1948 MG TC Roadster

There simply isn’t another open sports car from the pre-1950 era, in this price range, that offers the same visual panache along with reasonable mechanical reliability

The Ford Model T put America on wheels, and the T series MG put Americans behind the steering wheels of sports cars. With America’s post-WWII economy booming, MG found itself in the right place at the right time. While Europe was still recovering from the ravages of the war, in the States demand for new cars was at a fever pitch. By the time production ceased in 1949, 10,000 TCs had been manufactured. According to official records, more than 6,500 of these were exported, however the real number is likely higher.

Many TCs came to the US after first being registered as new cars in Great Britain by GIs who bought them while on overseas duty. They then brought the “funny little cars” home where they made a striking impression when surrounded by the taller, longer and wider Buicks, Fords and other domestic models of the era.

Defined by flowing front fenders, a fold-flat windscreen, impossibly large wheels, and a rear-mounted spare, the TC is...