1953 MG TD

- Classic British Roadster
- Red Paint with Red Interior
- Freshly Rebuilt Numbers Matching 1250cc 4 Cylinder
- Cockpit Tonneau Cover
- Runs and Drives Exceptionally Well

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1953 MG TD on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 130 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“1953 MG TD: true vintage-style sports car motoring” – Classic Cars Journal, November 2020

Classic Cars Journal writer, Andy Reid, gave his personal perspective on the MG TD and its predecessor: “The MG TC originally introduced US drivers to British sports cars, but its successor is what really took this country by storm: the MG TD. The TC was very much a prewar design, having a solid front axle and a suspension more resembling that of a horse-drawn cart than an automobile. The TD took the basics of the TC roadster and added more interior room, rack-and-pinion steering and independent front suspension. The car proved very popular, and MG would sell 29,664 TDs….”

“Having owned a TC and driven many TDs, I found that the TD, while not quite as pure a design as the TC, more than makes up for that by offering a much-improved car in every area. It handles predictably and is more pleasant to drive, and with more interior space than the TC. Another major selling point for US drivers, TDs also were available with left-hand drive while TCs were right-handers only, in keeping with their British roots.”

Offered here is a numbers-matching 1953 MG TD in red over red. On every level—workmanship, originality, condition, and aesthetics, the car is a very satisfying example of a historic model from the Abingdon-on-Thames MG Works. Currently showing 63, 010 miles on its odometer, the TD has traveled fewer than 1,000 miles per-year on average since new. A result of both regular maintenance and the restoration work, the car runs and drives exceptionally well.

The exterior red paint shows excellent gloss and even application on all sheet metal. “MG Red” is a very desirable shade among collectors, both for its stand-apart-from-the-crowd statement and for how well it suits the flowing lines on the TD body and fenders. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Complementing the paintwork, the chrome finishes have been superbly maintained: the bespoke front grille, bumpers, headlight trim and supports, windshield trim and hardware, side mirrors (located atop the front fenders), door handles, rear cargo rack, taillights, turn-indicator lights, and various body trim (including on the running boards) all show high gloss and minimal patina. The car's original “MG” grille emblem is pristine (with four enameled, owner-added, bumper-mounted automobile club-type badges equally pristine). Original, red-painted, 15-inch steel wheels with MG-branded, chrome hubcaps are mounted with Kelly Springfield® narrow-whitewall tires (the rear-mounted spare with matching wheel and hubcap is a Firestone® 5.50-15 blackwall).

Inside, the red theme continues. The dashboard of the especially pleasing, gently curved design is in excellent condition: the red leather is beautifully preserved (including on both sides of the drop-down glove-box door) and all Jaeger® gauges have perfect faces, shiny chrome bezels, delicate indicator needles, and crystal-clear lenses. The original banjo-style steering wheel completes a driver's view unlike any other. Red leather upholstery in the classic vertically pleated patterns is free of any signs of wear or other damage. Cabin carpeting is charcoal in color. The shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission is floor-mounted and topped with an MG-branded wood knob. An ivory-colored cockpit tonneau cover can be arranged for complete or ¾ coverage.

Under the two-piece, center-hinged, louvered hood, the freshly rebuilt, original 1,250-cc 4-cylinder occupies a correct (the engine block wearing its maroon paint) and properly laid-out engine bay. Surfaces are very clean, and all components are properly in place. Viewed from below, the chassis is similarly clean, perfectly straight, and free of any sign of damage.

All factory-mounted build and identification tags remain in place. A sheaf of recent maintenance receipts accompanies the car.

While the more than 130 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this MG TD in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

It's fun to imagine how its next owner will enjoy this lovely red MG TD. Will it be a showpiece at British-car get-togethers? A ride to delight children and grandchildren? A getaway car for fall-color-tour weekend drives? An object of joyful polishing and owner tinkering? We're pretty sure the one answer is: Yes.