There’s something timeless about MG’s T-Series, and the TF in particular carries the graceful lines of a car that was both the end of an era and a bridge to the MGA that followed. This 1954 MG TF, listed here on eBay with no reserve, is exactly the sort of project most enthusiasts hope to stumble upon—solid, complete, and needing just the finishing touches before it can return to the road. The seller notes that they purchased the car out of California, where it benefitted from a dry climate and avoided the sort of rust that plagues so many British sports cars.
The MG is described as about 95% complete, with the body and chassis presenting very clean and straight. The seller points out a small area of previous fuel tank damage, but the frame and undercarriage remain solid, with no bondo or corrosion discovered. Inside, the seats and carpet are in nice condition, while the full set of side curtains is included. The top was destroyed during transport but can be replaced through Moss Motors. The windshield is free of chips, and overall the car looks remarkably honest for its age.
Mechanically, much of the work has already been addressed. The car will run from an external fuel supply, though a simple gasket replacement is needed to resolve a leak at the banjo fitting on the tank. The fuel tank itself is clean and rust-free. The cooling system has been overhauled with a new radiator, water pump, thermostat, pulley, flex fan, and hoses, plus an auxiliary electric fan added up front for extra peace of mind. Brakes were rebuilt by the prior owner, and the carbs were professionally redone about two years ago. Tires are described as being in great condition.
Some small projects remain, including fitting the hoses, wiring the electric fan, installing a new driver’s door latch, and finishing up details like the turn signal switch. The e-brake needs an adjustment, and the car will require a new battery. A few boxes of spare parts and a folder of receipts and manuals come with the sale, making this a very complete package.
Offered with a clean title and presented by a longtime eBay member with 25 years of 100% positive feedback, this MG TF represents a fantastic opportunity. With so much of the heavy lifting already handled, it won’t take much to get this one back on the road where it belongs.
Would you finish it as a driver or take it all the way to concours?
Too nice to break it down and go show with it. This is just fine with some tender care here and there to drive on the weekend and to cars and coffee. Everyone needs to ride in a cowled British sports car, you can’t put the experience in words.
Don’t remember seeing this color on the T series MGs. Rare. Nice car.
Why folks persist in ignoring minor repairs whose performance would render the car runnable escapes me. If that one fuel tank gasket replacement meant the car could run on its own fuel tank, I can’t understand why that wasn’t done. Cars that run and drive are way more valuable than nonfunctional garage queens.
In this case it’s not a matter of ignoring it, he had a sharp downturn in his health over the past year and can’t work on it any longer, as he said in the writeup.
A couple of things. First, since the car has the TD 1-1/4″ carbs, I would bet $ that the engine is a replacement. Also, the production chassis number given is an HDC number, which means the car was originally red.
Altho it looks good (particularly nice to see disc wheels), it’s going to need a lot of work. But the price now is under $5,000, so there is hope for reason.
Tom
I am so pleased to see that the owner is prepared for any emergency. Make note of how he has a bungee cord handy to keep his driver’s door closed. See what I mean?
The couple times we autocrossed our ’53 we had to bungy cord both doors to keep them closed due to body flex.
With so ‘VERY little’ left to do, I’m surprised that ”VERY little’ wasn’t done and the owner could offer a ‘runner’.
But time does pass and perhaps the owner’s ability to work on the car has also met its match. Would that somehow those odd jobs weren’t addressed.