Lost and Found

Another ‘bumper crop’ for this issue!

Ralph Scarfogliero is looking to part with his TD. It is the earliest TD (TD0256) known in North America and is RHD. Ralph bought the car in 2011 in California. Obviously not a North American export, he’s curious to know its early history.

Since the photo was taken Ralph has sourced the correct wheels and had the front shock absorbers rebuilt. As part of an intended restoration he’s now removed the body but due to a change of plan he’s looking for somebody else to finish the job.

Contact details are: phone 201-206-1389 USA or e-mail ralph(at)natroute.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

TF1984, registration mark TDH 152

Ian McCulloch bought his TF, TF1984, registration mark TDH 152, in October 2013 from Barry Walker. It was originally black with a biscuit interior but it underwent a rebuild in the mid eighties when it had a bare metal re-spray to its current ivory with red interior. Shortly after, it featured prominently in the book ‘MG TF–Super Profile’ by Jonathan Edwards.

Since then the MOT certificates show a mileage of under 1000 miles per year but there is a blank in history until the previous owner to Ian, a Mr Bull of Leamington Spa. He indicated that the car had been in somebody’s collection before that. The car has all matching numbers and a Heritage Certificate issued in 1997 to a Mr D A Nobbs.

Ian can be contacted at ianmcc(at)talk21.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

TD27417, registration mark RAF 197

John Price used to own this car and has several photographs, copies of which he would like to pass on to the current owner. John would also be delighted to see his old car again.

A DVLA enquiry reveals that the car is not taxed as at 1997, so it is presumably sitting in a garage, or a barn somewhere. John can be contacted on charliey12(at)icloud.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

TD0399, registration mark 78 BLH

Chris Fuller has owned TD0399 since 1978 having purchased it from Aercrete Mobiles, Hastings back then. It’s an early 1950 car and he’s keen to learn of the car’s history. Contact details are chrisfuller480(at)btinternet.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

TC2345, registration mark DHH 242

David Taylor used to own this TC in the 1960s and would like to get in touch with the present owner. The one but last owner, who lived in West Knoyle (Wilts). died a couple of years ago and his widow sold the car through an intermediary. She thought it went to the Cambridgeshire area (Ely?) but she wasn’t sure. David can be contacted at: daviid.taylor(at)btinternet.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

TC1690 (From Zimbabwe to South Africa)

After some 2 years of negotiation and red tape Bruce Dixon has finally managed to rescue a TC from Zimbabwe and bring it back to South Africa. Says Bruce; “Importing cars to South Africa is not for the faint-hearted!”

The car had been standing in a shed at a truck yard near Harari airport for some 30 years and needed some serious cleaning. Bruce soaked the cylinders over night with a light oil and filled the carbs (Solex) with petrol, also flushing the cooling system, before cranking the engine with the plugs out. Amazingly it started up and the oil pressure was good. Generally all the electrics, horn, lights, map lights are working so the next stage is get the car registered in SA and start a rolling restoration.

The logistics of loading and unloading the TC are interesting, as the following pictures show:

Above: With no access to forklift facilities, the TC was first pushed off a ramp onto a small flatbed truck, ready for the next ‘level’. Below: The TC was then ‘transferred’ from the truck, onto a super link articulated lorry, which is shown in the next picture.

All loaded, sheeted down and ready to leave with a Twin Cam MGA (ooh!) to keep the TC company.

As if this wasn’t enough of an occasion, the departure was on the same day as the visit of the Chinese President. The road from the airport to Harari was lined with flag bearers and praise singers, not to mention security – what a wonderful send off for two MGs!

Safe arrival in South Africa with better off-loading facilities.

TC2921, registration mark thought to have been SMT 74.

Jack Emmott is seeking information on a TC that he bought in April 1967. It is chassis number TC2921. Jack thinks that the registration plate was SMT 74. However, he is not sure if the plate belongs to this TC because the car has been in many pieces and stored in many places since 1967. It is one of five which he bought and exported to the US to be restored. This ended up being “the parts car”. Life interfered with getting it back on the road. Now retired, he has built a new tub and most of the mechanicals are done so it should be out of the shop this spring.

TC2456, registration mark HSU 307

Roger Bateman is seeking information on the history of his car, TC2456, UK registration number HSU 307. It was in South Africa until 1987 and was registered DND 787T there. He has found out a lot about the UK owners, but nothing about when it was in South Africa. Can anybody help? rogerbateman(at)rocketmail.com {please substitute @ for (at)}.

EP 9176 – 1946 MG TC

Richard Hinton is hoping that we’ll have the same success in tracing this TC for a friend of his as we did in finding his old TC (GWS 490) in Maryland, USA where it has resided untouched for 43 years.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a chassis number for this car but it will surely have been well known in the 1960s when it was owned by Wendy Atkinson, as she was then.

Wendy was a West End Musical actress as well as appearing in TV comedy series and an advertising and fashion photo model. She was also the face of Tio Pepe of advertising posters.

This photo was taken in Surrey in 1960……………

…..with her faithful Boxer dog who loved travelling in the TC and guarded it, sitting on the passenger seat, wherever she left it.

She really loved the car, was so sorry to lose it and really wonders if it has survived and its story over the last 56 years. It was dark red in colour then and she thinks it was a 1946 model. This would tie in with the age of the registration mark, since EP, being an ex-Montgomeryshire registration was issued by this Licensing Authority from December 1903 right up to November 1947.

Wendy went on to be a highly successful lady racing driver throughout the 1970s and 80s beating a lot of very good men in the process in various saloon cars and for many years a works driver in Rotary Mazdas in particular. She was the ‘real deal’; better known perhaps to racing enthusiasts as Wendy Markey.