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MG TD TF 1500 - Ebay comparison

Here are a couple to watch... the first one is that fully restored (concours) one owner...wonder what the reserve is set at????? Man...that will set a new high for a TD
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-T-Series-TD-1951-MGTD-ONE-OWNER-CA-CAR-CONCOURS-RESTORATION_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ31858QQitemZ4572942775QQrdZ1

The second is the same basic car but in more of a normal "state" of repair. Will be interesting to see how they compare at the end?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-T-Series-TD-MGTD-1953-ROADSTER-Ivory-with-green-interior_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ31858QQitemZ4572625440QQrdZ1

Wonder why the thermostat is in backwards with no bypass hose?
gblawsson

Sorry to disagree but I believe the second car to be far more vakuable than the first.

To get the so called concourse car into reasonable condition you would have to replace the dreadful steering wheel, fit new bonnet tops without the digusting lourves, spend an absolute fortune getting all the gaudy chrome striiped off, replace the tacky wires with the correct solid wheels etc. etc. In the UK we have the Trade Descriptions Act which regulates all advertisements, How on earth this car can be regarded as 100% original beats me. Look at the extra gauge, repositioned dip switch and shiny metal cover to the door appature.

Why oh why do people do this to a dignified old car?


Cheers to all


Jan T
J Targosz

I agree 100% with J Targosz. If that is the type of restoration someone desired, call it that but not a 100% original Concours restoration. In adition to his comments, I would add: get rid of the chrome bumper brackets, correct the fit of the top (hood) and tonneau cover, loose the oversized "basket" on the luggage rack, (with aftermarket aluminum handles) paint the headlamp support bars to match the body color. Personally I think this car belongs on someones mantle as a "toy" not to be held up as a "100% concours original restoration". I agree with "to each his own" but, if that is the case, then accurately call it what it is.

George Herschell
TD, TF, B, owner
and many years as a Concours Judge.
George R Herschell

Don't think i put one above the other (other then in position on the page)... will just be interesting to see what the final values will be... i would go for the 2nd as well.
Hey... if you can't drop a wrench on a fender without having a heart attack, or drive in the rain, why bother owning it? (And the last thing i would want to own is a "showroom" condition TD).
gordon lawson - TD 27667

I find that steering wheel beautiful! It's certainly not going to win a concourse for originality, but it seems appropriate to what someone might put on the car when they bought it new.
Steve Simmons

I don't know if anyone noticed, but the first car was listed last week and reached 25,100, but not the reserve. Just shows; no matter how much you spend on a restoration, every car has a ceiling. You had better not be restoring a car like this, with no expense spared, for any other reason then LOVE!
Steve Tobias

I knew the lady who owned this prior to the "Restoration" Most of the modifications were made in the 50's from what I remember.

A very interesting question on the "Modifications" Could this car win at pebble beach? Perhaps not, but the car is a good representation of a TD and how they were modified but dealers and owners in the 50's.

Louvers were very common in the fifty's. The steering wheel is/was an option. Perhaps not factory, but dealer. Same goes for wire wheels. This is a early TD and had a seperate oil and amp guage. Addition of a temp guage was also common. In my 50, car, the temp guage is on the left.

Car has had only a couple owners, with one owning id for the majority of it's life and I bet there are records all the way back to the date of purchase on this.
Bruce Cunha

Did anyone notice the chassis number of the red TF 1500? 10069 is about 31 cars from the end of TF production. This example seems to be an unrestored original.

Cheers, Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

Didn't wait for the really white one to download. The lady should probably keep her little cream colored one, it fits her nicely. Wouldn't want either one. Too nice.
Tom

Isn't there room for all of us as we rebuild and restore our T's? When finished, my TD will be lowered about 2 inches, have a big set of Alfin drums, a 4.30 MGA rear end, a supercharger, and a set of 16" wire wheels running 185 Michelins, big pre-EXU headlights, and a rather wasp-ish exhaust. Because of the extra heat generated by the supercharger, I'm considering adding a set of louvers to the top of the hood [bonnet,] and I'll probably carve up the dash in order to install both an oil temperature gauge and a manifold pressure gauge. And as for the engine, what's wrong with a bigger set of valves, a balancing, a porting, and a magnifluxed crank? When i've described the project to people, they seem to fall into two camps: the first group congratulates me on being innovative and taking a hot-rodder's approach, while the second group gets the shudders and wonders why I'd want to create a frankenstein...

