Lot Ended
Description
From a deceased estate; only 50 miles since full engine rebuild;
current owner 25 years; rare Competition model with various factory upgrades;
matching numbers; one of only 51 made for the UK market and 1,710 in
total
Following on
from the successful TC, the MG TD arrived in 1949, introducing some much-needed
post-war refinements. Its rigid box-section chassis featured independent
double-wishbone front suspension, a well-located 'live' rear axle, four-wheel
drum brakes, a hidden reinforced scuttle hoop and perhaps best of all,
rack-and-pinion steering. Powered by a twin-carb four-cylinder XPAG 1,250cc
engine allied to four-speed manual transmission, the 54bhp TD was capable of
80mph.
In 1950 MG launched a high-performance MkII version called the
TD/C, developed in conjunction with famous MG racing driver, Dick Jacobs. As W
Jacobs & Son Ltd, Dick owned Mill Garage, the most famous of all MG
dealerships, in South Woodford, Essex, and his exploits on track arguably gave
the MG marque more publicity in the 1950s than the BMC and Nuffield PR men
ever did.
The TD/C featured Andrex shock absorbers in addition to the
standard items; larger 1.5-inch carburettors with increased inlet ports; larger
intake manifold and air cleaner; tear-drop bonnet bulge; larger valves;
increased compression ratio; higher 6,000 rpm rev limit; higher rear axle ratio;
twin electric fuel pumps and a higher performance ignition coil. Round
tail-lights were another distinguishing feature and as a nod to the extra
performance, a passenger grab handle on the dash was standard and bucket seats
and triple windscreen wipers were options (as fitted here).
Easily
identified by the TD/C chassis prefix, only 1,710 were made between 1950 and
1953, all but 51 of which were exported. Quite apart from the fact that most
Brits couldn’t afford a new sports car in the early Fifties, the high
compression TD/C engine was not well-suited for UK use: wartime fuel
restrictions still in place meant that the only fuel readily available was
feeble 72 octane ‘pool petrol’.
As confirmed by
the chassis number, NFF 500 is one of those 51 UK cars, the MG Car Club T
Register confirming that it is a Home Market car built in July 1953. A letter
from the Octagon Car Club also confirms the original engine and chassis numbers
which match those on the car (see photos).
The
V5C states that it was first UK registered in November 1974, so it had
presumably been off the road for quite some time prior to that, or perhaps
residing somewhere offshore like the Channel Islands – who knows?
It has
only had four owners since then, the third being a Shropshire gent who owned it
from 1995 – 2001, old rally plaques showing that he used it on Octagon Car Club
runs in the UK and a couple of long-distance events in France in 1998 and
1999.
On offer here from a deceased estate, the
current owner acquired the car in March 2001 to join his collection of classic
machines when it was showing 6,900 miles on the clock. Invoices show that he had
the front suspension rebuilt and a new clutch kit and stainless steel exhaust
system fitted before using it fairly regularly over the next three or four
years, adding some 1,200 miles to the clock, as shown by old MOTs on file.
In 2005 it was sent to the mechanic who looked
after his collection for a more thorough mechanical overhaul, but ended up
sitting at the back of his workshop for the next several years.
In 2014 work finally started in earnest and
included a full engine rebuild with new pistons, bearings, reground crank etc,
the cylinder head being converted to run on unleaded fuel. A new water pump was
also fitted, the carbs were rebuilt and the whole braking system overhauled and
fitted with Goodrich braided stainless steel hoses. Various other jobs were also
carried out, as detailed by invoices on file.
Finally back on the road with a new MOT in September 2016, it was
then very briefly used before being put back into storage where it remained for
another decade due to the owner’s advancing years.
Shortly before the auction it was taken out of storage, given some
fresh fuel and fitted with a new battery. We are told that it then fired up
readily and performed well on a short test drive.
It has continued to start easily since arriving on site and was
certainly driving nicely as we whizzed it around our yard for the video, with
good 40psi oil pressure – as you might expect from an engine that has only done
about 50 miles since it was rebuilt.
Ten old MOTs
on file show the mileage slowly rising from 3,265 in July 1995 to 8,403 in
September 2016 (when it passed with just a couple of minor advisories for slight
play in the front suspension), the odometer currently showing 8,453
miles.
A tonneau cover and side-screens are also
present along with indoor and outdoor car covers, sundry useful spares, original
handbook and workshop manual, parts catalogues and technical literature relating
to the model.
As you can see in the photos, NFF
500 looks to be in good shape for a 73-year-old both above and below, with
well-fitting doors, good bodywork and a nicely mellowed interior with what
appear to be original red leather bucket seats. The paintwork is rather dusty
but looks like it will polish up well, although the chromework on the bumpers is
past its best.
On offer
here at a modest guide price (the last TD/C we sold made over double the
estimate shown here in 2022), this rare and sporting ‘matching numbers’ MG
now needs an enthusiastic new owner who can get it back on the roads where it
belongs and reap the rewards of all the good work so recently carried
out.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970
309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com