View source for MG T-type

{{lead too short|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name = MG T-type
| image = File:MG TA side 20020707.jpg
| caption = MG TA Midget
| manufacturer = [[MG (car)|MG]] ([[Morris Motors|Morris]], later [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]])
| production = 1936–1955
| assembly = [[Abingdon, Oxfordshire]], England
| predecessor = [[MG P-type|MG PB]]
| successor = [[MG MGA|MGA]]
| class = [[Sports car]]
| transmission = 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]]
| layout = [[FR layout]]
| wheelbase = {{convert|94|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
}}
The '''MG T-Type''' is a series of [[body-on-frame]] open two-seater [[sports car]]s that were produced by [[MG Cars|MG]] from 1936 to 1955. Known as the '''Midget''', the series,  included the '''TA''', '''TB''', '''TC''', '''TD''', and '''TF''' models. Although the design was contemporary in the 1930s, it had grown outdated by the 1950s, and was replaced by the all new [[MG MGA|MGA]] in 1955.
The TF name was reinstated in 2002 on the [[MR layout|mid-engined]] [[MG F / MG TF|MG TF]] sports car.
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=={{anchor|TA|TA Midget}}TA Midget==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = TA Midget
| image = MG TA Midget (1939) - 15108857176.jpg
| caption = 1939 TA open 2-seater
| production = 1936–1939
| engine = {{convert|1292|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''MPJG'' [[Inline-four engine|I4]]
| body_style = [[Roadster (automobile)|open 2-seater / roadster]]<br />Airline [[coupé]]<br />Tickford drophead coupé.
| width = {{convert|56|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|140|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
}}
The TA Midget replaced the [[MG P-type|PB]] in 1936.<ref name=mgcars>{{citation |title=The Background to the T-Series |url=http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgt.html |contribution=MG T-Series |publisher=www.mgcars.org.uk |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805152441/http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgt.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was an evolution of the previous car and was {{convert|3|in|mm}} wider in its track at {{convert|45|in|mm}} and {{convert|7|in|mm}} longer in its wheelbase at {{convert|94|in|mm}}.
The previous advanced [[overhead-cam]] [[inline-four engine]] was by then not in use by any other production car so it was replaced by the MPJG [[Overhead valve|OHV]] unit from the [[Wolseley Ten]], but with twin [[SU carburetor|SU]] carburettors, modified camshaft and manifolding. The engine displaced just 1292&nbsp;cc, with a stroke of {{convert|102|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and a bore of {{Convert|63.5|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and power output was 50&nbsp;hp (40.3&nbsp;kW) at 4,500 rpm. The four-speed [[manual gearbox]] gained [[synchromesh]] on the two top ratios and was connected to the engine by a cork-faced clutch running in oil. Unlike the PB, hydraulic brakes were fitted with {{convert|9|in|mm|adj=on}} drums.
[[File:1938 MG TA (21681121886).jpg|thumb|left|1938 TA in competition, Italy 2015]]
Like the PB, most were two-seat open cars with a steel body on an [[ash tree|ash]] frame. A bench-type seat was fitted with storage space behind.
The T-type was capable of reaching almost {{convert|80|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} in standard tune with a 0–60&nbsp;mph time of 23.1 seconds.{{sfnp|Green|1997|p=|ps=none}}
Allan Tomlinson won the [[1939 Australian Grand Prix]] handicap driving an MG TA.
3,003 were made and in 1936 it cost £222 on the home market, the same as the PB.
When first introduced the model was known as the T Type and only after the advent of the TB did the TA designation come into use.<ref>{{citation |title=The M.G. TA |url=http://www.billdavis.org/MGTA/ |contribution=Basic Information on M.G.'s First T Series Midget |publisher=www.billdavis.org |access-date=19 July 2011}}</ref>
===Tickford drophead coupé===
From 1938 the car could also be had with a more luxurious ''Tickford'' drophead coupé body by [[Tickford#Salmons & Sons|Salmons]] of [[Newport Pagnell]], and 252 were made.{{sfnp|Green|1997|p=|ps=}} The soft top could be used in three positions, fully open, closed or open just over the seats. Wind-up windows were fitted to the higher topped doors making the car more weathertight and individual bucket seats used in the fully carpeted interior. Complete chassis were fitted with a very basic body at the Abingdon factory and driven to Newport Pagnell to have their coachwork fitted.
