1945–1949
MG TC
The car that put MG on the American map.
The MG TC of 1945–1949 was the first post-war MG — a lightly revised TB with the 1,250 cc XPAG engine at 7.4:1 compression and 54.5 bhp at 5,200 rpm. Around 10,000 were built, all right-hand drive, and a large share went to the United States, where the TC is widely credited with creating the American sports-car market.
- Years
- 1945–1949
- Engine
- XPAG
- Capacity
- 1,250 cc
- Power
- 54.5 bhp @ 5,200 rpm
- Approximate built
- ≈10,000
A pre-war design, post-war
Launched in 1945, the TC was mechanically and visually very close to the TB. A wider body was almost the only obvious change — MG needed a car it could build quickly with existing tooling, and the T-Type was ready.
The XPAG in TC form
The 1,250 cc XPAG ran a 7.4:1 compression ratio and produced 54.5 bhp at 5,200 rpm. The factory published several alternative stages of tune, and the XPAG became renowned in period — and remains renowned today — for its remarkable tunability.
Right-hand drive, worldwide reach
Every TC was built as right-hand drive, yet a large proportion were exported. American servicemen returning from Europe shipped TCs home in numbers large enough to seed an entire sports-car culture that had barely existed before.
The car that made the American sports car
The TC is routinely credited with creating the American sports-car market. Its influence is out of all proportion to its production run, and its arrival gave rise directly to the SCCA racing scene, the American MG clubs, and the later MGA export story.