The MG ‘‘TF’’1500
Considered by many to be the most desirable of all the post-war T-types. Earlier TFs had 1250cc engines, and the larger engine gave the later cars better performance, but this was insufficient to compete with the more modern sports cars available in 1955 (Austin Healeys) and did little to halt the overall decline in sales. Replaced as it was by the more streamlined MGA, the TF1500 was the last MG to have the traditional bodywork styling made popular in 1932 with the introduction of the first MG Midget J2 two-seater sportscar.
The MG TF1500 was the last of the ‘true’ MG Midgets.
PRODUCTION FIGURES
| YEAR | PRODUCTION DATES | CARS MADE |
| 1953 | 17th September to 31st December TF0501 to TF2177 | 1677 |
| 1954 | 4th January to 30th December TF2178 to TF8643 | 6466 |
| 1955 | 4th January to 4th April TF8644 to TF10100 | 1457 |
Total production of the MG TF series was 9,600, all of which were powered by the XPAG 1250cc engine except cars with Chassis numbers 6501 to 6650, 6751 to 6850 and 6951 to 10100 which were equipped with the XPEG 1500cc engine. The XPEG engined cars were identified by ‘‘TF’’1500 badges on left and right engine bonnet sides. Only 3403 MG TF1500 cars were produced at Abingdon prior to the end of the ‘T’ Series.
MG TF1500 SPECIFICATION
| Engine: | Four-cylinder in line, overhead valve, water-cooled. 72 x 90mm. 1466cc. 63bhp. |
| Gearbox: | Four-speed with synchromesh on three higher ratios. |
| Final drive: | 4.875: 1. Top gear 15.2mph/1000rpm (24kph/1000rpm) |
| Suspension: | Front: Independent with coil springs, wishbones
and rack and pinion steering.
Rear: Live axle suspended on half-elliptic leaf springs. |
| Dimensions: | Wheelbase: 7ft 10in (2388mm).
Track: Front 3ft 11.75in (1213mm) Track: Rear 4ft 2in (1270mm) Overall length: 12ft 3in (3734mm) |
| Unladen weight: | 17.25cwt (876kg) |
| Performance: | Top speed 88mph (142kph) |
| Cost when new: | £550 plus £230.5s.10d Purchase Tax |
By: Robert C Stokes, Bugle, Cornwall.
It had been a dream of mine, that one day I would visit the ‘home of the MG’. And so it was on the weekend of 26/28 August 2000 that I decided to visit my MG ‘mad’ brother who just happened to live 20 miles from Abingdon at Carterton. It being a Bank Holiday weekend, I decided that the most sensible route from Bugle, in Cornwall, would be to take the A361 Devon link road to South Molton, passing through historic Glastonbury and then on to Devizes and Swindon.
My car, an aged MGB GT, was enjoying the journey and motoring well and soon we passed through Lechlade and onwards to Carterton. The Saturday and Sunday were relatively quiet and I was very much looking forward to the Bank Holiday Monday and, what was for me a dream come true, the Abingdon Works Motor Show.
The morning of the show dawned bright and dry and the final leg of our journey to Abingdon, some twenty miles, was covered in a short time.
We were warmly welcomed on arrival to the show and on booking in, received our Rally Plaque to remind us of the day. My first port of call was alongside ‘Old Number 1’. I had seen pictures of this car in books but never had I been so close to a piece of MG history.
Wandering around the various displays and exhibited cars I was enthralled by the sight of so many MGs, some of which legends have been borne.
There were Cream Crackers and examples of the Three Musketeers. I had never seen so many examples of the different MG series before, and certainly not in one place. Pristine specimens at every turn, T series, L, J and P Types, Magnettes and an abundance of more modern MGs.
What a superb day, and one that will provide many lasting memories - until next year at least.
For this second feature, we
concentrate on an MG and its owner in Cornwall. This car is of particular
interest for a number of reasons. Firstly, without trying to sound
condescending, the owner is a lady. Secondly,
the owner had specific ideas when choosing an MG. And thirdly, the vehicle has
an interesting history.
Sally-Anne and her husband Jonathan live just outside Truro in Cornwall. Sally-Anne has owned an MG since 1992 when she bought her first Midget. The S-plated, Pageant Blue, rubber bumpered car became part of her life and she joined the MG Owner’s Club shortly after. Although not in regular use, Sally-Anne is loathed to part with her first MG.
Sally-Anne had very definite
ideas when it came to the acquisition of a new MG. This lady was not going to be
left at traffic lights (there are one or two of them in Cornwall - if you search
for them!) by MX5s or MR2s. Apart from a ‘head turner’, Sally-Anne wanted,
above all else, a V8 power plant. The distinctive ‘burbling’ of a Rover V8
engine had captivated her, as it has done to so many devotees of this piece of
engineering history.
