Description
Delivered new to Switzerland
Retains its original XPAG engine
Fastidiously maintained in Switzerland by specialist Pichler AG
Returned to the UK in 2021
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
This MG TC is a charming example of one of the Abingdon marque’s most significant models, and its long-term owner says that it’s been a ‘much loved and enjoyed car’.
The factory production record for chassis number TC8293 shows that it was built on 28 March 1949 and fitted with XPAG engine number 8757, which has stayed with the car ever since. It was first registered on 6 April, and exported to an owner in Switzerland.
The MG would remain there for more than 70 years, passing through several enthusiast owners until being acquired by its current custodian in 2010. During his time with the car in Switzerland, the TC was maintained, serviced and stored through winter with Pichler GFG AG in Gstaad. In addition to its classic-car services, Pichler is an agent for the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bentley and Bugatti.
The MG was used for a number of rallies in Switzerland, with photographs on file showing it in idyllic Alpine countryside. When the owner bought a second home in the Cotswolds, he brought the car back to the UK in 2021 and it was given the registration PXS 303.
Now being offered for sale at the Classic Motor Hub, this MG TC is the archetypal British sports car of its period. Sit behind the Bluemel’s Brooklands steering wheel and the rev counter is positioned in front of you, the speedometer (in kilometres per hour) is over to the left, while the stubby gear lever sits beneath the dashboard.
There is a fine view down the bonnet and the windscreen can be folded flat, leaving just aero screens. It all adds up to an attractive, sporting two-seater that has been fastidiously maintained by its current owner.
MODEL HISTORY
The T-series line of MG Midgets started with the 1936 TA, which upset marque purists due to its use of a Morris 10-derived engine. Three years later, however, the TB introduced the all-new XPAG engine. This 1250cc, overhead-valve, four-cylinder unit produced 55bhp at 5250rpm, and was ripe for tuning – something that enthusiast owners would fully exploit after the war.
Announced in October 1945, the TC carried over much from its predecessor, including the XPAG engine, but a wider body gave more interior room. The suspension was also updated via the use of hydraulic lever-arm dampers, while the gearbox was a four-speed unit with synchromesh on all but first gear.
With its willing engine, pretty bodywork and a top of speed of nearly 80mph, the TC was a hit, not only at home – where Prince Philip, soon to marry the future Queen Elizabeth II, owned one – but also in the all-important export markets. It sold incredibly well in the United States and nearly 2000 cars went there, out of the 10, 000 that were built.
Young American Phil Hill, who was just getting into motor racing in California and would go on to win the 1961 World Championship, owned two TCs during the late 1940s and early ’50s. He upgraded the second one by fitting a supercharger and doing various other modifications, and when he started racing it, he said that it was ‘terrifically successful – in fact, it was considered the hottest thing around at the time’.
It was at least partly because of pressure from this lucrative new North American market that MG replaced the TC in 1950. The TD boasted a new chassis with independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering, and the final T-series model was the TF, production of which lasted until the introduction of the MGA in 1955.
