Description
Offered for sale is a striking 1955 MG TF 1500 with its original, numbers matching engine and transmission, finished in gorgeous Dark Green over a Biscuit leather interior with a tan canvas soft top. Always a California car that spent a vast majority of its life in the arid climate of the Central Valley, the car was used as a weekend driver/survivor between the 1970s and 2007. At that point it received a cosmetic refurbishing and mechanical sorting, and from that point forward it has been used sparingly on pleasant days, always garage-kept and maintained and never subjected to the elements. The result of this refurbishing and subsequent careful use is a wonderful weekend-driver quality car that’s turn-key, needing nothing to be enjoyed.
As the pictures show, despite being an older restoration the car remains exceedingly presentable, the dark green finish entirely consistent without any significant imperfections or evidence of rust. The chrome trim is all in excellent condition, as is the welting between the body panels, and the steel wheels are in great shape and wrapped in Dunlop radial tires with plenty of remaining the tread. The car’s interior was completely reupholstered in beautifully offsetting Biscuit leather and remains in excellent condition, the leather seats and interior panels appearing virtually as new, the carpets entirely presentable and the dash clean and correct, housing the original octagonal Jaeger gauges, indisputably some of the most aesthetically appealing gauges produced in the era. Lastly, the car’s frame and undercarriage is solid and correct with no structural rust or corrosion to speak of, a testament to the car’s dry California existence.
Believed to have amassed only 64k miles in its 60 years of service, the original numbers matching XPEG 1500 engine is strong and sound, firing up easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly through each of the original 4-speed transmission’s gears. Despite its sparing use, the car was always maintained as needed and it runs and drives beautifully. There seems to be no propensity for overheating, the ride quality is visceral and sporty (as it should be), and after having thoroughly enjoyed a few dozen miles up and down the Santa Barbara coastline, we’d not hesitate to take this lovely driver out on an extended tour.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a timelessly beautiful, very original MG TF 1500 finished in what is undoubtedly one of the very best liveries. An example that’s currently in turn-key condition, its been well-loved by its previous California owners and will undoubtedly provide its next with decades of trusty, grin-inducing service.
