1947 MG TC Roadster

World War II brought an end to automobile production. What it also meant was that innovation and progress came to an end while attention was turned to war-time efforts. When the war came to an end, there was a shortage of raw materials and the British government controlled allocation of resources, favoring reconstruction industries. Many British automakers struggled in the post-War era, including MG. The MG TC was an almost identical reproduction of the prewar TB model, with some minor modifications such as the rubber bush shackles to replace the sliding-trunnion spring mountings.

The MG TC appeared in 1945 in a single body styles, an open two-seater, with cutaway doors, sweeping wings, and rear-mounted spare wheel of its predecessor. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 80 mph.

Between September of 1945 and November of 1949, over 10,000 examples of the TC were built. In 1947, there were 2,359 MG TCs sold worldwide. It is believed that fewer than 400 examples of that year's production run still exist today.

The current owner of this particular MG TC purchased the car and all its original parts from its previous caretaker's widow and shipped it back to Seattle. A restoration soon followed, bringing the car back to its factory specification. It has its matching-numbers engine and transmission, correct 1947 wooden dash, and all correct and working instruments. The car is painted in Birch Grey paint with red leather and Rexine interior, which were not original to the car in 1947 but are correct British colors.

The car has a tonneau cover, side curtains, comprehensive tool kit, a grease gun, and tire pump. Power is from overhead valve 4-cylinder engine displacing 1250cc and offering 55 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014