Vehicle Description
Beautiful older restoration with freshly rebuilt engine. New
stainless spoke wire wheels and radial tires. Fantastic color
combination. A reliable, fun, entertaining driver that delivers the
authentic MG experience. This appealing MG is instantly
recognizable, and even people who don't know much about cars seem
to know that this is an MG and that an MG is special. The brilliant
Signal Red paint certainly helps, because, after all, if you're
going to have a sports car, you may as well go with something
flashy. The high-quality workmanship is visible throughout, with a
deep gloss to the paint, laser-straight sheetmetal, and excellent
fit and finish that shows in the way the doors open and close and
how easy the hood is to latch. It's difficult to resist running
your fingertips down the long hood and while the TD was a notable
update over the TC, it still has that old-fashioned MG look with
separate headlights, an upright grille, and flowing fenders. This
particular car is nicely dressed with chrome bumpers, accessory
mirrors, and a Boyce moto-meter atop the radiator which is a
wonderfully old-fashioned touch. The chrome was all restored with
the rest of the car and remains in very good condition. It was not
restored to be a trailer queen, so there are a few signs of use,
but the quality is visible throughout and it works quite well.The
interior is trimmed in black vinyl that's durable and comfortable,
with a traditional look that suggests old world craftsmanship.
Interestingly, MG used individual lower seat cushions but one
single backrest, which is adjustable for angle, so it's easy to get
comfortable, even for taller drivers. There's also a steering
column that's adjustable for reach, which is a nice feature on an
early car like this. The seating surfaces are supple and smooth
with only moderate signs of use on the driver's cushion, and the
door panels are beautifully fitted with built-in map pockets. The
lovely wood-rimmed steering wheel was replaced during the
restoration and all those lovely green-faced gauges were rebuilt
and remain fully functional. The other switches are familiar, from
the pull-out starter knob to the rotating headlight switch. For
weather protection, this car has a nicely fitted black canvas
convertible top that folds and stows behind the seat, as well as a
full set of side curtains and a full tonneau for the passenger
compartment. There is no trunk, but the area behind the seat is
neatly finished and includes a narrow compartment for
storage.Mechanically, the TD wasn't all that different from the TC,
including the recently rebuilt 1250cc inline-four cylinder engine.
It makes a rather sprightly 53 horsepower, but in such a
lightweight package it's plenty energetic and makes wonderful
sports car sounds. Fed by a pair of side-draft carburetors
breathing through cool competition-style air cleaners, it's
correctly finished and nicely detailed, from the MG Maroon paint on
the block itself to the polished aluminum valve cover on top. A
cowl-mounted SU fuel pump keeps the carbs fed and a few flashes of
color like the yellow cooling fan and ignition wires look racy.
During the restoration, it was fully rebuilt to factory specs and
it runs superbly, starting easily and running down the road with a
gutsy sound that is a big part of the MG experience. It shows a few
minor signs of use the quality of the restoration work is evident
throughout. Again, this one was built to drive, so it's not
perfect, but you'll never hesitate to open the hood at shows and
show it off a little bit. The 4-speed manual gearbox is probably
the one thing that makes people fall in love with MGs. With light
throws, just the right gear ratios, and a wonderfully precise feel,
you'll find yourself shifting just for the sheer joy of it. The
engine is torquey enough to pull 4th gear even from very low
speeds, but the fun is in running it through the gears with
enthusiasm, letting the engine sing its surprisingly deep baritone
song through the single tailpipe out back. It's not fast, not by
today's standards, but the fun is in driving it at 8/10ths and
still running at a moderate pace without endangering everyone else
on the road. You feel like you're exercising the car and having a
ball doing it. The suspension was upgraded on the TD and the
rack-and-pinion steering is a wonderful addition, giving improved
precision with less effort. There's a recent exhaust system, the
wood floors are obviously new, and the structural pieces are in
excellent condition throughout. Upgraded shocks were included with
the TD and the standard drum brakes are plenty powerful and with
the light curb weight, even those skinny 165R15 blackwall radials
on shiny wire wheels are grippy enough to be entertaining.This is
just a wonderful little car that looks great and drives even
better. Fully sorted and reliable, it's an excellent car for the
novice or experienced hobbyist and the cheerful look will win it
fans everywhere you go. These cars are demonically expensive to
restore properly, so it always makes sense to buy a good one, and
we can't find many things to fault here. Call today!Harwood Motors
always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections
of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.
