A single bore increase from 63.5mm to 72mm gave the TF 1500 a 17% bigger engine — no stroke change needed, just a wider bore and a new engine code.
Lead trim: TF 1250 XPAG four (57.5 bhp) · up to 63 hp
MG T-Type Midget1953–1955
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a MG T-Type Midget yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactA single bore increase from 63.5mm to 72mm gave the TF 1500 a 17% bigger engine — no stroke change needed, just a wider bore and a new engine code.
The MG TF Midget, launched on 15 October 1953, was a facelifted TD fitted with the TD Mark II engine, with headlights faired into the wings, a sloping radiator grille concealing a separate radiator, a new pressurised cooling system and a simulated external radiator cap. Its XPAG engine had a compression ratio raised to 8.1:1, extra-large valves with stronger springs and larger carburettors for 57.5 bhp at 5,500 rpm. In mid-1954 the capacity was increased by 17 per cent to 1466 cc (XPEG, bore 72 mm, compression 8.3:1) for 63 bhp at 5,000 rpm and 17 per cent more torque, designated the TF1500 and identified by a cream enamel nameplate on both sides of the bonnet. Production ended at chassis number TF10100 on 4 April 1955 after 9,602 TFs, including two prototypes and 3,400 TF1500s; the all-new MGA superseded it.
Collectors Spotted in the MG T-Type Midget Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the MG T-Type Midget yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TF 1250 XPAG four (57.5 bhp) | 1953–1954 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | 57.5 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| TF 1500 XPEG four (63 bhp) | 1954–1955 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 63 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
A single bore increase from 63.5mm to 72mm gave the TF 1500 a 17% bigger engine — no stroke change needed, just a wider bore and a new engine code.
Purists hated the TD on arrival, calling it 'not a sports car,' just an Americanized cash grab. Nearly 30,000 sold anyway, with 23,488 of them shipped to the US alone.
The MG TC never came in left-hand drive — Americans bought it anyway, right-hand steering and all, kickstarting the postwar US sports-car craze.
The TB Midget's production run ended almost as soon as it began — just 379 were built before MG cleared its factory floor to build aircraft parts and modify tanks for the war.
A humble MG TA Midget won the 1939 Australian Grand Prix handicap in Allan Tomlinson's hands, a modest roadster beating out purpose-built racers.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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