How can I tell a 1938 MG TA from a TB?

By the engine and clutch. A TA carries the 1,292 cc MPJG engine of around 50 bhp with an oil-immersed cork clutch; the TB, introduced in spring 1939, uses the 1,250 cc XPAG at 54 bhp with a conventional dry-plate clutch. Many TAs now carry XPAG engines, so check the chassis prefix and the factory record rather than the block alone.

What is the chassis number range for a 1938 MG TA?

There is no published 1938 band. Around 3,003 TAs were built between 1936 and 1939 with no factory yearly split, so a 1938 build is established from the MG Car Club T Register production record and not from the number.

How much power does a 1938 MG TA have?

Around 50 bhp from the 1,292 cc MPJG pushrod engine — slightly larger in capacity than the later XPAG but a little less powerful, and rather different in character.

Was a closed 1938 MG TA available?

Yes. Tickford drophead coupé coachwork was offered on the T-Type alongside the open two-seater, giving wind-up windows and a three-position hood. Original Tickford cars are scarce and should be confirmed against the factory record.

TA, and the Tickford body

The MG T-Series in 1938

A 1938 MG TA is a mature example of the first T-Type: the 1,292 cc MPJG engine of around 50 bhp, oil-immersed cork clutch, beam front axle and timber-framed body. Tickford drophead coupé coachwork was available alongside the open two-seater during TA production.

In production this year

MG TA
In production
Full MG TA reference →Specification →Chassis & engine numbers →Production figures →

Production notes

The TA continued through 1938 without a change of designation.
Tickford drophead coupé bodywork was offered on the T-Type in this period as well as the open two-seater; the T Register record is the way to confirm a car's original body.

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.

What changed in 1938

A mature TA rather than a new model

MG announced no change of designation for 1938: the car continued as introduced in 1936, with the 1,292 cc MPJG engine, the oil-immersed cork clutch, a beam front axle on semi-elliptic springs and an ash-framed body tub. A 1938 car is therefore a settled, late-middle TA rather than an early one.

Tickford drophead coupé coachwork

Alongside the open two-seater, Tickford drophead coupé bodywork was offered on the T-Type in this period — a wind-up-window, three-position-hood car that is far rarer today than the open version. Only the factory record confirms whether a given car left Abingdon with Tickford coachwork or acquired it later.

The last full years before the XPAG

1938 is the final complete year of MPJG production. The TB replaced the TA in spring 1939 with the 1,250 cc XPAG at 54 bhp and a dry-plate clutch, so 1938 marks the end of the pre-XPAG T-Series rather than the beginning of anything.

What to expect on the road

Around 50 bhp, cable-era braking practice and a timber-framed body mean a 1938 TA rewards sympathetic use. The ash frame and its steel-to-timber joints are where money is lost, so the body structure matters more than the engine when judging a car of this year.

Reading the numbers on a 1938 car

TA chassis prefix, MPJG engine prefix.
Check the engine prefix before paying for originality: an MPJG in a TA is the original type, an XPAG is a replacement.

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.

Number bands for a 1938 car

What	Reading	Notes
Chassis prefix	TA…	Around 3,003 TAs were built across 1936–1939 and MG published no yearly breakpoint, so no chassis band defines 1938. The MG Car Club T Register factory record holds the despatch date.
Engine prefix	MPJG	The 1,292 cc pushrod engine from the Wolseley 10, around 50 bhp. An XPAG block in a TA is a later replacement — extremely common, and not something that makes the car a TB.
Where to look	Left-hand front dumb-iron	The chassis number is stamped on the outside vertical face of the left-hand front dumb-iron, usually under grease and underseal.
What 1938 rules out	No XPAG, no dry-plate clutch	The 1,250 cc XPAG and the conventional dry-plate clutch arrived with the TB in spring 1939, so neither is original to a 1938 car.

1938 cars in the registry

No verified 1938 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.

1938 questions

How can I tell a 1938 MG TA from a TB?: By the engine and clutch. A TA carries the 1,292 cc MPJG engine of around 50 bhp with an oil-immersed cork clutch; the TB, introduced in spring 1939, uses the 1,250 cc XPAG at 54 bhp with a conventional dry-plate clutch. Many TAs now carry XPAG engines, so check the chassis prefix and the factory record rather than the block alone.
What is the chassis number range for a 1938 MG TA?: There is no published 1938 band. Around 3,003 TAs were built between 1936 and 1939 with no factory yearly split, so a 1938 build is established from the MG Car Club T Register production record and not from the number.
How much power does a 1938 MG TA have?: Around 50 bhp from the 1,292 cc MPJG pushrod engine — slightly larger in capacity than the later XPAG but a little less powerful, and rather different in character.
Was a closed 1938 MG TA available?: Yes. Tickford drophead coupé coachwork was offered on the T-Type alongside the open two-seater, giving wind-up windows and a three-position hood. Original Tickford cars are scarce and should be confirmed against the factory record.