MG TF 1500

The MG TF 1500, often written TF1500, is the last and fastest of the T-Series, and the answer to the TF's one great criticism. Introduced in the summer of 1954 with the new 1,466 cc XPEG engine, just 3,400 were built before production ended on 4 April 1955, and almost all of them went to America.

This page covers the 1500 specifically. For the full MG TF reference, specifications, chassis and engine numbers, production figures, buying checks and values, see the MG TF model reference.

The problem the 1500 solved

When the TF arrived in October 1953 it was a facelifted TD, and many enthusiasts were disappointed. They had hoped for more power. The Triumph TR2 could exceed 100 mph; the TF managed about 80 flat out. Mechanically it was reliable and it drove beautifully, impeccable roadholding and handling, but against its competitors it was embarrassingly slow in a straight line. It is well known that Abingdon would rather not have built the TF at all, had the MGA project been approved earlier. Something had to be done.

The XPEG engine

Late in the summer of 1954 the answer arrived: a new 1,466 cc engine designated XPEG. It was in most respects very similar to its predecessor, the XPAG/TF. The trick was siamesing the cylinders, which allowed a larger 72 mm bore within the same block. With larger pistons, stronger connecting rods and compression raised to 8.3:1, the new engine produced 63 bhp at 5,000 rpm. On paper that is only about 9 per cent more power than the 1250, but torque rose by roughly 18 per cent, and torque is what an owner actually feels: the 1500 pulls where the 1250 has to be worked.

Externally there were almost no clues. The TF 1500 hid its advantage well.

Factory specification

Figures follow the MG TF reference on this site, which cites the October 1953 factory press release, Barrie Jones's Essential Buyer's Guide and MG Car Club T Register records. For the full TF table, including dimensions and capacities, see the MG TF model reference.

How many were built, and the chassis numbers

About 3,400 TF 1500s were built, out of roughly 9,600 TFs of both capacities; Barrie Jones states the 3,400 figure directly. All TFs carry chassis numbers in the TF0501 to TF10100 series, plus two prototypes, TF0250 and TF0251. The first XPEG cars were built from 21 July 1954, from TF 6951 onward every car had the XPEG from 10 September 1954, and production ended on 4 April 1955. Because the change came in alternating batches, set out below, the chassis number on its own does not tell you which engine a car left with.

Telling a TF 1500 from a 1250

There was remarkably little to give a TF 1500 away: two discreet cream-background enamel "TF 1500" motifs on the bonnet sides, just behind the forward bonnet release buttons, and two rear reflectors. Nothing else, and the earliest cars did not even have that. The first TF 1500s carried no nameplate at all, at least up to the October 1954 London Motor Show cars, chassis TF/7252 and TF/7253, a fact confirmed by the period Road & Track road test.

The reliable identifier is the engine: TF 1250 engines are marked XPAG/TF, TF 1500 engines simply XPEG/, for example XPEG/524, and never XPEG/TF/. There is no dependable correlation between chassis number and engine type, because XPEG engines were fitted in alternating batches. Cars TF 6501–6650 received XPEG from 21 July 1954, then 6651–6750 reverted to XPAG/TF, 6751–6850 XPEG again, 6851–6950 XPAG/TF, and from TF 6951 onward, from 10 September 1954, XPEG to the end of production. For the full sequence of changes during production, from the October 1953 launch to the last car in April 1955, see the TF production timeline. For what a correct car should have, component by component, see the MG TF 1500 originality guide. For the engine family itself, the 1,250 cc unit and its 1,466 cc successor, see the XPAG engine hub.

Originality in brief

A correct TF 1500 starts with its own XPEG engine, numbered to the car, with the correct manifolding, twin SU carburettors and air cleaners, and an SU electric fuel pump, then the right Lucas electrics, dashboard, trim, badges, wheels and factory colours. Because a 1500 looks almost identical to a 1250 and the badges can be added, originality has to be proved rather than assumed: the engine number, the plates and the factory record together are what settle it. For the component-by-component guide, see MG TF 1500 originality, and for every number and where it is stamped, see identifying a genuine MG TF 1500.

What an MG TF 1500 is worth

US market benchmark (CLASSIC.COM, October 2026): $24,412. This is a single benchmark, not a condition range, and the UK bands above remain the site's main guide. Source: CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark, read 29 October 2026.