By chance, one morning in
October 1998, Enjoying MG, the MG Owner’s Club monthly magazine, arrived by
post and inside was an article entitled – “A V8 Special - the Ultimate
Classic Tourer”. The previous
owner of the car also had definite ideas about his dream car and had put his
scheme into reality.
NPO 767 R, or ‘Growler’ as Sally-Anne was to call it, started life as a Californian imported MGB Roadster. Having been stored in a leaky barn for some considerable time, the body shell had suffered the ravages of corrosion and many of the panels had been replaced. Once the bodywork had been sorted out and converted to right-hand drive, the original blue paintwork was replaced with Rover metallic Nightfire Red, giving it a stunning vision of a truly British sportscar – if not exactly original – but then again, this car was anything but original.
The engine, started its life as a Rover P5 3500 but had been overbored by 20 thou, stroked out to 4300cc with modified crankshaft, con-rods and pistons. The cylinder heads were modified to Stage 2 with a 460cfm Holley carburettor mated to a Edelbrock manifold. The power plant had been fully balanced giving it 251.4 bhp and 300 ft lbs torque. The gearbox from a Rover SD1 provided the 5-speed transmission. An MG RV8 bonnet was fitted to enclose the V8.
To cope with the tremendous power output, the suspension had been up-rated with Wilwood four-pot calliper ventilated disc brakes with coil over shock absorbers at the front giving a negative camber and disc brakes with coil springs and trailing arms to the rear. The use of Koni dampers and a panhard rod with strengthened bodywork at the rear completed the suspension modifications.
Sitting on the tarmac with
6J x 15in. Performance Superlite alloy wheels and fitted with Firestone 205
rubber boots, this car looks seriously mean.
The interior has been
trimmed in colour co-ordinated red/cream. Sumptuous leather seats and a
bountiful supply of wood trim gives the car opulent luxury. The ‘crowning
glory’ is of an insulated mohair hood, which not only looks spectacular, but
provides surprising serenity in an unquestionable cacophony of V8 thundering.
The vehicle was originally
conceived as a ‘street legal’ rally car, but Sally-Anne and Jonathan also
wished for refinements to their taste. The rally-style seatbelts were replaced
with inertia-reels for comfort and the electronic central-locking mechanisms
were removed, as there was a conflict with their other every day transport. The
Perspex headlamp cowls have been removed for aesthetic reasons but they have no
immediate need to make any other alterations.
The pure exhilaration of
driving this car has enthralled Sally-Anne and Jonathan. With the hood down, as
all MGB Roadsters should be driven, the sound of the V8, with its distinctive
exhaust note, this is motoring nirvana. Sally-Anne and Jonathan are adamant when
they say that they do not intend to sell ‘Growler’.
A perplexing situation arises as Sally-Anne refers to the car as ‘Him’. We are always led to believe that cars are extensions of the male libido. Perhaps it is fitting then that Jonathan has his BMW Convertible as a means of transportation!
TIM KELLY
MG SPECIALIST
Tim Kelly, together with his wife Viv and their specialist team, is well known to MG owners throughout Cornwall. The quality of workmanship spent on each MG is probably unsurpassed within the county. Tim Kelly is especially noted for the highest standard of paint finishing which is evident in the quality of the 'Show Cars' exhibited throughout Cornwall and beyond.
Tim started his business in Illogan in 1980, breaking MGs and selling secondhand parts in order to keep Cornish sportscars on the road. As the business expanded over the years, Tim found it necessary to relocate to larger premises and in 1990 he moved to the old Great Western Railway Yard at St Agnes, near Truro.
His staff of four persons, including Peter who specialises in mechanics and William whose expertise is in bodywork, work five days a week to keep up with the demand for their sought after craftsmanship.
Tim Kelly is rightly proud to have been awarded the top 5 Stars and 5 Spanners for the year 2000 from the MG Owner's Club for the supply of Spares and Workshop facilities, as recommended by satisfied MG Owner's Club members. Tim is also a recommended MG Car Club Trade Member for the year 2000 and approved by the British Motor Heritage Trust.
There is always a large selection of New, reconditioned and secondhand spare parts in stock to keep our cars serviceable.
Tim Kelly still buys MGs for spares, but these days there is the ever increasing demand for high quality restored cars and Tim is kept busy trying to stay level with demand. MGBs, MGB GTs and Midgets are not the only cars that keep Tim Kelly busy, in fact, he has been involved in the restoration of a number of early MG Series and he is building on his reputation with other Classic Car owners.
Contact Tim or Viv on:
01872 - 553040
Unit 8 Great Western Railway Yard
St Agnes, Nr. Truro
Cornwall
TR5 0PD
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