MG T-Series ArchiveMGT-SERIESMG T-Series

Classic MG

Classic MG cars

Old, vintage or 1950s MG: most people searching for a classic MG mean the open two-seaters built at Abingdon, and the T-Series is the heart of that story. This page sets out where each car fits.

What MG is

MG stands for Morris Garages, the Oxford business from which the marque grew. Its cars were built at Abingdon, where the T-Series was made from 1936 to 1955. The MG T-Series history tells the full story, and Abingdon covers the factory.

A short timeline of classic MG

  1. 1936 to 1939

    MG TA

    The first T-Type, replacing the overhead-cam P-type Midget with a pushrod engine and a wider body.

  2. 1939

    MG TB

    A short run cut off by the war, and the first T-Type with the XPAG engine.

  3. 1945 to 1949

    MG TC

    The post-war car that took the T-Type to America.

  4. 1950 to 1953

    MG TD

    The best-seller, on a chassis and front suspension derived from the MG Y-type saloon.

  5. 1953 to 1955

    MG TF

    The last T-Type, restyled, and from 1954 offered as the TF 1500.

  6. From 1955

    MG TF vs MGA

    The successor: an all-steel body, the BMC B-Series engine and a modern shape.

The MG Y-type saloon has no page of its own here; its chassis and independent front suspension are covered on the MG TD page, where they were put to use.

The T-Series cars

This archive is about the T-Series: five models, TA to TF, all open two-seaters with a steel body on an ash frame over a separate steel chassis. Start with MG T Series cars, or compare two of them in MG TC vs TD and MG TD vs TF.

The 1953 MG TF and the 2002 MG TF

Two different cars carry the MG TF name. The original, built at Abingdon from 1953 to 1955, is a front-engined T-Series roadster with an ash-framed body. The modern MG TF, built at Longbridge from 2002, is a mid-engined car derived from the MG F. If the engine sits behind the seats, it is the modern car. See MG TF: classic or modern?

Common questions

What does MG stand for?
Morris Garages, the Oxford business from which the MG marque grew. The T-Series cars were built at Abingdon.
Is the MG TF a classic car?
There are two MG TFs. The original, built at Abingdon from 1953 to 1955, is the last of the T-Series. The modern MG TF of 2002 onwards is a mid-engined car derived from the MG F, and shares only the name.
What replaced the MG T-Series?
The MGA, launched in 1955, with an all-steel body and the BMC B-Series engine.

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