MG TC I gallery (1945–1950)
The iconic post-war British roadster that ignited the American sports car craze in the late 1940s.
The MG TC Midget was launched in autumn 1945 as the first post-war sports car produced by MG at the Abingdon factory. It was built on a traditional ladder-frame chassis carried over directly from the pre-war MG TB, featuring rigid live axles suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs at all four corners and Bishop Cam steering. The traditional two-seater open roadster bodywork retained classic swept fenders, cut-down doors, a fold-flat windscreen, and an ash-wood frame clad in steel panelling. Power came from the proven 1,250 cc XPAG pushrod overhead-valve inline-four engine producing 54.5 bhp, equipped with twin SU carburettors and mated to a four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on second, third, and fourth gears. Braking was handled by 9-inch Lockheed hydraulic drums all around. Compared to the preceding TB, the cockpit was widened by approximately four inches to increase interior shoulder room, and electrical equipment was upgraded to modern standards, while riding on 19-inch wire-spoke wheels. Although every MG TC was built strictly in right-hand-drive configuration, it achieved tremendous commercial popularity abroad, particularly in the United States, where returning servicemen purchased it in large volumes and helped establish the post-war sports car culture in North America.
