I’ve been hankering after a TC ever since owning one as a student in the 1960s. I never knew the chassis number, but the car was registered as HKD 140, and was a good runner in somewhat tatty ‘student’ condition. I had great fun with her, learning all I know about car mechanics, and was reluctant to sell her for £140, a reasonable price in those days. I can find no trace of the car today. Many of us are in this nostalgic bracket, re living our youth at much greater expense. 

After talking about it for many years, I finally bought two TCs in 2001, with the idea of enjoying one whilst restoring the other.  By 2009, it was time to get started on restoration of TC0999, the more original of the two cars.

TC1202

TC1202 was manufactured on 15 August 1946. The first owner and registration number are unknown. The car was exported to Canada in the 1950s, and imported back into the UK in the late 1980s, and re registered as VSU 962 in October 1989. I bought the car in May 2001 for £9,500 after seeing an advertisement in the MG car club magazine. Mechanical and electrical items were in reasonable condition, including the ash frame. There was some rust showing on the front wings, running boards and doors, and the bodywork needed repainting. The engine number plate is missing so its unclear if the engine is the original XPAG 1884.

Some restoration was carried out including new front wings, repairs to body panels and repainting. I made a 2,000 mile trip to northern France in May 2007 visiting WWI sites around the Somme. In August 2009, I joined a tour of the border area between Scotland and England. The car is used regularly in summer on the quiet country roads of the Scottish Borders.

TC0999

TC0999 was manufactured on 25 June 1946 and first registered with Hertfordshire police as GUR 220 on 11 July, along with TC0998 on the same day. The Chief Constable reportedly bought the car when it came out of police service around 1950. It is uncertain what happened after that, but the car next surfaced in 1989, and was probably stored for much of this time. The log book had disappeared and the car was re-registered as RSU 772. The car changed hands another two times before I purchased it for £10,400 in August 2001. I am probably the sixth owner.

In 1998, the car was re painted a dark metallic blue and fitted with grey trim and upholstery, and a blue hood and side screens. New front wings may also have been fitted. However, little else was altered, and the car retains many original components, including the matching XPAG 1638 engine, the large bulge in the left hand side of the bonnet to accommodate an oversized dynamo (for police electrics), and a high ratio differential (for a higher top speed).

The car was in working order when purchased, but without an MOT. The front brakes were pulling to one side, the engine was blowing a little smoke, and the right front wing had been damaged in a minor shunt. The chassis, ash frame and bodywork were in good condition with practically no rust. I bought this TC because it was unspoiled and a good basis for restoration. I began this work in early 2009, and work continues (early 2010).

The car has been stripped down to the bare chassis and is being re-assembled with new or rebuilt components, as needed. The bodywork will be painted black with beige upholstery and trim, and black weather gear. I would like to reinstate the original registration number (GUR 220) but have been unsuccessful so far. I have ascertained that the number remains available. I’m planning a trip down to the south of France when restoration is finished. It remains to be seen whether I can be persuaded to sell TC1202. It will be a wrench.

Tim Jackson