The TF was the last of the T-Series and was built for only about eighteen months, yet it changed in one very significant way mid-life: the switch from the 1,250 cc car to the 1,466 cc TF 1500. This page sets out what changed and roughly when, so you can place a car in the production sequence. To verify and date a specific car in detail, see the identification guide linked at the end.
Timeline
TF production, 1953 to 1955
October 1953 · from TF0250
TF announced
Shown at Earls Court. A restyled TD Mark II with the 1,250 cc XPAG, 57.5 bhp.
21 July 1954 · TF6501
XPEG appears
First 1,466 cc cars leave Abingdon. The TF 1500 is born, badged but otherwise unchanged.
10 September 1954 · from TF6951
XPEG becomes standard
The alternating batches end; the larger engine runs to the last car.
4 April 1955 · TF10100
Production ends
9,602 TFs built in all: about 3,400 TF 1500s and roughly 6,200 with the 1,250.
The overlap, TF6501 to TF6951
In the transition zone the two engines alternated in batches, so chassis number alone does not tell you which engine a car left the works with.
- XPEGTF6501 to 6650 (from 21 July 1954)
- XPAGTF6651 to 6750
- XPEGTF6751 to 6850
- XPAGTF6851 to 6950
- XPEGTF6951 to 10100 (from 10 September 1954, to the end)
A facelifted TD (October 1953)
The TF was announced in the autumn of 1953 and shown at the Earls Court Motor Show that October. It was, in essence, a restyled TD Mark II: the headlamps were faired into the wings, the radiator grille was raked back and concealed a separate radiator behind a simulated filler cap, the bonnet line was lower, cooling was now pressurised, and the seats became individual bucket backs in place of the TD's bench-style backrest. One step went backwards: unlike every earlier T-Type, the bonnet sides no longer opened for engine access. Mechanically it carried the TD Mark II specification, the 1,250 cc XPAG with compression raised to around 8:1, larger valves, stronger springs and larger twin SU carburettors, giving 57.5 bhp at 5,500 rpm. Chassis numbers carried the TF prefix, stamped on the left-hand front dumb-iron; two prototypes were numbered TF0250 and TF0251, and production began just after.
The performance problem
The TF arrived in the same season as the Austin-Healey 100 and the Triumph TR2, both good for over 100 mph, while the TF managed around 80. Against that company it looked slow, and the reception at launch was cool. The MGA was already in development but was being held back, so the only fix MG's management would sanction was more power.
The TF 1500 (from July 1954)
From July 1954 MG offered a larger engine, the XPEG, of 1,466 cc, created by boring the XPAG out to 72 mm and raising compression to 8.3:1. Power rose to 63 bhp at 5,000 rpm and torque by around 17 per cent; top speed edged up to near 88 mph and 0 to 60 mph fell to about 16 seconds. The car became the TF 1500. Externally almost nothing changed: two small cream-background enamel “TF 1500” motifs on the bonnet sides, just behind the forward bonnet-release buttons, and two rear reflectors. Nothing else. The badge is not proof of anything; the engine is the identifier.
The overlap: alternating engine batches
The change from 1250 to 1500 was not a clean break. The XPEG first appeared around chassis TF6501 on 21 July 1954, but for a period cars left Abingdon in alternating batches of XPAG and XPEG before the larger engine became standard. The documented sequence runs: TF6501 to 6650 received the XPEG from 21 July 1954; 6651 to 6750 reverted to the XPAG; 6751 to 6850 took the XPEG again; 6851 to 6950 the XPAG; and from TF6951, on 10 September 1954, the XPEG to the end of production. This is why there is no dependable correlation between chassis number and engine type in the transition zone: a later chassis number does not guarantee a 1500, nor an earlier one a 1250. TF 1250 engines are marked XPAG/TF and TF 1500 engines XPEG/TF; XPAG engine numbers run in the 30,000s, while XPEG numbers began at XPEG 501 and run from the high 1900s to the high 3000s. Note that many cars now carry BMC reconditioned “Gold Seal” replacement engines with different plates and prefixes, so a block may not be original; cross-check against the car's Heritage Certificate.
Wheels and the end of the line
Bolt-on steel disc wheels or centre-lock wire wheels were offered through production. Production ended on 4 April 1955 at chassis TF10100. In all, 9,602 TFs were built, including the two prototypes, of which about 3,400 were TF 1500s and roughly 6,200 the 1,250. The TF was replaced by the MGA, announced in September 1955, a complete break from the traditional shape. The TF is the rarest of the post-war Midgets, and to many eyes the prettiest.
Read next
To verify and date a specific car, its numbers, matching-numbers status and Heritage Certificate, see Identifying a genuine TF 1500. For the model overview see the MG TF 1500 and the MG TF model reference. For what a correct car should have, component by component, see the MG TF 1500 originality guide. For the engine family behind both cars, see the XPAG engine hub. Corrections and additions from owners are welcome.