MG T-Type

MG TA, TB, TC, TD and TF
Production period:	1936-1955
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster , Coupé , Cabriolet
Previous model:	MG PB
Successor:	MGA

The MG T-Type with the models TA , TB , TC , TD and TF was a simple roadster with a separate frame that MG produced from 1936 to 1955. Then he was replaced by the MGA .

TA

TA
MG TA (1937)
Production period:	1936-1939
Body versions :	Roadster , Coupé , Cabriolet
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.3 liters (37 kW)
Length:	3556 mm
Width:	1422 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2388 mm
Empty weight :	795 kg

The MG TA replaced the PB Midget in 1936 , from which it had been further developed. Compared to its predecessor, the track was enlarged by 76 mm to 1143 mm and the wheelbase was lengthened by 178 mm to 2388 mm. The advanced engine with overhead camshaft (ohc) was not adopted as it was not used in any other production vehicle. Instead, they resorted to the MPJG engine with hanging valves of Wolseley Ten back, but endowed him with two SU from -Vergasern, a modified camshaft and better gas guide. The displacement was only 1292 cm³ (bore 63.5 mm × stroke 102 mm) and it made 50 bhp (37 kW) at 4500 rpm. The upper gears of the four-speed transmission were synchronized. As with the PB, most vehicles were built as open two-seater with a body in mixed construction (sheet steel on a frame made of ash wood ). In addition, from 1938 there was a convertible from Tickford with bodies from Salmsons from Newport Pagnell and an "Airline" coupé, as known from the P-Type , of which only one copy is said to have been made. It reached a top speed of approx. 125 km / h with standard equipment and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 23.1 seconds. Unlike the PB, the TA had hydraulically operated brakes. In 1936 the vehicle cost £ 222 in the UK; a little more than 3000 copies were built.

TB

TB
MG TB Tickford Cabriolet (1939)
Production period:	1939-1940
Body versions :	Roadster , convertible
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.25 liters (39.7 kW)
Length:	3556 mm
Width:	1422 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2388 mm
Empty weight :	732 kg

In May 1939 the TA was replaced by the MG TB . It received the more modern XPAG engine, as it was also installed in the Morris Ten , but tuned differently and - as with the TA - with two SU carburettors. This 1250 cc machine had 66.6 mm bore and 90 mm stroke and developed 54 bhp (40 kW) at 5200 rpm. It was available as an open two-seater or a more luxurious Tickford convertible from Salmons & Sons . With 379 copies made, it is the rarest T-Type.

TC

TC
MG TC (1948)
Production period:	1945-1950
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.25 liters (40 kW)
Length:	3556 mm
Width:	1422 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2388 mm
Empty weight :	833 kg

The MG TC was the first car that MG brought out after WWII in 1945. It looked very similar to the pre-war TB and had almost the same engine. This had a compression slightly increased to 7.4: 1, developed 54.5 bhp (40 kW) at 5200 rpm and offered more modern equipment in the wider interior. It was also exported to the USA, but only in a right-hand drive version. The export version had slightly smaller " sealed beam " headlights according to US standards, larger, double taillights, a blinker system and chrome-plated bumpers at the front and rear. Over 10,000 vehicles were produced, a large number by MG standards. In 1947 the vehicle cost £ 527 in the UK.

TD

TD
MG TD (1953)
Production period:	1950-1953
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engines : 1.25 liters (40–42 kW)
Length:	3683 mm
Width:	1492 mm
Height:	1346 mm
Wheelbase :	2388 mm
Empty weight :	859-871 kg

The MG TD from 1950 combined the drive of the TC - albeit with a hypoid-toothed differential on the rear axle - with the chassis of the MG Series Y and the body known from the earlier T-Type. The independent suspension with coil springs at the front - as in the Series Y -, rack and pinion steering, smaller 15 ″ disc wheels and the optional left-hand drive were new. Bumpers with bumper horns were standard for the first time. With a track width of 1270 mm, the cars were 127 mm wider than before.

In 1950 the TD Mk. II was also introduced, which was manufactured along with the standard TD. It had an engine with a slightly higher compression rate of 8.0: 1, which developed 57 bhp (42 kW) at 5500 rpm. It had two fuel pumps, revised shock absorbers and a higher rear axle ratio.

A total of almost 30,000 TDs were built, including around 1700 Mk. II models. In 1953 production was stopped. Only 1656 remained in Great Britain, 23,488 were exported to the USA. The New York body manufacturer Inskip offered a version with an extended wheelbase especially for the North American market .

A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1952 reached a top speed of 123 km / h and accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 18.2 seconds. The test consumption was 10.6 l / 100 km.

In 1998 the Malaysian company TD Cars bought the naming rights and plans to produce the MG TD and has been making the TD 2000 , a reproduction of the old TD, ever since .

In Germany, however, the MG TD is manufactured as a replica by Automobil Scheib in Ansbach . The car has a VW - Boxer engine with 44 hp from the previous Volkswagen 1300 . The body of the German replica is made of GRP fiberglass.

TF and TF 1500

TF
MG TF (1953)
Production period:	1953-1955
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.25–1.5 liters (42–46 kW)
Length:	3734 mm
Width:	1518 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	2388 mm
Empty weight :	871 kg

The MG TF was actually a stopgap, which was used to keep production going until the new MGA was approved for production by the management of BMC , which did not want a competitor to the Austin-Healey 100 . Released in 1953, the TF was basically an upgraded TD with a rearward sloping grille and headlights built into the front fenders. The cap on the radiator grille was now a dummy, as the engine had a closed cooling system that was beneficial in hot climates.

In 1954 the engine was revised and the displacement increased to 1466 cm³, whereby the bore was enlarged to 72 mm. It delivered 63 bhp (46 kW) at 5500 rpm. The model was offered as the TF 1500 .

The last cars of this type were built in 1955, then the MGA replaced the TF 1500. A total of approx. 9600 TF were built, including approx. 3400 TF 1500.

The name TF dipped again in 2002 and designated a mid-engine sports car brand, a version of the MG F .

Web links

Commons : MG TA  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : MG TB  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : MG TC  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : MG TD  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : MG TF  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The MG Car Club T Register
• The story of "Winston", Dr. Jim Brown's MG TF from 1954 (English)

swell

• Green, Malcolm: MG Sports Cars , CLB International, London 1997, ISBN 1-85833-606-6
• Sedgwick, Michael & Gillies, Mark: AZ of Cars of the 1930s , Bay View Books, Devon 1989, ISBN 1-870979-38-9
• Culshaw, David & Horrobin, Peter: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Veloce Publishing plc., Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6

Individual evidence

1. ^ Green, Malcolm: MG Sports Cars , CLB International, London (1997), ISBN 1-85833-606-6
2. ↑ Description of the Inskip-MG on the website www.mg-cars.org.uk (accessed on July 3, 2015).
3. ^ The MG Midget Series TD Road Test , The Motor, October 8, 1952
4. ^ New vehicle MG TD ( Memento from February 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )