MG TC

MG restarted in September 1945 with what was essentially a TB: the same 1,250cc XPAG, the same Lockheed 9in drums, the same beam front axle and 19in centre-lock wire wheels. Three things changed. The body went nearly four inches wider across the seats, which is why TC seats and door trim are not TB parts. The sliding trunnion spring mountings were replaced by rubber-bushed shackles, on every TC. And the twin six-volt batteries gave way to a single twelve-volt. It was never built in left-hand drive, and it sold to America anyway.

The TC is the last of the traditional T-types — beam axle, no independent front suspension, no rack and pinion, cart springs at both ends. Everything from the TD on is a different car underneath. On parts, the XPAG engine and its ancillaries cross freely with the TD, the TF 1250 and the Y Type saloons, but the chassis, suspension, steering and wheels do not cross with anything later. One thing worth knowing before you order a clutch: the XPAG was built in several suffixes — TD, TD2, TD3, TF — with different clutch sizes and different water hole shapes, so the engine number matters more than the model name.