MG had established itself in England as a leading sports car manufacturer before World War 2, with two of their best known models being the TA and the short-lived TB. They featured a 1250cc pushrod overhead valve engine with a lightweight two seater tourer body on a cart sprung chassis. A little larger than many of the earlier MGs, they were comfortable, responsive and affordable touring cars. The TB was only built for a short time before war broke out. During the war, American soldiers fell in love with these British cars and after World War 2, the British government demanded that in order for manufacturers to get raw materials to build products like cars, they had to export the majority of their production in order to bring in outside money and rebuild the British economy. MG was very successful in launching into this by bringing back a modified version of the TB design in 1945, initially using parts left over from the pre-war cars, while changing the design as necessary to eliminate hard-to-get materials like bronze in favour of more accessible materials. The TC was very successful on the US market and just over 10,000 examples were made, of which most came to the United States. My example is a 1948 model, likely originally sold new in the United States, but it predates the designated American market “EXU” badged cars. When I bought the car it had been reconstructed at some point in its past, utilizing parts original to the TC along with parts such as the gas tank, distributor, and carburettors from the rarer TB and was fitted with fiberglass rear fenders. Under my ownership, the gas tank was replaced with the correct unit, the car was completely rewired with a correct wiring harness to eliminate modifications from the previous owner, and the correct carburettors were installed along with the correct air intake and filter. In addition the steering was changed from the original badly worn bishop cam steering to a converted Volkswagen steering box to greatly improve handling. Brakes were upgraded to finned aluminum drums, replacing the original stamped steel units, along with a regearing of the differential to improve revs at top cruising speed. Finally the rear axles were replaced with new upgraded units, just in time as the original ones had twisted quite badly and were at risk of the splines shearing off. The TC is truly the last of a line of prewar MGs as its replacement, the MG TD, was fitted with independent front suspension, more modern steering, smaller diameter wheels and overall a much more modern chassis and suspension.
