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MG TD TF 1500 - Can you identify these cars?

It is believed that the group of cars in the center of this photograph are MGs. Can anyone here positively identify them?

http://www.britishcarphotos.com/mw_mgs.jpg

Here is a zoomed-in shot:

http://www.britishcarphotos.com/mw_mgs_zoom.jpg
Steve Simmons

Is there some kind of mark on the card that indicates the year? If it was ever mailed, the stamps or postmark may indicate a date. Of course, the photo would have been taken some time before the mailing date, so that just provides an upper limit, but it will narrow down the search somewhat.

Those cars look to be TC or earlier to me due to the large wire wheels, but the pictures are so indistinct that it's hard to tell. I really couldn't tell you if they are TC, TB, TA, or ever earlier. The fact that there are so many of them in one place argues to them being TCs, since TCs were the first MGs to come over in 'large' quantity. The only way to know for sure is for someone who was there to remember the event and tell us about it.
Mark B.

Steve - Judging from the vintage of all the other cars in the picture, I would have to guess that the majority of MGs in the picture were TCs (the tall wire wheels on the spares racks would also indicate that). One of the cars had a cover on the spare and looks like it might be a TD, but if it is, it would have to be an early one ('49 or early '50). Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Do you guys feel ceertain that they are MG at all? I think they are. I'll work on getting a date for the photo.
Steve Simmons

I was just given a hi-res scan of the zoomed-in section...

http://www.britishcarphotos.com/mgs_hi_res.jpg
Steve Simmons

From the Hi-res scan, I'm fairly sure that they are MG TC's. At least most of them. The closest one appeared to have a large hood ornament, but on closer inspection, it's probably the hand of one the people standing nearby. There are certain details that I'm not sure about, for example there seems to be quite a variety of rear bumper styles, perhaps some of them are period accessories. I seem to remember that all of the TCs except for the EX-U did not come with bumpers from the factory, and they were added by the dealer, but I could be wrong about that.

Someone more knowledgable about TCs should answer. About all I know about TCs I learned from Malcolm Green's book, I'm a TF owner myself.
Mark B.

I received word that the transmitter towers in the photos went up in the late 40's. The person who gave me the photo says he believes it was taken in the early 50's but he's not sure. He does feel confident they are MGs.
Steve Simmons

The two MGs at the lower right of the picture are definitely TC by the line of the front wings. I would go so far as to say that all of the MGs are TCs because the ones where the wheels can be seen have 19" wire wheels and all that I can see the steering wheels on are right hand drive cars. Late 40 for the towers would be about the right time period considering all of the cars that can be seen. In the upper portion of the picture on the right side is a gray 48 or 49 Ford and possibly a 50 Ford facing it in the next row up. I don't see any cars that are later than a 1950 vintage. All of the sports cars pictured are MGs and I think that it is safe to say that all of them are TCs. If they are not all TCs then any that are not would be TAs. I would not be suprised if that was an outing of the TC Motoring Guild that used to be in Van Nuys and is now headquartered in Tarzana and is still an all TC club. Steve, you might want to send the picture to Ron Simon at ad346@lafn.org (contact point for the TCMG) and see if he or some of the members recognize it. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I'd say they're TCs, and the ones with the bumpers are EXU models (Export USA) models which were only made in 1949. So the photo is no older than 1949. Further, there is not a disk wheel visible in the bunch, which would eliminate almost all TDs and some TFs.

Greg
Greg Van Hook

They are almost certainly all TCs as the car at the right is a 1949 Nash Ambassador, and the Ford in the background is a 1950 Tudor, and I can't see anything newer. As far as I know the only non TCs in that era were a couple of TBs in the East one of which belonged to Miles Collier - ergo they're all TCs

However what I find interesting are the 3 definite and another possible, EXNLUs - note the EXNLU bumpers with over-riders.

When I was at Pebble Beach in 1950, I saw a number of TCs with that "double- bar" bumper and I think those were cobbled-up by the MG dealer in San Fran (name escapes me right now) was it Von Neuman?

I may possibly have some pics in my archives.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué
Gordon A. Clark

David, I tried sending Ron an email but the address doesn't seem to work.
Steve Simmons

Steve,
As best as I can tell, all 16 of the cars between the Ford and the Nash "bathtub" are MG TC's. Some of them might possibly be the EXU versions, but it's very difficult to be sure from the photo.
Dealers (and owners) of the day put all sorts of bumpers on TCs. My TC wore a set of double-bar tubular monsters when I bought her in Sept of 1953, but as part of the deal I also received a set of the flat bar ones which were rather routinely installed by Inskip Motors, the primary MG importer on the US East coast. The tubular ones were intended for the slightly wider TD, and I think were made by Runyan of California, who made an assortment of accessories for TCs & TDs. I junked the tubular ones a long time ago. They were functional, but ugky. I lost the Inskip bumpers in 1956, thanks to an over-zealous room-cleaner.
Interesting photos; thanks for sharing them with us!
Carl Fritz

Steve - That's too bad, it would be interesting to see if that was some of their early group. I'll keep poking around and see if I can find something on the group.
Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

The Southern California MG Club is having an event this weekend which will gather at the same spot upon Mount Wilson this June. This is why the photo came up in the first place. A gentleman who works at the observatory there which houses some very large and historically significant instruments was saying this wouldn't be the first time there was a large gathering of MGs at the observatory. But it has been a long time!
Steve Simmons

Group, Try the tcmotoringguild.org.
I just went on line with them.All they have are MG-TC's.
Sandy
conrad sanders

Sandy - Found them this morning and e-mailed the links to them. Here's hoping that we hear back. thank you - Dave
David DuBois

Steve - Made contact with the TC Motoring Guild and got a reply from their Secretary/Director, David Edgar. He is coing to circulate the picture among some of their founding members and see if anyone recognizes it. It could have been an outing of the group that ultimately founded the TC Motoring Guild in 1952. I gave him your e-mail address so he could contact you also if they identify the photo. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Thanks, Dave!
Steve Simmons

Mt Wilson is in the Los Angeles area. Looks like a lot of 49 and earlier California based TC's. Probably a club run. Perhaps the Long Beach MG Club which was popular then I think.

Chris
Chris Couper

Anyone hear more on this?
Steve Simmons

Steve - I haven't heard anythng yet, but from what the gentelman at the TCMotering Guild said, I expect it may be awhile before he can show the photos to the members from that era. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 29/02/2004 and 13/03/2004

MG TD TF 1500 index

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