For Sale at Auction: 1953 MG TD Mark II in Newport Beach, California

Vehicle to be offered for sale June 2-4th, 2017 at Russo and Steele\'s 5th Annual Newport Beach California Auction. Please contact us for more information.\r\n\r\nIn 1950 the TD MkII Competition Model was introduced, produced alongside the standard car, with a more highly tuned engine using an 8.11 compression ratio giving 57 bhp 43 kW 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 thanks to the continued operation of wartime fuel restrictions, buyers were still limited to 72 octane Pool petrol. The TD MkII also featured twin fuel pumps, additional Andrex dampers, and a higher ratio rear-axle.\r\n \r\nNearly 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. 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 Americanized MG TD had more positive remarks than negative. 0-60 mph time was 22.7 seconds according to Popular Mechanics.\r\n \r\nThe only standard feature appears to be the provision of additional Andrex friction shock absorbers front and rear. Some of the modifications on offer included a modified cylinder head raising the horsepower of the engine from 54 bhp to 57, wider wheels, larger tires, higher rear axle ratios, twin fuel pumps, and larger carburetors. You could even have a supercharger. Most of the features of the Mark II were a part of the staged tuning that was described in various publications and offered as a factory tuning manual.\r\n\r\nThis rare MG TD MKII resided with the same Arizona adult owner for the past 28 years. The car received a complete restoration some 10 plus years ago but has seen minimal use since the restoration. The car was recently taken out of a climate controlled storage, a local British Automotive expert performed a systems check and fuel system cleaning. All of the fluids have been addressed, less then 20 miles on a fresh oil and filter change. The car drives extremely well and turns heads everywhere it goes. The car is equipped with a full set of side curtains and the original jack and tool kit. Keep in mind that this is a MKII of which only 1700 were imported. This was considered MG\'s competition or performance model for 1953 with carburetor, wheel, tire and engine upgrades. Another big plus for this British Classic is that being a pre-1957 model year it qualifies for all or most Vintage and Classic car events and rally\'s.