Our MG

	Mike in the passenger seat in front of our old house in N. Virginia.

This is our MG, a 1955 TF-1500.   

In 1987 we (Dave) decided it was time to get a just-for-fun car - something to play around with and restore. Since Dave had driven and thoroughly enjoyed a 1955 MG TF-1500 during his freshman year at U. Hawaii, that was the car of choice.

Over the years he'd been sort of keeping track of ads and, as luck would have it, saw a local ad in the Washington Post the very day his judgment ran out. A brief test drive with no first gear, brakes or electricity convinced him - and it was only a quick 5 mile tow home. Two months later it was on the road with (mostly) working brakes and lights!! A couple more months brought a working first gear and other trappings of the decadent bourgeoisie.

John behind the wheel, July '87	Another view

Since then, Dave (and the boys while they were still at home) worked on it a piece at a time, rebuilding the engine, transmission and other mechanical and electrical systems, aiming toward "like new, but driven". Dave has straightened and refinished the most offending body panels and had some of the chrome pieces redone.

The car's first 8 years with us were a bit tough, what with occasionally having to take Dave to work on D.C.'s Capital Beltway and spending its nights gathering dew under the carport. But now that we're retired in upstate South Carolina, it's getting its reward - great winding mountain roads and an air-conditioned garage!

Some MG History - There were only 3400 MG TF-1500s built back in '55. The TF was the last of the square-rigged MG "Midget" series of sports cars begun in 1929 by Cecil Kimber of Morris Garages ("MG"). Throughout the 1930's MGs became very popular in Britain due, in part, to great racing success. The TC series which immediately followed WW2 is generally credited with starting the postwar sports car revolution in the US. The follow-on TD sold very well initially, but by 1953 was antiquated and losing sales. MG and much of Britain's motor industry had been centralised under the British Motor Corporation folly and BMC management refused the funds to modernise the MG. A facelift was all that could be afforded, so some works (factory) blokes started hammering on body panels. They narrowed the nose a bunch, raked the grille some, laid the petrol tank forward, nipped here and tucked there. It took just a fortnight to finish, after which they got the draughtsmen to start the drawings! The result looked amazingly different from a TD - some people loved the design as a modern embodiment of the classic British sportscar, while others despised it as being neither here nor there. Anyway, the TF was built only in 1954 and part of 1955 and only the 1955's got a larger 1500cc engine, thus the relative rarity of the TF-1500. Finally, in mid-1955, the TF was replaced by the much more modern-looking MGA.

Some British Sportscar Sayings:

• LUCAS, supplier of British car electrical components, is affectionately known as the Prince of Darkness.
• Why do the British drink their beer warm? ... Because their refrigerators are made by LUCAS.
• My British car isn't leaking oil, It's marking its territory.
• British cars employ the best of WWI technology.
• If God had wanted cars to be comfortable, He wouldn't have made an England.
• Roadster tops are Supposed to leak.
• What does LUCAS stand for?
  • Look Under Car After Starting
  • Lights Usually Crackle And Short
• Markings on Lucas three-position switch:   OFF/DIM/FLICKER
• Lucas:   The original inventor of the intermittent wiper.
• Why don't the british make televisions? ... They can't figure out how to make them leak oil.
• Why do British cars have factory installed driving lights? ... So you can see the tow rope at night.
• Why do the coupes have rear window defrosters? ... To keep your hands warm while pushing in the winter.
• How do you instantly double the value of a Triumph TR7? ... Fill the gas tank.
• All Parts Falling Off This Car are of the Finest English Workmanship.

For more on MGs, check out the MG Cars Enthusiasts Club

Back to our Home Page