Highlights

• A delightful example of this archetypal 1950’s British sports cars
• Recently imported from the much more benign climate of North America
• Admirably original and immediately useable whilst retaining room for improvement

The Appeal

The History and Paperwork

• This MG TD is a 1953 model having left the Abingdon factory in March of that year
• The car was immediately shipped to its intended North American market
• The car remained in the USA for the vast majority of its life
• Sadly, little to nothing is known about the car’s North American life
• At the end of 2021 the current owner re-imported the car to the UK
• The car was first registered in the UK in March 2022
• A small archive of paperwork is on hand
• This includes the V5 registration document in the name of the owner
• This classifies the car as a Historic Vehicle
• As such it is MOT and VED exempt in the UK
• The rest comprises some documents related to the car’s import and registration
  
  

The Interior

• A delightful period interior in a, mostly, highly original condition
• The light tan trimmed seats appear to have been recovered at some point
• These consist of a single seat back with individual seat bases
• The seats are stitched into a series of vertical box pleats
• The condition of the seats is very good overall
• Behind the seats is a useful, carpeted luggage shelf
• The door cards are also trimmed in matching tan, presenting in very good condition
• Expanding storage pockets are fitted
• Coffee coloured woollen carpets are fitted to the cabin floors
• These are edge bound in light tan for added durability
• The “moustache shaped” dashboard is finished in textured green vinyl
• This looks original and appears to have faded over time
• A charming set of ivory faced British Jaeger gauges are fitted
• The original, three spoke “banjo” type steering wheel is present
• This features a light tan leather bound rim
• This is centred with a cream-coloured Bakelite boss with MG octagon
• A period dash-top, chromed rear view mirror is present
  
  

The Exterior

• This TD presents nicely in a British Racing Green colourway
• The current owner believes the car may have been repainted at some point
• The paintwork seems well applied and suitably thick and smooth
• There are a fair few areas of issue, however
• These have been photographed for your review
• They include a couple of dings on the offside rear wing
• There is also deterioration to the offside finish of the fuel tank
• The ample chrome accents also seem to be in reasonably good condition
• Some chrome has been lost on the windscreen surround, however
• The frontend is a particularly recognisable aspect of the TD
• The tall, chromed radiator cowl is topped with an MG octagon badge
• The externally mounted twin headlamps are large and well preserved
• The TD is fitted with the original multi-hole steel road wheels
• These are finished in silver paintwork and centred with chromed hub caps
• The light hued vinyl hood is in a great condition with a clear and uncracked rear window
• A spare steel wheel and MG hubcap adorn the rear panel of the MG
• The fit and finish of the panels of this car look good throughout bellying its age
  
  

The Mechanics

• This example is powered by the 1,250cc “XPAG,” so called 1 ¼-litre engine
• This is an inline four-cylinder, pushrod overhead valve unit
• This was originally rated at around 55bhp at 5,200rpm
• Power is fed to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox
• Contemporary road tests noted a 77mph top speed
• The 0-60mph benchmark was hit in a shade under 19 seconds
• The engine bay presentation seems faithfully original
• The expected data plates appear to be present and correct
• Many components and fittings also feature the MG Octagon logo
• The underside of the car looks very good for the car’s age
• It seems to be straight and well finished overall with no obvious concerns
• No leaks were noted or reported
• We note that the exhaust system appears to be recently fitted
• The owner attests to the car running well a few months ago when last used
• He confirms that the car starts, stops and runs well
  
  

Summary