This TD Really Scored

From the end of the 1920s into the mid 1930s, MG, a one time dealer and repair shop known as Morris Garages that turned into a manufacturer of its own right, was doing a booming business with a series of open aired cars it called Midgets. The Midgets were small sports cars that had won favor throughout Britain because of their size, light weight, ease of handling and zesty engine.

By the middle of the 1930s MG had been sold to the Nuffield Group which decided to change the Midget design a bit and rebrand it the T Series. While the body of the new TA didn't change much from the previous Midgets, what was under the hood did, becoming more mundane. This turned off many of the car's potential enthusiasts. But once they got inside and took it for a drive they discovered that the car had more room and even though it lacked the raw growl they were use to in a Midget, was actually faster.

In 1939 the car was updated with a new, modern cockpit and was re-dubbed the TB. It also received a larger 1250cc engine that added boost to an already fast car. Then in 1945, at the conclusion of World War II, it got a minor update to the interior and rode on a little wider chassis and was called the TC. The TC was the first of the MG Midget line to have substantial exports to other countries.

By 1950, still sporting a Morgan-esque 1930s style skin, the car received a major make over within the cabin as well as under the hood. The TD had a totally new chassis, an advanced gear box and even steel disc brakes, the first MG car to sport this stopping technology. Perhaps the biggest news about the car was that it was also available in a left hand drive version. American drivers loved it and for that reason there are many TDs that will show up at car events in this country. Just look at the number that were on display at the recent British Car Day show and you will have an idea.

While the TD got another face lift a couple of years later and became the TF, it soon gave way to a new, modern looking MG model called the MGA. Still, it was the TD that turned heads in North America and convinced new owners, the British Motor Corporation, that they could greatly expand their reach and increase sales.