MG T-Series ArchiveMGT-SERIESMG T-Series

The T-Series begins

The MG T-Series in 1936

1936 is the first year of the MG T-Series. The TA replaced the overhead-cam P-Type with the 1,292 cc pushrod MPJG engine of around 50 bhp, a wider chassis and a more comfortable cockpit. Around 3,003 TAs were built in all, across 1936 to 1939.

In production this year

Production notes

  • TA production began in 1936 at Abingdon-on-Thames, replacing the P-Type Midget.
  • Around 3,003 TAs were built in total across 1936–1939. The factory did not publish a per-year split, so a 1936 car is best confirmed by its despatch date in the T Register records rather than by any yearly figure.

Engine and chassis traits

MPJG engine and oil-immersed clutch

A car of this year carries the 1,292 cc MPJG pushrod engine from the Wolseley 10, around 50 bhp, and the oil-immersed cork clutch peculiar to the TA. Both are the quickest way to tell a TA from the XPAG-engined cars that followed.

Beam axle chassis, ash-framed body

Beam front axle on semi-elliptic springs, cable-operated Bishop cam steering practice of the period, and a timber-framed body tub. Nothing of the independent front suspension or rack-and-pinion steering of the later TD is present.

Reading the numbers on a 1936 car

  • Chassis numbers carry a TA prefix; engine numbers carry MPJG.
  • The chassis number is stamped on the outside vertical face of the left-hand front dumb-iron.

Only the MG Car Club T Register factory production records give an exact despatch date. Enter your numbers in the dating tool for a likely span first, then confirm it against that record.

1936 cars in the registry

No verified 1936 car is recorded in the registry yet. If you own one, add it to the registry — chassis and engine numbers from real cars are how a year like this gets properly documented.