Question 1

What is the MG T Series?

Accepted Answer

The MG T Series, also called the T-Types, is a family of five classic British sports cars built at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, between 1936 and 1955: the TA, TB, TC, TD and TF. They share a separate steel chassis and an ash-framed body tub, and are widely regarded as the last of the traditional MGs before the MGA replaced them.

Question 2

What years does the MG T Series cover?

Accepted Answer

The MG T Series was built from 1936 to 1955. The TA opened the range in 1936, the TB followed in 1939, production restarted with the TC in 1945, the TD arrived in 1950, and the TF, including the TF 1500, closed the line in 1955 before the MGA replaced it.

Question 3

Is this the same as the modern MG TF?

Accepted Answer

No. The classic MG TF was built at Abingdon between 1953 and 1955 with a front-mounted engine and an ash-framed body. The MG TF of 2002 is an entirely unrelated mid-engined car built decades later. This archive covers only the classic T-Types of 1936 to 1955. If you're not sure which car you're looking at, see our disambiguation guide.

MG TF: Classic or Modern? →

Question 4

How many MG TFs were built?

Accepted Answer

9,602 MG TFs were built between October 1953 and 4 April 1955, including two prototypes. Of those, 3,400 were TF 1500s fitted with the larger XPEG engine. Chassis numbers ran TF250 and TF251, the prototypes, then TF501 through TF10100, and the MGA that replaced the TF began its numbering at 10101.

Question 5

What is the difference between an MG TF and a TF 1500?

Accepted Answer

The engine. A standard TF uses the 1,250 cc XPAG at 57.5 bhp. The TF 1500 uses the 1,466 cc XPEG, introduced late in 1954, producing 63 bhp, a 10.5% increase. Everything else, including the body and running gear, is essentially identical between the two.

Question 6

What engine is in an MG TF 1500?

Accepted Answer

The MG TF 1500 uses the XPEG: a 1,466 cc four-cylinder engine created by boring the earlier XPAG out to 72 mm. This was only possible by siamesing the cylinders so the larger bore fitted the existing block. With stronger rods and 8.3:1 compression it produced 63 bhp at 5,000 rpm.

Question 7

How can I tell if a car is a genuine MG TF 1500?

Accepted Answer

Only by its engine. A genuine TF 1500 carries an XPEG engine, marked simply XPEG/ and not XPEG/TF/, for example XPEG/524, rather than the 1250's XPAG/TF. The badge proves nothing, the earliest TF 1500s wore no nameplate at all. Nor does the chassis number, because XPEG engines were fitted in alternating batches through production rather than from a single cut-off point.

Question 8

Is the MG T-Type chassis made of wood?

Accepted Answer

No. The chassis of every MG T-Type is steel. It is the body tub that is framed in ash, with metal panels attached to it. This distinction is frequently confused and it matters: rot in the ash body frame is the single most expensive fault a T-Type can hide.

Question 9

Which MG T-Type is the rarest?

Accepted Answer

The MG TB, with just 379 built in 1939. Production was cut short after only months when Abingdon turned to war work, building bomber cockpits and modifying Matilda tanks. The TB introduced the XPAG engine that would go on to power the TC, TD and TF.

Question 10

Which MG T-Type should I buy first?

Accepted Answer

The TD is the usual answer. It is the most numerous at roughly 29,664 built, has independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering derived from the Y-type saloon, and enjoys the best parts availability of any T-Type. The TC is more vintage in character; the TF is prettier.

Question 11

Where is the chassis number on an MG T-Type?

Accepted Answer

The chassis number is stamped on the outside vertical face of the left-hand front dumb-iron. Turn the front wheels to the left and look in behind the front wing. It is usually buried under decades of grease, underseal or paint, so expect to clean the area carefully before it becomes readable.

Question 12

What is the XPAG engine?

Accepted Answer

The XPAG is a 1,250 cc four-cylinder engine introduced in the MG TB in 1939 and used through the TC, TD and TF. Derived from a Morris design but far more highly tuned, it is renowned for its tunability: Colin Chapman's first Lotus, the Mk VI, used one producing around 85 bhp.

Model	Years	Engine	Capacity	Power	Built
MG TA	1936–1939	MPJG	1,292 cc	≈50 bhp	≈3,003
MG TB	1939	XPAG	1,250 cc	54 bhp @ 5,200 rpm	379
MG TC	1945–1949	XPAG	1,250 cc	54.5 bhp @ 5,200 rpm	10,001
MG TD	1950–1953	XPAG	1,250 cc	54 bhp	≈29,664
MG TF	1953–1955	XPAG (later XPEG)	1,250 cc (later 1,466 cc)	57.5 bhp @ 5,500 rpm	≈9,600 (all TF variants)

MG T-Series Archive: the MG T Midgets

What is the MG T-Series?

Thinking of buying an MG T-Series at the Bangers & Cash Mathewsons auction?

The five T-Types compared

Key differences between the T-Types

Five models, two decades

The T-Series in figures

WSU 141, 1954 MG TF 1500

Common questions about the MG T Series

What has changed lately