===Airline fixed head coupé===
[[File:110 ans de l'automobile au Grand Palais - MG Midget TA 'Airline' Coupé - 1936 -5.jpg|thumb|left|TA Airline coupé]]
[[File:MG TA of Allan Tomlinson.jpg|thumb|Allan Tomlinson won the [[1939 Australian Grand Prix]] driving a TA]]
A closed ''Airline'' coupé made by [[Carbodies#Carbodies' MGs|Carbodies]], as fitted to the P type, was also offered but only one or two are thought to have been made.
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=={{anchor|TB|TB Midget}}TB Midget==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = TB Midget
| caption = 1939 open 2-seater
| image = File:1939 MG TB - Flickr - 111 Emergency.jpg
| production = 1939–1940
| engine = {{convert|1250|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''XPAG'' [[Inline-four engine|I4]]
| body_style = [[Roadster (automobile)|open 2-seater / roadster]] <br /> Tickford drophead coupé
| width = {{convert|56|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|140|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
}}
The TA was replaced by the TB Midget in May 1939. It had a smaller but more modern XPAG engine as fitted to the [[Morris Ten Series M]], but in a more highly tuned state and like the TA with twin SU carburettors. This 1250&nbsp;cc [[Inline-four engine|straight-four]] unit featured a slightly less [[undersquare]] {{convert|66.6|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} bore and {{Convert|90|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} stroke and had a maximum power output of {{convert|54|hp|abbr=on}} at 5200 rpm. The oil-immersed clutch was also replaced by a dry-plate type and gear ratios revised.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
Available as an open two-seater or more luxurious Tickford drophead coupé, this is the rarest of the T-type cars, as production began just prior to Britain's entry into World War II.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Only 379 TBs were made before the MG factory emptied its buildings and switched to making major aircraft components and modifying tanks.<ref>[https://www.mgcc.co.uk/articles/mg-in-the-second-world-war/ MG in WW2] accessed 28 December 2018</ref>
{|
|[[File:1939 MG TB (21693489661).jpg|thumb|left|1939 TB, [[Gran Premio Nuvolari]] 2015]]
|[[File:MG TB Tickford 1939.jpg|thumb|1939 Tickford drophead coupé]]
|}
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=={{anchor|TC|TC Midget}}TC Midget==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = TC Midget
| image = File:MG TC (1947) - 19816029560.jpg
| caption = 1947 TC
| production = 1945–1950
| engine = {{convert|1250|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''XPAG'' [[Overhead valve engine|ohv]] [[Inline-four engine|I4]]<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004/>
| body_style = [[Roadster (automobile)|open 2-seater / roadster]]
| width = {{convert|56|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|140|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|53|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004/>
}}
The TC Midget was the first postwar MG,<ref name=mgcars/> and was launched in 1945.   It was quite similar to the pre-war TB, sharing the same {{convert|1250|cc|cuin|abbr=on}} pushrod-[[Overhead valve|OHV]] engine with a slightly higher compression ratio of 7.4:1 giving {{convert|54.5|bhp|abbr=on}} at 5200 rpm.  The makers also provided information for several alternative stages of tuning for "specific purposes".<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004>{{cite journal |title=Second Hand car guide supplement |journal=Practical Motorist |volume=6 Nbr 68 |pages=768–769 |date=April 1960}}</ref>  The XPAG engine is well known for its tunability.  The TC engine was a slightly improved version of the XPAG first introduced to MG in the TB.  Notable improvement was through the addition of a hydraulically (oil pressure) adjusted timing chain tensioner.  All TCs utilized a (single battery) 12 volt electrical system. All TCs came with 19" [[Dunlop Rubber|Dunlop]] wire wheels. Automatic mechanical timing advance was built into the ignition distributor.