Don't you think that the pure restorers, the over-restorers, and the hot-rodders should be be appreciated and congratulated for what they're doing? Our T's were inexpensive cars when new, and built to a price. Thus, they weren't all that well finished and it would seem that most of them didn't last very long in their owners' hands in the '50's before modifications started happening - the 'horrible' TF wires wheels on my TD have been there since 1955...

As for the excess chrome on the first one - great! Why not have some of our compadres build jewels? And as for the second one in the comparison, that's wonderful too - a lovingly-cared-for-driver that can be taken and enjoyed without a second thought.

Let's enjoy our cars for what they really are - a way to express our own varying concepts of fun and enjoyment...

Dave
Dave Jorgensen

I've said it before...when we picked up our cars at the "showroom", in "showroom" condition, we grabbed an accessory catalogue and yanked out the steering wheel, threw away the tin valve and side covers, and dumped the oil filled air cleaner.
I remember people sending their engines away for balancing and all sorts of performance modifications. This is what was done.
Now, most things were done tastelfully...the idea was to have a unique vehicle...and I think one that looked a bit like a race car as well?
Not sure what the lowering will look like, but the rest sounds pretty good to me?
I use the "available in '53" rule before I add things... makes for lots of fun at auto jumbles. Other then hiding a readio in the armrest, everything I have done was done in the '50s....
gordon lawson

Everybody sings their own song and that is what makes the "normal" world great after 2000 yrs and they don't try to force anything on another. Now myself my marching song to friends and foes back in the '50's-'60's, "no radio" NO, I have to let my mind radiate with the ions of the atmosphere and listen to the musical noise from my car. The same with my bikes, it's so beautifull riding along with the sounds of the atmosphere and bike that I never wanted to hear anything else. However, during repairs there was always music blasting and beer flowing.
Something that always amazed me in the late '80's '90's were all these blokes trying to be "original" when, just like Gord said, everybody (including me) were modifying their cars. the Brits were great at modifying their cars and I opened an account with Barclays Bank because I was buying so much stuff from across the pond. Enough for this Holiday. Good fortune to all and lets not forget the refugees from New Orleans.
Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

As Gordon "Niagara on the Lake" Lawson said - very few cars left the showroom without accessories. The dealers pushed the accessories both because that was where their profit was, and many times it was necessary to sell the cars. I do not EVER remember a T series with a red or green grille. Usually they were painted silver like the wheels.
Dallas Congleton

Hi Everyone, --- I'm with Dave Jorgenson. There isn't much on my TD that is as it was when it left Abingdon. But it looks "stock". Doesn't perform that way though.

To each his own.

Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

IMHO, I have tried to hold "Mod's" to something either "period" / "safety" / or "common sence". Would the chrome haylon fire ext. pass "concourse level judging"?.... maybe not....but will it stay in the car? With the amount of "smoke" let out of my TF this summer when freeze plug popped out....yes!

As for ebay listings proclaiming "won trophy". I only did 2 shows this year. In the "European Sports Car Class":
1st place: "1965 Cobra" (made in Ohio 2004 427 sticker on fender w/a 351 engine)
2nd place: "1955 Porshe Spyder" (made in CA. 2001)
3rd place: "1937 Bugati" (made who know's where or when...but had a Ford 4 cyc drive train in it)

So much for bragging rights from the "Classic & Antique Car Show!

Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427 (no fiberglass and the engine is up-front where it belongs!)
David Sheward

Do you think this one will make the reserve? I'm assuming the reserve is $7500, no mention of wood condition, could be a nice driver.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/9803076625_W0QQitemZ4573445809QQcategoryZ31858QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Tom

This thread was discussed between 04/09/2005 and 07/09/2005

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