MG TF Midget
15 October 1953 – 4 April 1955 · 9,602 built · the 1953 car
The last of the T-Series — a TD underneath, with the headlamps faired into the wings.
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About the MG TF Midget
This page is the 1953 to 1955 car, not the mid-engined MG TF of 2002. They share a name and nothing else — if you are after parts for a K-series car, the MGF and MG TF page is where to go. The 1950s TF is a facelifted TD: raked grille, headlamps faired into the wings, sloping tail, separate seats and a pressurised cooling system, all on the TD’s box chassis, coil front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and 15in bolt-on wheels. 9,602 were built, ending at chassis TF10100 on 4 April 1955.
The split that matters is TF 1250 against TF 1500. The first 6,200 cars have the 1,250cc XPAG at 8.1:1 and 57.5bhp. From mid-1954 the 1,466cc XPEG took over for the last 3,400: the bore went from 66.5 to 72mm with the stroke unchanged, achieved by siamesing the cylinders — there is no water passage between the bores on an XPEG. 63bhp, 8.3:1. Outwardly all you get is a pair of “TF 1500” motifs on the bonnet sides and two rear reflectors, which is thin evidence on a seventy-year-old car. Go by the engine number prefix — XPAG or XPEG.
MG TF Midget — specification & changes within the model
- Built
- Announced 15 October 1953, last car chassis TF10100 on 4 April 1955. 9,602 built — 6,200 TF 1250 and 3,400 TF 1500.
- TF 1250
- 1,250cc XPAG, 66.5 × 90mm, 8.1:1, 57.5bhp @ 5500rpm.
- TF 1500
- From mid-1954. 1,466cc XPEG, 72 × 90mm, 8.3:1, 63bhp @ 5000rpm, 76lb ft @ 3000rpm. Siamesed bores — no water passage between cylinders.
- Telling them apart
- Two “TF 1500” motifs on the bonnet side panels and two rear reflectors. Weak evidence — use the engine number prefix, XPAG or XPEG.
- Underneath
- TD throughout: box chassis, independent coil and wishbone front, rack-and-pinion steering, hypoid rear axle, 15in bolt-on wheels.
- Brakes
- Lockheed hydraulic drums, two leading shoes at the front, as the TD. We have not found a citable drum diameter for the TF specifically — the TD is 9in and the TF inherits its running gear, but measure before ordering.
- Not to be confused with
- The MG TF of 2002–2011 — mid-engined, K-series, monocoque. Completely unrelated. See the MGF & MG TF page.
- Clutch
- By engine suffix. XPAG/TF and XPEG have round water holes; earlier TD units have oval ones.