Vehicle Description
1953 MG TD - Classic British Roadster - Red Paint with Red Interior
- Freshly Rebuilt Numbers Matching 1250cc 4 Cylinder - Cockpit
Tonneau Cover - Runs and Drives Exceptionally Well (Please note: If
you happen to be viewing this 1953 MG TD on a website other than
our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen
some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website
limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 130
photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video,
please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.) 1953 MG TD:
true vintage-style sports car motoring �€" Classic Cars Journal,
November 2020 Classic Cars Journal writer, Andy Reid, gave his
personal perspective on the MG TD and its predecessor: The MG TC
originally introduced US drivers to British sports cars, but its
successor is what really took this country by storm: the MG TD. The
TC was very much a prewar design, having a solid front axle and a
suspension more resembling that of a horse-drawn cart than an
automobile. The TD took the basics of the TC roadster and added
more interior room, rack-and-pinion steering and independent front
suspension. The car proved very popular, and MG would sell 29,664
TDs.... Having owned a TC and driven many TDs, I found that the TD,
while not quite as pure a design as the TC, more than makes up for
that by offering a much-improved car in every area. It handles
predictably and is more pleasant to drive, and with more interior
space than the TC. Another major selling point for US drivers, TDs
also were available with left-hand drive while TCs were
right-handers only, in keeping with their British roots. Offered
here is a numbers-matching 1953 MG TD in red over red. On every
level-workmanship, originality, condition, and aesthetics, the car
is a very satisfying example of a historic model from the
Abingdon-on-Thames MG Works. Currently showing 63, 010 miles on its
odometer, the TD has traveled fewer than 1,000 miles per-year on
average since new. A result of both regular maintenance and the
restoration work, the car runs and drives exceptionally well. The
exterior red paint shows excellent gloss and even application on
all sheet metal. MG Red is a very desirable shade among collectors,
both for its stand-apart-from-the-crowd statement and for how well
it suits the flowing lines on the TD body and fenders. (To best
assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view
the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.)
Complementing the paintwork, the chrome finishes have been superbly
maintained: the bespoke front grille, bumpers, headlight trim and
supports, windshield trim and hardware, side mirrors (located atop
the front fenders), door handles, rear cargo rack, taillights,
turn-indicator lights, and various body trim (including on the
running boards) all show high gloss and minimal patina. The car's
original MG grille emblem is pristine (with four enameled,
owner-added, bumper-mounted automobile club-type badges equally
pristine). Original, red-painted, 15-inch steel wheels with
MG-branded, chrome hubcaps are mounted with Kelly Springfield®
narrow-whitewall tires (the rear-mounted spare with matching wheel
and hubcap is a Firestone® 5.50-15 blackwall). Inside, the red
theme continues. The dashboard of the especially pleasing, gently
curved design is in excellent condition: the red leather is
beautifully preserved (including on both sides of the drop-down
glove-box door) and all Jaeger® gauges have perfect faces, shiny
chrome bezels, delicate indicator needles, and crystal-clear
lenses. The original banjo-style steering wheel completes a
driver's view unlike any other. Red leather upholstery in the
classic vertically pleated patterns is free of any signs of wear or
other damage. Cabin carpeting is charcoal in color. The shift l