It was exported to the United States, even though the car was only ever built in right-hand drive.<ref name="Cheetham">{{cite book|last1=Cheetham|first1=Craig|title=Vintage Cars – The Finest Prewar Automobiles|date=2004|publisher=Grange Books|location=Rochester, United Kingdom|isbn=1840136359|pages=149}}</ref> The export version had slightly smaller US specification sealed-beam headlights (7-inch buckets) and twin tail lights, as well as turn signals and chromed front and rear bumpers with over riders.
The body was approximately 4 inches (100&nbsp;mm) wider than the TB measured at the rear of the doors to give more cockpit space. The overall car width remained the same resulting in narrower running boards with two tread strips as opposed to the previous three. The tachometer was directly in front of the driver, while the speedometer/odometer was on the other side of the dash in front of the passenger, a nod to MG's trials history.
10,001 TCs were produced, from September 1945 (chassis number TC0251) to November 1949 (chassis number TC10251), more than any previous MG model.<ref name="Cheetham" /> It cost £527 on the home (UK) market in 1947.
Fuel consumption was {{convert|28|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus|1|abbr=on}}.{{sfnp|Willson|1995|p=|ps=}} Its 0–60&nbsp;mph time was 22.7 seconds, a respectable performance at the time.{{sfnp|Willson|1995|p=|ps=}}  A low fuel warning light would glow on the dash to alert the driver.
{|
|[[File:MG TC MIDGET (1948) - 15783647125.jpg|thumb|1948 TC with full weather protection]]
[[File:MG-interior.jpg|thumb|left|1948 TC with aero screens in position and windscreen flat]]
[[File:Engine MGTC 1949.jpg|thumb|left|TC engine bay]]
|}
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=={{anchor|TD|TD Midget}}TD Midget==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = TD Midget
| image = File:MG TD (1953) - 9579209380.jpg
| caption = 1953 TD
| production = 1950–1953
| engine = {{convert|1250|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''XPAG'' [[Inline-four engine|I4]]
| body_style = [[Roadster (automobile)|open 2-seater / roadster]]
| width = {{convert|59|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1953/>
| length = {{convert|145|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1953/>
| height = {{convert|53|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} <ref name=Motor1953/>
| wheelbase = {{convert|94|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1953/>
}}
The TD Midget, announced in January 1950,<ref name=TT51593>{{cite news | title=New M.G. Midget Car | newspaper=The Times | date=19 January 1950 | page=3 | issue=51593}}</ref> combined the TC's drivetrain, a modified [[hypoid]]-geared rear axle, the [[MG Y-type]] chassis, a familiar T-type style body and [[independent suspension]] on front axle using coil springs from the MG Y-type saloon:  a 1950 road-test report described as "most striking" the resulting "transformation&nbsp;... in the comfort of riding".<ref name="Autocar1950"/>  The  entire drivetrain was not lifted from the TC; along with the new hypoid differential, a completely different transmission was used (albeit also a four-speed).  Also lifted from the company's successful 1¼-litre saloon was the (still highly geared) [[rack and pinion]] steering.<ref name="Autocar1950">{{cite journal |title=M.G. Midget Series TD Two-Seater |journal=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] |date=20 January 1950}}</ref> In addition the TD featured smaller {{convert|15|in|mm|adj=on}} disc type road wheels, a left-hand drive option and standard equipment bumpers and over-riders. The car was also {{convert|5|in|mm}} wider with a track of {{convert|50|in|mm}}. It was seen by enthusiasts at the time as a disappointment, mild and "not a sports car", instead "largely designed to consolidate and expand the car's sale in North America."<ref name=TT51593/>  The first TDs were built in late 1949.
