Buying Guide

TC vs TD vs TF: which is right for you?

The TC, TD and TF are the three post-war T-Types most buyers choose between. They share the same XPAG-family engine and the same essential character, yet they are surprisingly different to live with, and picking the right one is less about which is best than about how you want to use it.

The TC: the most traditional

The last of the truly traditional MGs keeps a beam front axle on semi-elliptic leaf springs, tall 19-inch wire wheels, a fold-flat windscreen and the slab-tank, running-board looks of the pre-war cars. It is the most vintage of the three to drive: direct, breezy and hard work in the best sense, with a cart-sprung ride and narrow tyres that ask the most of the driver. Seebuying an MG TC.

The TD: the easiest to live with

The TD modernised the line with independent front suspension on coil springs and rack-and-pinion steering, borrowed from the MG Y-type, which transformed the ride and the steering. It runs on smaller 15-inch bolt-on steel disc wheels, gained bumpers, and was offered in left-hand drive, which made it a huge success in America. Far and away the biggest seller of the three, it is the easiest to drive and own, and usually the most affordable way into a T-Type. Seebuying an MG TD, and if a US listing looks too cheap, read real MG TD or replica?. When you start looking, see where to find an MG TC for sale, an MG TD for sale or a classic MG TF for sale, and compare the first two in MG TC vs TD.

The TF: the best looks

The TF kept the TD's independent-front chassis but restyled the body with faired-in headlamps and a raked, lower radiator grille. Early cars used the 1,250 cc XPAG; from 1954 theMG TF 1500brought the 1,466 cc XPEG and welcome extra torque. It had the shortest production run and the fewest built of the three, which makes it the rarest. Seebuying an MG TF.

As a rough guide, the TF, and the TF 1500 in particular, tends to command the strongest prices, the TC holds up well on originality and charm, and the TD is usually the best value. Whichever you choose, the priorities are the same: the chassis and theash body frame, the engine and its oil pressure, and confirming thechassis and engine numbersagainst the T Register's records. They feel more different than the shared engine suggests, so drive all three if you can.