These are indicative UK ranges, not valuations, from the site's values data (source: Hagerty UK 2022 + Classic.com US market averages (consulted July 2026); reviewed 2026-07-23). An asterisk marks a range estimated from sourced band figures. A TF 1500 typically sits 20 to 25% above an equivalent TF 1250, and that premium depends on a genuine XPEG engine: a TF 1500 with an XPAG in it is valued differently. For every model, the sources and the factors that move a price, see the values and price guide.

Buying checklist

• Read the engine number on the block and the plate: XPEG/, never XPAG/TF and never XPEG/TF/. Ignore the badges and do not infer the engine from the chassis number.
• Check the number against the factory record: a British Motor Museum Heritage Certificate covers the TF, and the MG Car Club T Register Factory Production Records give the engine number as despatched.
• The siamesed bores leave less metal between the cylinders, so check that the cooling system works properly and ask what has been done about the head gasket.
• Check the real radiator cap and header tank, not the decorative external filler, and look for signs of chronic overheating.
• Press around the A and B posts, door bottoms and rear wings for ash frame rot, and look for chassis cracks below the scuttle where box section becomes channel section.
• Check the kingpins, steering rack and lever-arm dampers for play and leaks.

The full model guide is buying an MG TF or TF 1500.

A worked example: WSU 141

WSU 141 shows what a documented TF 1500 looks like. It was built at Abingdon over 14 and 15 December 1954, finished in Ivory with red upholstery, as a right-hand-drive home-market car carrying the HDP16 body-number prefix, where New Zealand export 1500s carried HDP26. It retains its original, matching-numbers 1,466 cc XPEG, later polished, ported and converted to unleaded, and was fitted with a five-speed gearbox by Brown & Gammons in 2003. A British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate confirmed its original build details, and the car was restored and re-registered as WSU 141 in October 1989. The originality of the engine is recorded; the gearbox is a documented later change, which is exactly the kind of history a buyer should expect to see written down. Read the WSU 141 feature.

A car built for America

The larger engine did what it was meant to do and lifted sales, but almost entirely in the United States. Of the 3,400 TF 1500s built, only a handful were sold new in the UK. A home-market right-hand-drive TF 1500 is therefore a genuinely rare thing.

The end of the line

Production ended on 4 April 1955 after 9,602 TFs of both capacities, including two prototypes. The MGA replaced it, and with it went the last of the traditional, upright, ash-framed MGs. The TF 1500 is where that line stops.

Common questions

How many MG TF 1500s were made?

About 3,400, out of roughly 9,600 TFs of both capacities. TF 1500 production ran from 21 July 1954, when the first XPEG-engined cars were built, to the end of TF production on 4 April 1955.

How do I tell a TF 1500 from a TF 1250?

By the engine number, not the badges or the chassis number. A TF 1500 engine is marked XPEG/, for example XPEG/524; a TF 1250 engine is marked XPAG/TF. XPEG engines were fitted in alternating batches, so a chassis number in the right range proves nothing on its own, and the bonnet badges are easily added to a 1250.

What engine is in the MG TF 1500?

The XPEG, a 1,466 cc development of the XPAG with siamesed cylinders allowing a 72 mm bore on the same 90 mm stroke. With 8.3:1 compression it gives 63 bhp at 5,000 rpm, about 9% more power than the TF 1250 and about 18% more torque.

Is the MG TF 1500 worth more than the TF 1250?

Yes, typically 20 to 25% more across every condition band, reflecting the stronger XPEG engine, its place as the last T-Type and its lower production. The premium only applies to a car with a genuine XPEG engine, so verify the engine number first.

Which chassis numbers are TF 1500s?

There is no clean cut-off. Cars TF 6501 to 6650 took the XPEG from 21 July 1954, 6651 to 6750 reverted to the XPAG/TF, 6751 to 6850 were XPEG again, 6851 to 6950 XPAG/TF, and from TF 6951 on 10 September 1954 the XPEG ran to the end of production at TF 10100.

Were TF 1500s sold new in the UK?

Only a handful. Almost all of the 3,400 TF 1500s went to America, so a home-market right-hand-drive TF 1500 is a genuinely rare car. The digit after the colour letter in the Nuffield car number shows the market a car was built for: 1 for UK right-hand drive.

A note on naming: you will see both "TF1500" and "TF 1500". The bonnet badge reads TF 1500.