TA1521 – Quite a Rescue!

Unlike TA1980 featured earlier, TA1521 has had a very hard life.

The car was brought home from England at the end of WW II by a Polish Serviceman and was reputedly raced in the early fifties in Upper Silesia (Katowice area).

The father of the current owner, Maciek Peda, bought the car in uncompleted condition around 1975. At that time Poland was behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ and there was little or no opportunity to acquire literature and spares. As a result, the TA remained untouched in the state you see it in the photo above.

With the collapse of communism in 1990 the time was now right to rebuild this car. Spares were sourced in England and in Germany and the restoration was completed by 1996. Then disaster struck – to quote Maciek, “sadly after five years, first MPJG ‘passed away’ – in past he had broken at least two conrods. Block was repaired, but had not the right stiffness. After five years of use came inside of block cracks and water was going to oil”.

Knowing that another MPJG block would be extremely difficult to find, Maciek seriously considered replacing the expired unit with an XPAG or VA engine. Surprisingly, around 2005, an incomplete MPJG engine with block, conrods and crank in premium condition was found…………in Poland of all places!

Nice ‘shot’ of the completed TA1521 with Maciek at the wheel.

Maciek is quite an M.G. fan and also owns this magnificent WA (chassis number 0406)

Clearly a man of many interests, Maciek supplies spare parts for Lanz tractors via his website at peda-muzeum.org and apart from collecting cars, he also collects the remains of crashed or ‘belly landed’ American aircraft. Maciek says he collects them “as a tribute to those young airmen – they flew and fought with those aircraft.”

Recently a large military event was held in Maciek’s area of Poland; he decided to exhibit a small display of some of the surviving parts from the remains of the five Boeing B-17 Bombers which he has collected.

Maciek standing with TA1521 in his display tent at the military event.
TA1521 in use as a ‘duty’ car at the military event with Maciek and a friend dressed in military uniforms.

3 thoughts on “TA1521 – Quite a Rescue!

  1. Jacek Skibinski says:

    Hi,
    congratulatins, very nice restoration of the MG TA.

    Jacek – Geneva (restoring MG TD from 1952)

  2. John Deikis says:

    Wonderful TA and WA as well. And in Poland!
    I have looked for MGs while visiting family in Lithuania but have seen none.
    Good luck with your beautiful cars.
    Cheers.
    John
    1952 MGTD
    1968 MG Midget

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