For the driver the "all-weather protection" was good by the standards of the time.<ref name="Autocar1950"/>  For night driving, instrument illumination was "effective but not dazzling, by a pale green lighting effect".<ref name="Autocar1950"/>  There was still no fuel gauge, but the {{convert|12|impgal|usgal litre|abbr=on|round=0.5}} of tank capacity gave a range between refuelling stops of about 300 miles (480&nbsp;km) and a green light on the facia flashed a "warning" when the fuel level was down to about {{convert|2.5|impgal|usgal litre|abbr=on|round=0.5}}.<ref name="Autocar1950"/>
In 1950 the TD MkII Competition Model was introduced, produced alongside the standard car, with a more highly tuned engine using an 8.1:1 compression ratio giving {{convert|57|bhp|abbr=on}} at 5,500 rpm. The higher compression ratio engine was offered with export markets in mind, and would not have been suitable for the UK, where carryover wartime restrictions limited fuel to 72 octane "[[pool petrol]]". The TD MkII also featured twin fuel pumps, additional Andrex dampers, and a higher ratio rear-axle.
Nearly 30,000 TDs had been produced, including about 1700 Mk II models, when the series ended in 1953 with all but 1656 exported, 23,488 of them to the US alone.{{sfnp|Green|1997|p=|ps=}} The main complaint that US owners had with the MG TD sold in the US was the British 12-volt electrical system, which was hard to service when most US cars were still using 6 volts. Also, they had minor complaints over the lack of water temperature and fuel gauges. But in general in surveys, owners of the Americanised MG TD had more positive remarks than negative.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=XNwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA89 "The Owner's Report on the MG."] ''Popular Mechanics'', June 1952, pp. 89-92/240.</ref> The 0–{{convert|60|mi/h|abbr=on}} time was 22.7 seconds according to ''[[Popular Mechanics]]''.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNwDAAAAMBAJ |title=Popular Mechanics&nbsp;– Google Boeken |date=June 1952 |publisher=Hearst Magazines |access-date=6 October 2012}}</ref>
An example tested by ''[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]'' magazine in 1952 had a top speed of {{convert|77|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and could accelerate from 0–{{convert|60|mi/h|abbr=on}} in 18.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of {{convert|26.7|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}} was recorded.<ref name=Motor1953>{{cite journal |title=The M.G. Midget Series TD Road Test  |journal=[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]] |date=8 October 1952}}</ref>
<gallery>
File:Interior 1953 MG TD - MUF 980 - (9088777668).jpg|1953 TD instrument panel
File:Engine Bay 1953 MG TD - MUF 980 - (9086564929).jpg|1953 TD engine bay
File:MG TD (1953) , Dutch licence registration DL-03-98 pic3.JPG|1953 TD badge
</gallery>
In 1998, the rights, intellectual properties and trademarks associated with the production of the MG TD were acquired by TD Cars Sdn Bhd in Malaysia to reproduce the TD series as [[TD2000]].
