The 1951 MG TD Roadster carries on the MG TC’s elegance.

In 1949 a small group of MG leaders, headed by John Thornley, got together to try to create a car that was acceptable to the North American marketplace while at the same time would limit the investment of the Nuffield Organization.

Clearly it would be impossible to completely create a new car, not only from a financial point but from a timing standpoint as well. What was needed was a little of the old, sprinkled with a little of the new. Another key factor was to borrow or incorporate features found in other Nuffield cars of the time that were more up to date than the MGTC.

It was not, as one might have expected, a car with a totally different, modern appearance, but yet another Midget in the familiar mould. The TD Midget, while it certainly had the appearance of a Midget, had much which was different under the skin.

The MG TD was the successor of the MG TC, the British sports car that stole the hearts of the American soldiers returning to their country. Like the MG TC, America was the most important market for the TD. Chassis and body of the TD were largely similar to the TC. But the TD had a rack and pinion steering-gear, coil springs (instead of the leaf springs) and an independent wheel suspension in the front.

The wings were different in form, as the large 19-inch wire wheels in the TD gave way to 15-inch wheels. A Mk II version was introduced in 1950, and was built simultaneously with the Mk I. The Mk II had a more powerful engine and a “power bulge” on the engine valve on the right. The MG TD was in production until 1953 and was replaced by the MG TF.