After World War II, the British car industry struggled mightily to recover from the widespread destruction of factories, shortages of materials and of course, a struggling economy, that did not allow many Britons to be car buyers. For most of Europe, sports cars were the farthest thing from people’s minds and pocketbooks. Britain rationed raw materials to manufacturers, favoring those that made goods that could be exported, especially to the relatively well of United States. So companies like the Nuffield Organization, that manufactured MG (originally, Morris Garages), focused on products that would suit the massive North American market.

Simultaneously, many American GI’s, both during the war, and shortly after, experienced the joys and pleasure of top down motoring in many wire wheeled, under-powered but exhilarating to drive British sports cars, including MGs. Quite a few MGs, Triumphs and Jaguars were exported by enthusiastic American soldiers on their return to the states, thereby introducing British sports cars to a much broader audience back home.

Nuffield saw this opportunity and put considerable effort into making their cars attractive to American drivers. Since no development work had been done on cars since 1939 or earlier, like other manufacturers, MG dusted off their prewar designs, gussied them up and shipped them off to America.

The first model to have significant success was the MG TC, followed quickly by the significantly improved and more modern TD, which was made from 1949 through 1953 in various models culminating in the one shown in this ad here on craigslist in Weston, Connecticut, the MG TD/C (for Competition) Mk II. This car had an improved frame, 15 inch steel wheels, and a significant increase in horsepower through advanced tuning from the factory.

MG TCs and TDs have been popular in the US for a long time now, and despite their propensity to rust and rot (there’s a significant amount of structural wood in the frames, much like the still manufactured Morgan), their popularity has kept a large number of them on the road, in restoration shops, and in plenty of sports car competitions.

This particular example is relatively rare, as the Competition model was apparently made in low numbers only in 1953 (seller claims around 1,700), and it looks pretty good. The car is clearly an everyday driver, not a show queen. It appears to have been rebuilt at some point The seller points out that there are a number of non-original features, including a wood dashboard, Pertronix ignition, aftermarket aircleaners and an aluminum valve cover.

There are some rust spots and bubbling places which are both described and shown in the pictures provided. The price actually appears reasonable at $16,500; there are doubtless experts in these cars among our readers who know better than I do, but based on some research, there are not many daily drivers as good as this one out there for this kind of money.

A buyer will want to find out who did the body and frame work on the car previously, and verify that everything is as it should be. But this might just be a bargain on a car you can jump into and drive right now without significant work. Here is a very complete history of post war MG, with lots of great information and pictures. The MG Drivers Club looks like fun too.