The
T Series MG's
At
the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, production of cars at MG in
Abingdon had given way to production and maintenance of machines of war, as
it had at most other engineering plants over the whole country. A very wide
variety of jobs were undertaken, ranging from servicing guns and production
of aircraft parts to overhauling tanks. No job was too large, too small, or
too difficult for the workers at MG.
With a return to peacetime in 1945, thoughts at MG turned once again to
building cars, but things were never to be the same again. A socialist
government was in power, bombing had ravaged the countrys industry, and
wartime shortages had led to rationing of just about everything. Although
there was a considerable demand on the home market for any form of personal
transport, raw materials were in short supply.
With the urgent need for the country to earn foreign income to aid
reconstruction, priority was given to supplying raw materials to those
companies who concentrated on exporting their products. The phrase
"export or die" had a very real meaning. Since little development
work was carried out during the war on the post-war generation of cars, so
most manufacturers simply dusted off their pre-war models, tidied them up
and wheeled them out. MG was no exception to this, but in the pervading
atmosphere it was clear that the big luxury saloons of the pre-war era would
not be looked upon with favour. Consequently, it was decided to concentrate
initially on the car which had been the mainstay of MG's reputation as a
manufacturer of sports cars - the Midget.
TA
Midget
It
was before the war, in the spring of 1936, when the replacement for the MG
PB appeared. The Cowley inspired TA Midget used many components of Morris
origin and, at first, was not popular with the "hardy" MG
enthusiasts. However, this resistance was soon overcome and the car widened
the appeal of sports cars, which had previously been looked upon as being
temperamental and difficult to drive.
The TA's chassis was of traditional MG design, but the tubular cross members
seen in previous models had been replaced by less stiff channel sections.
Also, the forward portions of the side rails had been made as box sections
to stiffen them, which was needed as the engine mountings were of rubber.
Suspension was by the now familiar leaf springs front and rear, but the
brakes were hydraulically operated for the first time on an MG. The engine
had been changed too. Gone was the neat, but demanding, ohc unit and in its
place was a 1292cc, pushrod, overhead-valve, four-cylinder engine. This was
essentially the same as that used in the Morris 10, but the MG was equipped
with twin SU carburettors and produced around 50bhp, which was a significant
increase compared to the PB. This was mated to four-speed transmission with
synchromesh, which was also a first for MG. The mechanical specification of
the TA made it a much easier car to drive, whilst still maintaining the
reputation of its predecessors. This opened up a whole new appeal of sports
cars to a much wider market than before.
TB
Midget
In
the summer of 1939, as the war clouds were gathering, MG announced the TB
Midget. In terms of chassis and body options it was essentially the same as
the TA, but the TB had a new engine, which was a 1250cc, ohv, four-cylinder
unit. Taken from the new Morris 10, and known as the XPAG engine, it had a
much stronger bottom-end than the previous unit, better valve timing and a
better-designed cylinder head. These design features combined to give a
power output of 45bhp. The engine was backed up by a dry clutch and a better
set of ratios than before with an improved synchromesh. All of this meant
that the little car looked very promising indeed, but the onset of war
stopped production as MG had other, more important, tasks to carry out.
TC
Midget
Before
the war, MG had offered the TB model. Which, after the war, was to receive a
few modifications to become the first post-war MG. The TC Midget had a
chassis which was essentially the same as its predecessor, however the
sliding trunnion spring mountings were dispensed with in favour of more
conventional rubber bush shackles. The engine was the now familiar twin-carburettor,
1250cc, pushrod, ohv XPAG unit. The transmission was also the single-plate
dry clutch and four-speed synchromesh unit as had been seen in the TB. The
brakes were 9 inch hydraulic units and the wheels the usual centre-locking
wires. The TC was only offered in one body style, this was an open
two-seater that was very similar in appearance to the TB model.
TD
Midget
The
TD Midget was the replacement for the TC and was announced in 1949. While it
followed the traditional styling of its predecessors, it was very much a
different story below the surface. The TD had a totally new chassis, this
had been developed from the chassis of the Y Type saloon and was a much
sturdier and stiffer frame than that of its predecessor. It had box section
side rails and cross members and was of an all welded construction. One
change that did not impress the hardy MG enthusiasts was the change from the
old 19 inch wire wheels in favour of 15 inch pressed steel wheels which had
a much more modern appearance. The engine was the same as the one used in
the TC as was the body, however the body of the TD was a little wider and
the wings were slightly different to contrast with the new wheels. The TD
was the first of the MGs to be equipped with front and rear bumpers.
TF
Midget
This
was to be the last of the T Series cars and today, many enthusiasts and
collectors would say it was the most desirable of the T Series. The MG TF
Midget was introduced in 1953. It was essentially the same as the TD, having
the same form of chassis, suspension, brakes, steering, engine, and
transmission. However it was the bodywork where most of the changes could be
found. It still had the unmistakable MG styling, which by this time was
becoming somewhat old fashioned but there were a number of obvious changes
which had been made.
The most obvious of these changes were to the front end where the radiator
grille had been lowered and raked and the front wings were shaped so that
the headlights could be faired into them rather than being separately
mounted. At the rear there was little difference compared to the TD,
although a valance was provided to fill the gap between the bottom of the
fuel tank and the bumper. In terms of performance, there was no change in
comparison with the TD, and despite the new body style, MG were kidding no
one but themselves. The sales figures for the car reflected this. By 1955,
the TF was seen even at Longbridge to be a flop, but all that could be done
in the short-term was to increase the engine to 1466cc, and the car was
called the TF 1500.
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