- Here’s a great example of a classic MG motoring experience.
- MG and other post-war sports cars offered high driving quality at affordable prices.
- See the auction, which ends March 14, Bring a Trailer—Like Which car and driverPart of Hurst Auto.
Morris Garages began life as Sport Specials, lightweight bodies on chassis from heavier Morris cars. The early MGs were lively drivers and helped fuel the post-war sportscar craze on both sides of the Atlantic. There’s a lovely slice of vintage MG life up for auction this week.
This 1954 MG TF 1500 is essentially an updated version of an idea that debuted in the 1920s. It followed the MG TD, which was preceded by the TC, and this by the TB. Immediately following it in 1955 was the MGA, the first modern MG, and it spawned a breed of cars that would create a new generation of enthusiasts.
Returning GIs brought back some MGs from the green and pleasant lands of England, and the MG also found success as an exporter. They weren’t Jaguars or Austin-Heales, but they were more affordable to buy and relatively simple to operate. That simplicity is necessary, because owning a vintage British car requires a certain mechanical aptitude – and also a keen knowledge of creative vulgarity.
This TF example wears a bit more chrome than is acceptable in collector circles, but it’s well-restored and has the desirable 1.5-liter engine. The twin-carburetor four-cylinder is good for 62 horsepower, which makes the octagon’s 105-mph speedometer seem a trifle optimistic.
Cars like the TF weren’t built for rough interstate work. They were made for cruising down country lanes at a speed that seems criminal but would not worry the constabulary.
It’s the wind in your hair, the bugs in your teeth, the what-is-that-strange-smell, the sheer excitement of motoring that has kept these vehicles popular to the present day. An MG T-Series feels more alive at 30 mph than a Porsche Boxster 70.
MG left the US market with the rubber-bumper MGB, which had a crash-test-mandated ride height like the Porsche 911 Dakar. The MG brand is currently part of Chinese manufacturer SAIC’s portfolio, and its UK-market electric MG4 crossover is reportedly enjoyable to drive and comes in at around three-quarters of the VW ID.4’s price. But the present is not the past, and while there are glimmers of optimism in the future of the UK auto industry, an MG T-Series experience like this one will transport you back to the golden age of the brand.
contributing editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He grew up cracking his knuckles on British automobiles, came up on the golden age of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the contrast between humanity and machinery, whether it be the racing of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is forever grateful for an excuse to buy Hot Wheels.