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TA out, TB in — and then war

The MG T-Series in 1939

1939 is the T-Series' most crowded year. TA production ended and the TB replaced it in the spring, introducing the 1,250 cc XPAG engine at 54 bhp and a dry-plate clutch. Only 379 TBs were built before Abingdon turned to war work, so a TB is effectively a 1939 car.

In production this year

Production notes

  • TB production began in the spring of 1939 and ended within months when Abingdon was turned over to aircraft components and tank modification.
  • Just 379 TBs were completed, making the TB the rarest T-Type by a wide margin — and making 1939 the only year in which one could be built.
  • No T-Types were built from 1940 to 1944.

Engine and chassis traits

XPAG engine arrives

The TB introduced the 1,250 cc XPAG engine — twin SU carburettors, 66.5 mm bore, 90 mm stroke, 54 bhp at 5,200 rpm. A 1939 TA still has the 1,292 cc MPJG, so the engine is the clearest single distinction between the two cars of this year.

Dry-plate clutch

The TA's oil-immersed cork clutch gave way to a conventional dry-plate unit on the TB, with gear ratios revised to suit the new engine — changes carried essentially unchanged into the post-war TC.

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 1939 car

  • TA or TB chassis prefix; MPJG (TA) or XPAG (TB) engine prefix.
  • For a TA or TB engine number, enter the prefix, a space, then the number — for example XPAG 9211.
  • With only 379 cars built, a claimed TB should always be checked against the factory production record.

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.

1939 cars in the registry

No verified 1939 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.

No T-Types were built between 1940 and 1944: Abingdon was turned over to aircraft components and tank modification for the duration of the war, and production resumed with the TC in September 1945.