MG TD – Production! At last.
Once the first prototype TD had been produced, the specification was frozen quite quickly because MG were anxious to get the car into production. Many inside the company already considered it to be late because of Nuffield’s indecision and consequent delays. The scuttle shake issue, which was the only really significant problem the prototype exhibited, was largely, although not totally, solved for production by what development engineer Geroge Griffen nicknamed the ‘towel rail’. This was a large tubular brace, added to the chassis frame, which looped out of sight behind the facia above the occupant’s legs, to which the bodyshell was bolted. The tooling was rushed through at an almost wartime-like pace, and the very first test production TD, chassis TD0251, went down a production line full of TCS on the 10th of November 1949. Twenty-two further examples were assembled later in the month and production entered full swing before Christmas. The TD was officially launched on the 18th of January 1950, and by that time, well over 200 were already on their way to North America.
The masochists mutter.
The TD was greeted with some dismay by die-hard MG enthusiasts of the time, many of whom considered that the company had gone soft. They pointed to the car’s increased weight of 1930lbs, which was only 5lbs shy of being 200lbs heavier than the TC it replaced. They were also dismayed that it had, of all the travesties MG could have committed, bumpers! The replacement of the TC’s large and spindly 19” wire wheels with 15” plain steel wheels featuring wider tyres and MG hubcaps was also a bone of contention, so one must assume that the muttering masochistic contingent of the MG world welcomed the fact that you still could not order a TD with a heater…
Without the MG TD there would almost certainly not have been an MGF or MGB.
In fact, the provision of a heater was left to aftermarket suppliers such as Stanley H “Wacky” Arnolt, a Chicago industrialist, who imported many different makes of foreign cars into the US and produced various accessories for them. He even made a much more up-to-date body for the MG TD, although that is a story for a later blog in this series. His MG TD heater fitted on the gearbox tunnel just in front of the gear lever and had nice sharp corners for driver and passenger alike to bang their shins on…
Arnolt’s heater brochure extolled its virtues although whether it could actually produce enough hot air to cope with the weather in a New York winter is doubtful
A heater was offered as an optional extra on the TD’s spiritual son, the TF. It wasn’t even standard on the MGA, although by then it was a more commonly ticked box on the options form. In some ways, the modern world of classic cars has gone full circle as there are now accessory companies, such as Clayton Classics or the MGOC, offering updated 3-speed heaters for MGBs which are much more effective than the rather wheezy standard item. They can make the MGB a real all-year-round car, provided it can be protected from salt damage, of course…
A Clayton Classics 3-speed- heater fitted in an MGB.
Its deeper than the standard item so it can incorporate a larger more effective radiator and more powerful fan.
Pic:John Lakey
The plain wheels acquired holes quite quickly; however, after competition use showed the lack of airflow through the wheels led to overheating brakes. The holes also substantially improved the looks, although at the very end of TD production, in 1953, MG did offer it with wire wheels, and of course, many owners have since chosen this attractive option when restoring their cars. Those contentious bumpers proved to be a boon in the US market, though, where some bumper contact was, shall we say, not unusual, in normal inner-city parking procedure…
The wider world (and the press) love it.
Outside of the hard-core muttering cognoscenti, however, the TD was welcomed and applauded. The top speed of 80mph was praised as being 5mph faster than the TC, which, of course, used the same drivetrain. That was in spite of MG shortening the gearing of the final drive in order to offer improved acceleration in their new heavier car, so perhaps the still square TD was just a little more slippery than its predecessor, even though the TC was 3” narrower and would thus have presented a smaller frontal area to the wind it was battering into submission; MG were yet to do any serious thinking about aerodynamics… The roomier cockpit, calmer, more comfortable ride, accurate steering and improved weather protection were also praised. Demand outstripped supply almost immediately in both the UK and, most importantly, North America.
Even though the road test reports come from an era when UK automotive journalists were much more polite about the cars they were testing, especially British ones, it’s easy to see that the reception in both Britain and the important export markets was very positive. They liked the improved accommodation, the much more impressive Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes and the comfort provided by the new I.F.S system and wider tyres. Joe Lowrey, writing for ‘The Motor’, summed up his report by saying. Driving close on 900 miles leaves no doubt that as the MG Car Co Ltd. progresses down the alphabet in type designations, so also it progresses upwards in the provision of those qualities which make it the widest all-round appeal to motorists whose tastes lie in small open cars of above-average performance. This judgement is passed after ownership experience of two TA models, and more than a passing acquaintance with the TB and TC types.’
MG were savvy enough to market the TD on the fact it engenders affection, while also pointing out the improvement it offered over the TC.
The largely enthusiastic press also loved the new chassis, with ‘The Motor’ saying, ‘There is some measure of oversteer and some slight trace of roll. Coupled with these qualities is a steering gear, which is comparatively high-geared and effortless to use. They added, ‘There may be justification for the comment that in 1950, a two-seater car can be made which weighs less than 2,000lb, and is shaped to cause less disturbance of the air; the reply is that the MG TD at a (basic) price of £445, is far below that of anything of equal merit. The TD is a sturdy car offering much better comfort and roadworthiness than the preceding ‘TC’ model, accelerating well up to over 75mph and, despite the use of a low top-gear ratio, isn’t unduly fuel-thirsty. It is, in fact, a definite step forward.’
The Autocar were also enthusiastic, concluding their road test thus. ‘The Midget is a survivor of what, in the opinion of many people, is the right sort of small sports car. It caters for those who look upon motoring not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. Many thousands of these little cars are succeeding admirably in providing their owners with something that will, at one moment, journey forth and do the shopping and, at the next, take part in serious competitive events or tackle a 400-mile journey with zest; and this at a price which, in modern times, amounts to a very modest outlay.
Something which shows the TD had hit the spot with UK journalists as MGs had always been gateway into sports cars even then and would remain so. We’ll examine the production and styling of the TD in more detail during the final (sixth) instalment.
