The TC Midget was the first post-war MG to be produced, launching in 1945 and costing around £527 to buy brand new. The same 1.3L (1,250cc) inline 4 cylinder engine was used from the previous generation TB model with just a slightly higher compression ratio - an engine well known for its tunability!

The TC became a racer's dream, even with its nightmare-like ergonomics, thanks to the hilarious and brash driving characteristics that made these cars an absolute joy to drive around. They are among the purest forms of motoring fun.

This MG TC has had quite a quiet life after the early 70’s. Prior to this, the gentleman who owned it at the time would take the car on road trips and rallies to show off the car and enjoy the thrilling characteristics the car would flaunt - making a somewhat underpowered car quite a handful. 

In 1972, the gentleman put the car into storage and it remained that way until some time around 2011 we believe. Due to the long time in storage, the engine seized up and required some attention - which led the current owner to having the engine completely overhauled including the block being honed back to specification. 

The car now runs like an absolute dream at the turn of a key - however it hasn’t been put to good use as the owner has done no more than 50 miles since the overhaul. He feels it is somewhat wasted and wishes for someone to take custodianship and give the car the life that it truly deserves.

In terms of paperwork, it is quite thin on the ground. The owner has the V5 available in their name ready for transfer - aside from that there isn’t very much to share due to the car being locked away in storage for the majority of its lifetime.

The V5 shows the registration date of this TC to be 1949, however the build date is believed to be around 1946.

An MG TC interior is a very interesting place to be - it’s full of little quirks that don’t quite make sense, but that’s what makes these cars so unique and admirable. It shows that even with so many decades invested into the automotive industry, manufacturers were still figuring out how to cram a motorist into a comfortable cockpit.

The speedometer is directly in front of the passenger, and the footwell is so narrow that the accelerator pedal isn't actually a pedal at all - instead it’s a steel bar with a small caster wheel attached to it so that the driver would have more room to manoeuvre and not have their foot being stuck between pedals. Madness - but it worked!

The seats are still in pretty presentable condition, although the driver side does have signs of patina, with a tear in the right side bolster and some small rips behind the back portion too - we assume from some things being stored behind the seats on some journeys but it’s hard to tell. 

The floor carpet is still present with the same telltale signs of age and use, with some discoloration and some worn out holes in the footwells where the drivers heels have worn through, but aside from that, the interior of this TC is very complete for an original vehicle of this age.

The dashboard is in full working condition too - all of the gauges seem to operate as intended even with the wacky layout that MG decided to go with. It’s probably a great conversational point when people stop and look over the car.

It’s no secret that this car is showing its age, but we think that’s what makes this car so irresistibly charming. Patina goes a long way, and is presented in many different forms, some may find it more appealing than others. 

However, it shows that it’s had a life, that it hasn’t been a garage queen all of its days (maybe most, but not all), all of those little bits of patina give you a sense of just how many years that this wonderful car has survived - and long it may continue.

The original paint could certainly do with some TLC if the new owner of the vehicle wishes to go down that route, there are cracks and chips throughout the vehicle, however underneath those cracks the metalwork actually looks and feels rather robust, it doesn’t show the usual signs of weakness that some of this age do. 

The rear arches have a long crack which runs the length of them where they meet the body, and the doors do not sit flush against the bodywork, but given that these vehicles have wooden framework it’s very easy to understand that there will be movement over time and things won’t quite be what they used to be.

All of the original 19” wire-spoke wheels are still on the vehicle - even the spare on the rear, which will probably require a new tyre as the current one looks very perished. The wheels themselves could do with some love, as the paint is wearing away from age but the wire spokes and the barrels themselves are very straight with no signs of damage! The centre caps of course have the usual hammer-blow marks from wheels being taken off and put back on, but we would expect no less here. 

The soft top is completely functional with some slight damage here and there, such as a small scratch on the rear driver side and some unidentified damage on the front driver side which appears to be patched up with duct tape - due to this we can’t really report the extent of the damage here but it does appear to be pretty water tight.

The pop-out windows also come with the vehicle, the current owner has them wrapped up for safekeeping and stored in the garage alongside the car so that they do not get damaged or lost.

As mentioned previously, the vehicle had to undergo quite a substantial engine overhaul including honed cylinders and other machining necessities, due to the engine seizing after so many years of the car laying dormant in storage for almost 40 years. But thanks to the work carried out, this little TC will fire up at the turn of a key and purr healthily at idle, with quite a nice tone we may add. 

The 1.3L 4-cylinder fuel fed by 2 SU semi-downdraft carburettors made quite a respectable power figure of 54hp at the time and would propel the light chassis from 0-60 in 22.7 seconds, which was actually pretty quick by 1940’s standards.

The car has no problem gliding through the 4-speed manual transmission which sends power to the rear wheels. It should be noted that the car does not currently have a battery, and the new owner should bring their own upon purchase - but we can confirm that the car does run as it should.

As absolutely bonkers as these TC’s are, it’s easy to see why so many people fall in love with them. There really isn’t much on the market quite like them in, even if the ergonomic side of things is somewhat questionable. 

It stands out from a crowd and on top of that, they’re an absolute riot to throw around which can make them rather remarkable track day cars, too.

This is ripe and ready for someone to dig into and make their own, so don’t hang around!