamel paint job, an interior refurbishment and a 350 Chevy engine ( just kidding). Sorry, not right now… too many projects!!
I always kinda liked these cars maybe because as a young kid my favorite Disney cartoon movie was 101 Dalmatians and this car reminds me of what Cruella de Vil drove. Personally if I had it for the first year or so I would just get it running and driving again and drive it like it is before starting on a restoration
I remember looking at these cars on Rallye Tours through the Ozarks back in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, when they would stop for gas and to time out their arrivals at their next checkpoint, and use the potty, and grab a snack or a pop.
Hmm. The Guarantee plate in picture 21 is a new reproduction, which is always a red flag, and can be misleading. Assuming I am reading the plate right, I see this as car TD21757. But that car originally came with engine XPAG/TD2/22019, which is different from the newly-stamped number on the Guarantee plate. This car appears to have a replaced engine, which really should be mentioned in the ad – caveat emptor.
If the engine now in the car is XPAG/TD2/26727, it originally came in car TD25869.
Opinions differ about whether a non-matching engine reduces the value of a TD; I prefer to have matching engines, and think it does.
Most pieces of body tub wood in an MG are compound and complicated , but most are readily available from the usual suppliers. Fitting IS required!
Chassis I.D. is stamped into the left front frame horn and on the firewall plate. Engine numbers are on a brass plaque on right lower block. .Repops
are available, so matching numbers don’t mean much. My TD has a MGB engine with “matching numbers”
The only useful picture from which we can work in the ad is the repop Guarantee plate. No pictures are provided of the engine plate or the front dumb-iron.
There are MANY differences to distinguish Repop Guarantee plates and engine number tags from originals – their lettering, punctuation and text differences, and the font of the number stamps.
Ya’ll know I’m a land yacht Diva, but I like this. More so than the ’72 MG Midget that I had. This is sportier. For me would make a great weekend car.
I once saw a TD driver project with a Toyota 22R 4cyl and matched 5 speed. I know those drivetrains well. Talk about an MG with engine reliability!!! This is it! It may not be original, but it will be reliable and fun driver!!
Ilike it. The whole idea of having an old english roadster to putter with and drive.This is a really cool car.For the offionnados who enjoy the all numbers thing,have at it.
Have we seen this one before ?