1955 MG TF 1500

The MG Car Company got its name from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford, England, which began producing its own customized versions of Morris automobiles in the 1920s. The postwar T-series MGs continued with the pre-war traditional British sports car styling. The initial TC was not changed much as MG geared up after the war-torn manufacturing infrastructure was rebuilt. The TD and TF were modernized more significantly.

Launched in 1953, the TF was the final model in the T-Series. It was a more aggressively styled version of the TD but built in far smaller numbers, with production continuing through 1955. The 1250cc four-cylinder engine was matched to a four-speed transmission and initially produced 57.5 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. The XPAC engine had an increased compression ratio of 8.1:1 and larger valves with stronger valve springs and larger carburetors.

The length measured 147 inches, the width was 59 inches, and the height was 52.5 inches. Comparatively, the TD had a 94-inch wheelbase, a length of 145 inches, a width of 59 inches, and a height of 53 inches. Its 1,250CC XPAG inline-4 engine had overhead valves and 54.4 horsepower. The TD MkII Competition Model of 1950 had a more highly tuned engine with 8.1:1 compression and 57 horsepower at 5,500 RPM.

Partway through 1954, the engine capacity of the TF grew to 1,455cc and the designation was changed to XPEG. It had a 72 mm bore, 8.3:1 compression ratio, and 63 horsepower at 5,000 RPM. The torque increased by seventeen percent, the same percentage as the cubic centimeter displacement increase. The model was called the TF1500 and was externally distinguished by a cream background enamel nameplate on both sides of the bonnet.

Chassis number TF10100 was the final TF built. Production ended on April 4th, 1955, with 9,602 examples of the combined TF and TF 1500, including two prototypes. Three thousand four hundred examples were TF1500s.

The TF was replaced by the MGA, which was built from September 1955 to July 1962, and a total of 101,081 examples were built.

Dimensions and Mechanical Specification
The MG TF had a length of 147 inches, a width of 59 inches, and a height of 52.5 inches. Initially, the XPAG inline four-cylinder engine displaced 1.3 liters (1,250 cc). Engine capacity increased in mid-1954 by 17 percent to 1.5 liters (1,466cc), and its designation was changed to 'XPEG.' The bore now measured 2.7 inches (72 mm), and with an increase in compression to 8.3:1, output rose to 63 bhp at 5,000 RPM.