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=={{anchor|TF|TF Midget|TF 1500|TF 1500 Midget}}TF and TF 1500 Midget==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = TF Midget
| image = MG TF 1954 Sports Car.jpg
| caption = 1954 MG TF 1250
| production = 1953–1955
| engine = {{ubl | {{convert|1250|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''XPAG'' [[Inline-four engine|I4]] | {{convert|1466|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''XPEG'' I4 }}
| body_style = [[Roadster (automobile)|open 2-seater / roadster]]
| width = {{convert|59|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|147|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|52.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004/>
}}
The TF Midget, launched on 15 October 1953,<ref name=TT52754>{{cite news | title=New M.G.Cars | newspaper=The Times | date=16 October 1953 | page=5 | issue=52754}}</ref> was a facelifted TD,<ref name="CulshawHorrobin">{{cite book |last1=Culshaw |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVZWnZbUJOYC |title=The complete catalogue of British Cars 1895 – 1975 |last2=Horrobin |first2=Peter |publisher=Veloce Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-874105-93-0 |edition=Paperback |location=Poundbury, Dorchester, UK |pages=212–213 |chapter=MG |quote=The TC Midget was ... announced in 1945, and its successor, the TD of 1950, though at first received with horror by enthusiasts on account of its specification, which actually included independent front suspension and even bumpers, is now ... revered and sought after.... The last of the traditionally-styled MGs, the TF, came in 1953 and was built in both 1{{citefrac|1|4}}- and 1{{citefrac|1|2}}-litre form. |ref=Horroshaw |access-date=6 December 2013 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVZWnZbUJOYC&pg=PA211 |orig-year=1974}}</ref> fitted with the TD Mark II engine, headlights faired into the wings, a sloping radiator grille concealing a separate radiator, and a new pressurised cooling system along with a simulated external radiator cap.<ref name=mgcars/> This XPAG engine's compression ratio had been increased to 8.1:1 and extra-large valves with stronger valve springs and larger carburettors increased output to 57.5&nbsp;bhp at 5,500 rpm.<ref name=TT52754/>
[[File:MG TF-1500 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|MG TF 1500 showing enamel plate]]
In mid-1954 the engine capacity was increased by 17 per cent to 1466 cc and designated XPEG. The bore was increased to {{convert|72|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and compression raised to 8.3:1 giving {{convert|63|bhp|abbr=on}} at 5,000 rpm and a 17 per cent increase in torque. The car was designated TF1500, and externally distinguished by a cream background enamel nameplate on both sides of the bonnet, placed just to the rear of the forward bonnet-release buttons.
Production ended at chassis number TF10100 on 4 April 1955 after 9,602 TFs had been manufactured, including two prototypes and 3,400 TF1500s.  The TF was superseded by the all new [[MG MGA|MGA]].
{{clear left}}
<gallery widths="200px" heights="142px">
File:1955 MG TF 1500, rear left (Hershey 2019).jpg|MG TF 1500, rear view
File:MG TF - Flickr - exfordy (2).jpg|Octagonal instrument bezels in a TF 1500
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[MG Car Club]]
==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist|30em}}
'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |title=MG Sportscars |first=Malcolm |last=Green |publisher=CLB International |year=1997 |isbn=1-85833-606-6}}
*{{citation |last=Willson |first=Quentin |title=The Ultimate Classic Car Book |year=1995 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=0-7894-0159-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ultimateclassicc00quen }}
{{refend}}
==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Holmes-UltConv |pages=102–105 |ref=none}}
*{{citation |last=Jones |first=Barrie |title=Barrie's Notes&nbsp;– Maintaining a 1955 MG TF in the 21st Century |year=2005 |publisher=The Printing Press |isbn=0-9546974-2-1 |ref=none}}
*{{citation |title=A-Z of Cars of the 1930s |first1=Michael |last1=Sedgwick |first2=Mark |last2=Gillies |publisher=Bay View Books |year=1989 |isbn=1-870979-38-9 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{commons category|MG T}}
* [http://carjournals.net/mg-tf-1500/ MG TF 1500 1955]
* [http://www.ttypes.org/ttt2 TTT2, a free bimonthly online technical MG T-Type publication]
* [http://www.tregister.org The MG Car Club T Register]
* [http://www.mgtd.co.uk 1950 MGTD Restoration Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010124015400/http://www.mgtd.co.uk/ |date=24 January 2001 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060813110300/http://www.themgcarshop.com/testimonials.htm The story of "Winston" Dr. Jim Brown's 1954 MGTF]
* [http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/ The Original MGTD Midget]
* [http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtf/ The Original MGTF Midget]
* [http://www.nemgtr.org/ The New England MG T Register, Ltd.]
{{British Motor Corporation cars, 1952-1966}}
[[Category:MG vehicles|T]]
[[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]
[[Category:Roadsters]]
[[Category:Coupés]]
[[Category:1930s cars]]
[[Category:1940s cars]]
[[Category:1950s cars]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans race cars]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1936]]