Original Specification
| One of the most interesting publications that I have read over many years of amateur research into the history of the MG is Richard Monk’s two editions entitled “The Collection”. Great photos and decent text in the history of each vehicle featured. However, and there is always at least on “However” in every MG publication that I have ever read. On the last full page of Edition One, “A review of Pre-War Models”. My good friend Richard says;” It took just six months after the war ended for MG to come with a replacement for the pre war TB….hence the TC was born. (Page 187). If memory is correct the second world war ended on VJ Day August 1945. On September 17th less than a month after VJ Day the factory reopened for car production and the first TC to roll off the line at 11.30 am number 0252. | |
| Why start with 252 you may ask? The answer is simple. It was the telephone number of the MG factory and every new model started with 0252. The first TD was TD0252 the TF, MGA and MGB all started the same way. This tradition went back to the first production car that MG made at the Abingdon factory. As already mentioned the first post war car was TC0252, produced on September 17th 1945. On September 28th TC 0272 came off the line and was registered by its new owner in October 1945. |  |
| That TC was registered DUK320 in the Borough of Wolverhampton and sold to a Mr Allen who must have been very pleased to get a new car in those days of extreme shortage (knew the right guy or something). Two years ago whilst in Canada I acquired that very TC with the chassis number TC0272 still sporting its original 1945 number plates. | However, over the years after many owners, this MG had become more like a customised toy. It was a orange red with a white interior and top. Plastic covered dash in imitation wood taken from a roll of kitchen work surface and a strange steering wheel from goodness only knows heritage. These are a brief selections of the less expensive modifications! |
As many of you will know all the early TC from September 1945 into the spring of 1946 were black, with either a black or red interior. The hood (Rag Top) was also black, produced in a treated wool material. Parts were very short directly after the war so MG used any pre-war new/old stock that they had on the shelf. TC 0272 has a set of pre-war headlights from a 1938 Woolsey Hornet, interesting as they have the wire leads at the end of the dome lamp.
I now have a pair of 39 Lucas Tickford lamps installed as they were used in a few of the first thirty off the line. It also had a pre-war speedo, tachometer and an original Brooklands steering wheel, that was sent back to the UK for attention. Restoration started in September 1996 on the 17th, the same day that it was first produced back in 1945. The objective was simple, to completely restore this car to its original condition when its proud owner drove it out of the MG showroom back in 45. This has proved to be something of a problem because of the use of old/new parts when the first batch of 30 cars rolled off the line.
However, never let it be said that we car buffs give up that easily. Two visits to the UK during the winter produced some rare gems for TC 0272 like an original air cleaner, a original F27 Spot Light (you don’t want to know what that cost and I won’t tell you in case my wife reads this article) and a few more goodies that almost broke the bank. The firewall has two welded seams on each side that I first thought to be some strange modification by a previous owner. After extensive research contacting several owners of early 1945 TC vehicles I discovered that they all had the same feature.
The factory had around thirty TB Tubs left over from 1939 so they simply welded in a four inch strip to enable these units to fit the new extended width for the TC. A great talking point when some armchair expert points out that the car has been patched up! Had one of these on the first day that the TC 0272 hit the show circuits complete with girl friend hanging on his every word. Took about thirty seconds to end that budding relationship especially after he told me that he had never actually owned a MG but had read all the books!
As a matter if interest TC0252 turned up for sale in the mid west a few months ago. The asking price was/is out of this world. What’s more I deduced from the advertisement that 0252 is painted the wrong colour….Red of course…Need I say more, except that it may well have white wall tyres to complete the picture!
I finished my restoration in the spring of 1997 at a cost of around $23,000 including purchase price. No it’s not for sale as it now keeps company with a 1932 MGJ2. Another story for another time.
P.S Richard’s book was a great help with the restoration of this baby.
Geoff Wheatly,
New England T Register USA.