Lot Ended
Description
In the current ownership
since 1965; fully restored in 1988; only 10k miles since full engine rebuild;
Shorrock supercharger; good running order; offered for sale on behalf of a
Charitable Trust
Every
young man’s dream of what a proper sports car should look like, the TC appeared
as soon as MG could resume car production in 1945. With its big wheels, rear
mounted spare, fold-flat windscreen, cutaway doors, separate wings and slab fuel
tank, it retained the classic pre-war styling that MG buyers loved, particularly
car-hungry American ex-servicemen.
These good looks and robust mechanicals made the
car hugely appealing in vital export markets and laid the foundation for MG’s
meteoric rise from the post-war austerity years to the more affluent
1950s.
Blessed with
excellent agaility, the TC was powered by an unburstable 1,250cc ohv 54bhp
four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed synchromesh gearbox that enabled a
top speed near 80mph. Roomier and more comforatble than the preceding T-Series
models, the TC remained in production until 1949 when it was replaced by the TD.
Exactly 10,001 were sold in total, the majority to export markets, although
curiously, unlike the TD, it was only ever available in RHD.
Supplied new by MG main agents University
Motors of London in May 1949, this TC was acquired by our vendor’s late-brother
way back in January 1965 and he was to keep it right up until his death in April
2019 when ownership passed to a Charitable Trust administered by his family.
It comes with a large
history file back to the mid-Sixties which shows that in 1985 it was sent to
Clive Sherriff of Reading for a total body-off restoration which took two years
to complete, the invoices showing that it cost over £10,000 (equivalent to
around £38k in today’s money). This included a fully rebuilt engine with high
compression pistons and balanced crankshaft and con rods etc. Finished and back
on the road in May 1988, the mileage at this point was 40,970, as recorded by
old MOTs on file.
In
1993/94 a Shorrock supercharger was fitted by John Bibby of Supercharge
Engineering Services in Llangollen, the engine also being rebuilt again at the
same time with a reground crank, a new set of Aerolite pistons, new camshaft
etc. The mileage at this point was 49,500, the odometer currently showing 59,757
miles.
Other invoices
show that a new set of Dunlop tyres and inner tubes were fitted in December 2010
(at c.59k miles) and the wire wheels were rebuilt with new spokes in May 2013.
In January 2019 there was a £2,985 spend on tidying up the running boards and
the bonnet and overhauling the brakes.
We are told by the family that the owner was a
graduate mechanical engineer who trained at Leyland Motors before becoming a
computer programmer in later life. A keen motoring enthusiast and a member of
the MG Car Club, he enjoyed working on old cars and kept a meticulous log of all
the work carried out on UMG 13 from 1989 onwards, all recorded in a notebook on
file.
As the car had
not been driven since the owner passed away in 2019, shortly before the auction
it was sent to Nutts Performance Classics of Pontypool to prepare it for sale.
This included a new set of spark plugs, an ignition coil and a general tune-up
of the engine, followed by a road test to confirm that all was
satisfactory.
Fitted
with a stainless steel exhaust system, it has a tonneau cover and side screens
but no hood. The door handles and interior door trims also seem to be missing. A
spare twin carb inlet manifold is included.
Documentation includes a V5C; two older V5
documents; buff logbook; wiring diagram; lubrication chart; maintenance manual;
historic photos of the car, including on the 1993 Norwich Union Classic; many
invoices; 20 old MOTs from 1988 – 2010; MG Club correspondence; technical
literature plus the detailed maintenance log kept by the owner.
As you can see in the
photos, this supercharged TC still looks to be in great condition some 38 years
since it was restored. As you might expect of a car that has only covered some
10k miles since the engine was rebuilt, it has been starting promptly and
running well as we have moved it around on site. The icing on the cake is the
original (transferable) UMG 13 registration number which doubtless has a value
of its own.
Coming
from the same home as the next Lot in this auction (Lot 3 MG TD), this TC is on
offer here at a modest guide price and the proceeds of the sale will be used for
charitable purposes so bid generously and you will not only be getting a
wonderful car, you will also be doing your bit for a good
cause.
Consigned
by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com