1952 MG T-Series Brown

1985 Schweppes / British Coach Works replica of a 1952 MG TD. 

History

This car is 1 of 50 “Sweepstakes Raffle Cars” given away by Schweppes (the beverage company) as a marketing promotion back in 1985.  There was one car raffled off in each state… and YES ,this car was New York State's vehicle and it was won by a local resident right here in Saratoga Springs, NY!  The car was presented to the raffle winner at the Saratoga Race Course during Travers and, with a highly dramatized PA commentary, the car was driven slowly around the course by its new owner, his daughter sitting next to him and waving to the cheering crowd. Imagine having that experience as a kid!  

I purchased that very car from the winner's daughter a few years ago.  Sadly, her father had passed away and the car sat in disrepair with 17K miles on the clock.  A “Barn Find.”  I brought her home and performed a complete restoration except for the paint.

British Coach Works is recognized as the “Number 1” builder of MG TD  Replicas.  They built a quality product using:

Original MG TD bumpers and bracketsOriginal Grille shellOriginal windshield assemblyOriginal mirrorsOriginal headlightsOriginal signal lightsOriginal glass tail light lensesOriginal door handles and latchesOriginal running board trimEtc. 

For the 50 raffle cars, Schweppes gave the go ahead to British Coachworks to purchase 50 brand new Chevrolet Chevettes and use the engines and drivetrains fort their order.  Thus, the raffle cars would begin their lives as totally new vehicles rather than incorporating anything from the used parts market.

The creation of a “Sleeper”

The MG TD has a lot of charisma and it is a classic post World War II example of the British sportscar.  Almost everybody recognizes the basic style and period of the car even if they can't identify the make and model.  A really cool old car but anemic performance consistent with the small displacement and stingy fuel consumption engines of its British heritage.  

My goal was to retain the charm and charisma of the car but boost the performance to rival that of modern street vehicles.   The end-product was to be a “sleeper” car… having the obvious image of harmless charm but with a more ferocious performance underpinning that could be unleashed (if desired) upon the unsuspecting.  To reach that goal, power was going to have to increase about four-fold without conspicuous signs of such modifications having been made.

The Specifics:

About three years ago I proceeded to Resto-Mod the car with the basic performance components that would “fit” the car:

A 50k mile 1985.5 Mustang SVO Turbo PE Engine (completely rebuilt)A World Class “Hurst” Tremec T-5 -5spd transmission with .68 overdriveCobra shifter1965 Ford Mustang 8” rear narrowed with Moser axles, Detriot Posi and 3.90 gearsCustom driveshaftAuto Wire car harness with Ron Francis Engine harnessStinger laptop-computer-controlled ignition/engine management system With boost limited to 20PSI, the engine dyno's @ 252HP and 284FT LBS of torque.  The engine runs beautifully on 93 octane pump fuel. LapTop, with all programs included, goes with the car

About the Body/Chassis:

Vehicle weighs in around 1700 lbsCar is equipped with a “12 point, 1-5/8”, 120” wall roll cagsystem with headrestFront disc brakes and Rod Shop Torino rear “big brake kit”From the header, has 3” exhaust straight  through the Cherry Bomb and out the rear Monza exhaust tipsRuns an RCI 12 gallon fuel cellFuel is delivered through a Fuel Tech EFI  pump systemEngine is cooled by an AFCO aluminum radiator with SPAL fan

This car retains the original 36-year-old gelcoat paint finish, which has been methodically wet sanded and buffed to the quality finish you see today. Is it perfect? Pretty darn close. 

Some parts (like the tire rack) have been re-painted in the original color.  

The chassis was completely sand blasted, epoxy primed then Black epoxy painted.The interior has been redesigned with Marshall gauges, aircraft switches, master cut switch and Vintage Air heater.  The top has been redesigned with new side curtains and cockpit cover in high end Hartz material by Burnty Hills UpholsteryThe Lime Works Steering wheel fits the vintage racer themeAdjustable seat bottoms and seat back adjusts for comfort as wellIt sports a dual -5 Point Safety Harness

The exterior has:

All New Moss Motors bumper ,brackets , hardware as is the running boards and radiator faux capStainless Steel headlamps with Euro lens. The louvre vents in the hood were cut to remove the heat from the turbo motor. The side effect was the settling down of the car at highs speeds. A great bonus. The car runs Michelin XZX 165 tires, OMG you say! These were, the “go to” racing tires of the day, reproduced by Coker tire. They are amazingly fantastic. 

There are thousands of dollars and Hours spent to restore and retrofit a suitable high performance drivetrain. There's a ton of fabrication and engineering to make everything work together in a seamless fashion.  Unfortunately I have suffered a Massive Pulmonary Embolism and that has taken a toll on my perseverance with car fabrication work.

So in summery:

Tooling around town this car appears like (and behaves like) a docile 1952 MG TD, with wonderful esthetic qualities but anemic performance… but push the pedal closer to the floor and you awaken something closer in performance to a big brother Caterham 7 lurking underneath.   

I was thinking this as I was driving her the other day. It's probably the most “Monkeys in a Barrel” fun a person can have between 65 and 100mph.  

It pulls shockingly hard in 3r and 4th gear… the sweet gears.

There's no feeling in the world like passing an occasional Tesla or Muscle car. They never see it coming.

Also published at eBay.com

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