Many believe that the MG TC started the sports car movement in America. While that is a subject for debate, you cannot deny that the MG TC was very different than the cars coming off American assembly lines in 1948. This MG TC, being sold on eBay, is additionally unique in a number of ways. Being almost completely original, this car was an early Peter Satori import, and it is finished in the very rare Clipper Blue finish. If that isn’t enough, the car was also driven by actor Clive Owens in the TV movie “Hemingway and Gelhorn.” Bidding is currently north of $15,000 on this Oakland, California MG. Do you think the little extras are worth a premium over a run of the mill TC?
Let’s start with Peter Satori. According to the ad, Peter Satori was one of the first importers of European cars to the west coast after World War II. He first opened his dealership in Berkley, California around the middle of 1947. This MG still bears the dealership sticker, and it can be seen in a still from the movie provided in the ad.
The finish is a rarely seen one called “Clipper Blue.” Black, MG Red, and Apple Green were the colors you had to choose from at the beginning of the year. They are also the colors you usually see these cars in. Sequoia Cream and Clipper Blue were added later in the year and those colors carried through to the 1949 model year. The only exception would be Apple Green giving way to an Almond Green Metallic.
The seller boasts that the car is mostly original, with the interior and top being the only substantial changes. The original owner kept the car 54 years but sold it in 2003 to a local collector. That gentleman spent $7,500 in 2005 to have the top re-covered and the leather in the cockpit replaced. There is also mention that the car resided with two other stablemates during the original owner’s tenure. The first was a 1948 Cadillac Series 62 and the other was a 1957 Porsche 356.
Another interesting selling point is that this car still has the grey-green paint on the firewall that early MG TCs wore from the factory. The change in finish to body color is claimed to have happened around car 5,800. This car’s body number is TC 5508. Moving forward, the original appearing engine is a 1,250cc inline four-cylinder engine that put out about 54 horsepower. This engine could push the TC to the dizzying speed of 78 mph. Obviously handling played a large part in the sports car image.
All and all, this car is a very intriguing, very original example of a milestone car. It only hopes the value that it is in a rarely seen color and the car is fully functional from the gauges to the drivetrain. Being in a movie, albeit a TV movie, adds a bit to the value.
So, when the auction ends at 8:59 PM Sunday evening, what do you think the car will sell for? Will the color, originality, and movie pedigree push it far beyond a normal MG TC? Please let us know your price prediction in the comments.
Nice clean old TC guess it’s not quite original but still wears its age well. These are not really fast but between the cowl moving and the low seat height, low slung door, you get a dimension of speed. Friend years ago invited me to go along in what was called the Cleveland alley rally. Drove probably 40+ miles to get there and enjoyed the day driving through downtown with his TC. Won’t forget it, was a great day. This one might bring a little more for it’s brief movie exposure but I don’t think it will be significant.
If it was a bright red TC with tan it could have been me. I drove the TC for many years in the Cleveland alley rally. Still have it along with two other TCs. It was my first MG. I bought it in 1968. Cheers.
I think without question the MG started the sports car interest, but wasn’t mentioned why. GIs returning from Dubja Dubja 2, der, saw 1st hand upon returning, what boring cars America had to offer, while Europe enjoyed wind in the hair, scarf flailing, 2 seat motoring. Big smiles. Didn’t take Detroit long to figure that out. Combine that with the general good feeling after the war, SHAZAM, the Baby Boomers came to be.
When I had my MGB, then old timers came up to me and said, “I had an MG right after the war, it’s how I met the missus”, and it was true. I met my ex with that car. Even Hollywood depicted the MG as a “chick magnet” in this corny early 70’s Farrah Fawcett commercial, sure miss my “MG” days. This car would be a blast to have, all on a thimbles worth of fuel. Just choose your routes carefully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQW-eiAVihw
Oh, in that commercial, my MGB was the same year/color.
I met my second ex-wife driving my brother’s 72 MGB GT. (we had my AMX torn apart doing the trunions). Car was a blast to fling around, & got it’s fair amount of looks. Neither car lasted very long, & neither did the marriage. :P
Have driven a TC and agree with the above comments about the fun portion of the cars. In the early ’70s we bought a ’53 TD that provided the same experience but felt more like a car than a Go-Kart. Either way, the fun factor is above most cars of the era and those of today.
If it was a bright red TC with tan it could have been me. I drove the TC for many years in the Cleveland alley rally. Still have it along with two other TCs. It was my first MG. I bought it in 1968. Cheers.
Now here is a car. I wouldn’t be without time. Best darn thing to ever come out of England, except for my wife.
Good looking wire wheels!
I’ve worked on, and restored, more than a few of the TC to TF cars, and technology-based they are a 20 year old American car. Still lots of fun.
I had a Facel-Vega Excellence sold new by Satori, and it had that same decal on the right side of the windshield.
You either “get” these cars or you don’t. Helps to be an anglophile who enjoys having the steering wheel in the “proper” place, and never putting the hood up.
ref: Nigel Shiftwright in old Road & Track magazines
USS Hornet CV-12 in the background looking good.
Anyone see what it sold for?
I worked at Peter Satori Motors in Pasadena for 10 years, interesting place!
We sold Rolls Royce, Jaguar, MG, Triumph, Austin Healey, Rover, Land Rover, Facel Vega, Alfa Romeo, FIAT, and Lancia.
Pasadena was Mr. Satori’s last store. Quite a place.