When I saw this MG TF, the first thing that caught my eye was the color. I was pretty sure that it wasn’t original, and reading the ad proved that I was right. Barn Finder Peter R spotted this little MG, so a thank you must go to Peter. You will find the MG listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Brookfield, Connecticut, it is being offered for sale with a clear title. The seller has set a BIN price of $9,500, but the option exists to make an offer.
The fact that this MG exists now is less of a miracle than the fact that it was allowed to exist at all. During World War II the British Government enforced rationing of many consumables. One of the most severely rationed was petrol, and following the war, this remained rationed, with consumers allowed to purchase between 3 and 10 gallons per month, depending on the vehicle type and purpose. This rationing remained in force until mid-1950. It was in this harsh environment that the British car industry operated, and the fact that cars such as this one could be developed, especially given the fact that they would have been viewed as a luxury, is a miracle in itself. This MG TF is in surprisingly good condition once you look past the paintwork. The car started life painted red, but someone has repainted it blue at some stage in its life. The paint is peeling in a few places, and this reveals the original paint. The body and frame appear to be solid and free of rust. There is some minor damage to the passenger side front fender which is repairable, along with damage to the grille. The grille may be repairable, but it would probably be cheaper to source a replacement. All five wire wheels are present, and the soft-top looks to be in good order.
The interior of the MG is in pretty fair condition. The door trims may need a bit of work, and the timber on the dash will also require restoration, but none of the work required represents a major project in itself. The seats look to be in good condition, as does the lovely MG steering wheel. Thankfully it appears that nobody has made any modifications to the interior, which is probably something of a minor miracle. It was quite common, especially during the 1970s and 1980s, for owners to fit an aftermarket radio to an MG. This one has been spared that fate.
Being a 1955 model, that marks this MG TF as one of the last to be produced, as production ended on the 4th April 1955. From mid-1954, the TF received an upgraded engine. This was identified as the XPEG engine, and capacity was increased from 1250cc to 1466cc. The TF then became known as the TF 1500, and engine power also increased from 57.5hp to 63hp. The engine in this TF is believed to be the original, and it also looks to be complete. The seller states that the engine will require a rebuild, as will the brakes. These are a pretty basic car, so neither of those tasks will be particularly difficult. Looking around the engine bay also reveals more than a trace of the cars original red paint, and gives some true indications of the quality of the repaint. It looks like removing that blue won’t be a difficult job.
During its production life, a total of 9,602 MG TFs were built, but only 3,400 were the TF 1500. This one requires some work, but it is claimed to be a numbers matching car. It also appears to be solid and free of rust. Good examples are currently seeing prices from around $25,000 upwards. I think that if there are no major issues with the engine, or hidden issues in the body or frame, then it should be economically possible to restore this car to that sort of condition.
My favorite T series. Really like the faired in headlights and slanted grille.
Not sure I like the custom grill. The work appears to have been done sometime between the first picture and the last.
Dirk,
It looks like something fell on the front end after that first picture was taken. We have had some storms around this area over the last several months, including some tornadoes in the spring. There was a lot of tree and building damage. I imagine this car caught a tree limb during one of those events. What a shame because both front fenders and the grille took a hit. Possibly the hood too.
Nice car. I’m not keen on that electric blue color, but then it needs to be repainted anyway. I’ve never driven one of these, but I’ve been told they are a lot of fun. I don’t know anything about the value, so I’m curious to see what it goes for.
– John
I was being facetious John, I can see that a tree or branch has fallen across the front of the car. These are actually fantastic little cars, a lot more tough and rugged than people seem to think. My first car was an MGTC and I drove that car – hard, for forty years, often it was my only car. I raced it, rallyed it, dated in it, and travelled in it. It never let me down. I’ve also travelled extensively in a TD and owned many other TCs, TDs, and TFs over the years. These are much more than cute little cars, as many people seem to think and, in many ways, the TF 1500 is the best of the lot. What a shame about the damage this car has suffered but I hope it still finds a good home with someone who will make repairs and get it back on the road where it belongs.
From the eBAY listing, if one looks, added 10/26 “I forgot to mention in my earlier posting that the front grill and fender were dented this Spring. I’ve update 2 photos to show. I apology for not mentioning this earlier. ” Not a custom grille, just the original before something screwed it up.
I like it alot. It has the tradition on the TC/TD series with a subtle sophistication of its own. Compared to some of the pricing out there it seems reasonable. I hope it finds the good home it deserves!
Personally I never really liked the TF’s, mainly because of the headlights. For such a sleek and nimble little sports car, the TF’s headlights always seemed out of place. To me they just looked too big, and cumbersome, when compared to the rest of the car.
When I was in high school, one of my friend’s fathers had a black 55 TF, with a red interior. I never got a ride in that TF, but a few years later I got to spend a couple days riding around England in a TF.
In 78 I worked for a company that had operations in England, The Managing Director there had a green TF, and because he knew I was a car nut, we used it instead of his XJ6, a couple times. It was the first week of December, so it was a little brisk, but it was still a ball riding around the British countryside in his TF with the top down. Good memories, even 40 years later.
Almost bought one of these. Was an amateur restoration. Grill wasn’t great and the wheel hubs were stripped. Hit the breaks and the wheels kept rolling.
Found out the cost of getting the wheels repaired and a replacement grill and I quickly went and bought an MGTD with steel wheels.
Sold it back in 2004. At that time you could find everything in catalogs. Unfortunately not everything in the catalog was in stock or still made.
Check the wood frames also.
These are such fun cars to drive
The TF has been working its way up my list of dream cars of late. Unfortunately this one looks like a clown car.
Get rid of that awful paint and put on some proper blackwall tyres. These cars will only go up in value since even Gen-Xers can appreciate the style.
Except that’s NOT a lovely MG TF steering wheel. Its’ a placement. The originals actually were lovely. They had more of the classic MG “banjo” look. This wheel needs to go out with the color and white Walls!
That wood rimmed steering wheel looks like a Les Liston knockoff. I have one of these on my early MG Midget. The wood has splintered from too much sun exposure and the metal spokes have been bent by the gorilla who previously owned the car. If anyone has a proper banjo wheel for a 65 Midget, let me know. Not the same as any other year than 65-66.
pic brings memories of my sis’s college grad present (owned 70s’n 80s) same age as me (TD). Used as a DD till the new Pacer purchase by new husband, it wuz totally restored (all the way – including re-chrome each bolt, recut plywood flr, etc) then sold 2 some1 frm Kansas (or somewhere) who sent a box job for p/u. No more drives w/windshield dwn, WWI ace helmut and goggles to store, wrk, or visitin. It wuz the red, the wire wh, & the banjo ster wheel.
Very nice car! I would certainly put it back to original color! Might as well, because it needs a repaint anyway! This would be a nice car to own!
I love TFs, even got my own with new wood, paint and Moss Motor’s leather interior kit, some assembly required.