MG TC

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The MG TC appeared as soon as MG could resume car production in 1945 and retained the classic 1930's styling which was exactly what MG buyers were looking for, particularly car-hungry American ex-servicemen.

With its dual-cowl dashboard, fold-flat windscreen, cutaway-doors, separate wings, rear-mounted spare wheel and slab fuel tank, it was every young man’s dream of what a sports car should be. These classic looks and simple yet effective mechanicals helped the car to sell in important export markets and laid the foundation for MG's meteoric rise in popularity from the pre-war austerity years to the more affluent 1950s.

Blessed with excellent agility, it was powered by an unburstable 1,250cc 54bhp OHV four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed synchromesh gearbox that enabled a top speed near 80mph. Roomier and more comfortable than the preceding models, the TC remained in production until 1949 when it was replaced by the TD. Exactly 10,000 were sold in total, the majority to export markets, although curiously, unlike the TD, it was only ever available in RHD.

As an MGOC Dating Letter confirms, this TC was built in June 1948 for the export market. It finally returned to the UK last year from Canada where it appears to have had just one owner from 2004 to 2018. He carried out a total nut-and-bolt restoration (documented by many photos and various invoices on file) which took several years to complete, a five-page engineer’s report giving the finished car a glowing report in 2015. It appears that the odometer was also reset and it has only covered some 9,400 miles since.

Other documents state that the car had previously received a 2,000 hour restoration in 1984 and suggest that it may have been used in competition at some point, hence the extra louvres on the top of the bonnet, the 16” wheels and the racing roundels evident in an old photo of the car in Canada.

A ‘matching numbers’ machine with a smart beige leather interior, it remains in very good order both above and below, starting promptly and running sweetly as we moved it around for these photos. It comes with a full set of weather equipment, including side-screens and a hood cover, all in excellent condition, plus a useful quantity of spares.

UK registered with a V5C, this handsome sportscar now only needs an enthusiastic new owner who will reap the benefits of all the hard work poured into it as they chuck it down the lanes like its makers intended.