1945 MG TC

In 1924, Cecil Kimber, a sales manager at Morris Garages in Oxford, opened a coachwork department to produce fitted luggage, car rugs, accessories, and a range of other specialty items for Morris owners. These accessories soon included performance options and 'bolt-on' items. MG, standing for Morris Garages, built lightweight bodies, modified suspensions, and quick steering for the ordinary Morris cars, transforming them into nimble and fierce performance automobiles.

The success of this operation persuaded William Morris to fund a new factory to build cars with the separate 'MG' identity. At the 1928 London Motor Show, MG introduced its first pure sports car, the budget-priced M-Type Midget two-seat roadster. By the mid-1930s, the MG brand of sports and race cars had firmly established its place in the automotive marketplace, offering a diverse range of road sports and track specialist cars. They were driven by both the factory teams and privateers with incredible success in various classes of competition. A 'works' racing program promoted their product and brought fame to the bustling company, with MG winning 37 major events and breaking records over a brilliant five-year period during the 1930s along.

In 1935, a shift in ownership and management brought about a change in production, and Kimber and the MG company was ordered to return to more standardized production with cars using proprietary Morris parts where possible. Despite their reservations, hesitations, and disagreements to these restrictions, Kimber and his design team launched the new T Series in 1936. The TA was powered by a 1,292cc overhead valve engine and its exterior design would define the styling direction for the next two decades, with its rakish deep-cut doors, slab-shaped petrol tank at the rear, and an upright grille.

These open sports cars had sweeping fenders, great lines, and a robust inline four-cylinder engine that was simple and easy to maintain. This formula would ultimately power MG to international sales success in the years that followed. After a few revisions and updates, the TB was introduced in 1939 just before the outbreak of World War II. The TB had a shorter-stroke but more powerful 1,250cc XPAG engine that went on to power MG's roadsters through 1954. When peacetime resumed, the production began with a post-war stop-gap model known as the TC, which was inexpensive to produce and affordable to buy. It was built through 1949 and had a roomier cockpit and improved comfort with its wider body.

The MG TC provided drivers an opportunity for owners to drive their cars to and from early races, compete there, and often win. Many of the top racing drivers of the era got their start in the TC, including Carroll Shelby, Dick Thompson, John von Neumann, John Fitch, Phil Hill, and others.

The TC Midget was powered by an engine based on the 1,250cc XPAG powered TB of pre-war days, developing 52 horsepower at 5200 RPM, and providing a top speed in the neighborhood of 78 mph. The body was widened by 4-inches and the improved suspension incorporated Luvax-Girling hydraulic dampers. The four-speed gearbox had synchromesh on second, third, and top gears for easier changes. Design features included the upright radiator, separate wings, and a fold-flat windscreen. It lacked common features such as bumpers and a heater, which only seemed to enhance its appeal as a proper sports car.

By the time production came to a close at the end of 1949, over 10,000 examples had been built (10,002 to be exact), with most going to United States customers. More than any other car, the MG TC was responsible for starting America's love affair with the British sportscar. It was light, responsive, simple, small, and quick. The live axle semi-elliptical leaf springs suspension was stiff and unyielding by today's standards but was smooth when compared to the earlier Midgets and other sports cars of the era, such as the Mercer and Stutz Bearcat. Later MG models would employ an independent front suspension and the driving experience would continue to evolve with the later TD and TF models. The TC remains a landmark in the history of MG and was the first British sports car to sell in serious numbers globally.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2005