The watershed of MG’s early years came in 1935, when the company’s guardian, Lord Nuffield, transferred its ownership to his vast new Nuffield Organisation. At the same time, his managing director, Len Lord, decreed that future MG sports cars should use many more off-the-shelf components than before.
One early result was the launch of the TA, the first of a long and successful line of T-series cars, which launched MG even faster down the road to world-wide fame. Longer, wider, heavier, but simpler than the PB model which it replaced, the TA was a classic MG sports car.
Although it was built around a simple ladder-style chassis frame, and had a body shell assembled around a wooden frame – both of which were traditional MG in every way – the TA’s real innovation as far as the customers were concerned was in its engine and transmission. For the first time in eight years, this was an MG without an overhead-camshaft engine, and it was also the first to have a synchromesh (as opposed to a ‘crash’) gearbox.
The TA, in fact, had been laid out in the Nuffield design offices, where the engineers had chosen to use modified versions of the latest Morris/Wolseley engines and running gear. According to the traditionalists (who were wrong) this ruined the MG’s character, but Nuffield’s planners produced a car that was simpler, faster, and more reliable than before. |
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Before long, the TA was selling faster than any previous MG, and only one look at its style spelt out the reason. Here was a two-seater car with all the established MG virtues of sweeping front wings, proud free-standing headlamps, and an unmistakable radiator grille. Not only that, but it was probably the first Midget to have a cockpit large enough for two adults.
Although the 1,292 cc engine was neither as specialised, nor as high-revving, as its predecessors, it delivered the goods, for this was the fastest Midget yet. In some ways it was almost an embarrassment for MG, as it was also little slower than the six-cylinder Magnettes, which were still available.
With the virtues came all the expected failings – a rock-hard ride, sensitive steering, sketchy all-weather equipment, and a tendency to leak water in heavy rainstorms – but no-one seemed to care. Like earlier Midgets, this was a car with a heart and soul, which seemed to relate to every owner’s yearnings.
The TA set MG on a new sports car path, for the re-engined TB took over successfully in 1939, and the TC (a lightly-modified TB) would be a huge success in the late 1940s. It was a very important Midget: before the arrival of the TA, MG’s commercial future had been in doubt, but afterwards the subject was never mentioned again.
The TA sold faster than any earlier MG. It was a simple, fast and reliable two-seater with the famous MG badge displayed prominently above its distinctive radiator grill.
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