MG TDS heading towards £10k territory

How long before we see Fifties MG tds routinely advertised for less than ten grand? Values have slipped noticeably this year, with shiny and useable older restored tds now appearing in private ads for around £13k. in october h&h at Duxford knocked down a nicely mellowed 1953 td Mkii in green for £13,500, while on the online sites there’s a ’53 finished in ivory, freshly restored and yet to be run in, for £13,250. another private seller in Kent is offering a ’53 Mkii in Cherry Red with evidence of period rally history and modified engine, also for £13,250.

these are all ex-usa cars (23,488 went stateside) but at this money you’ll be buying for much less than the rebuild cost. Genuine uk-supplied cars (only 1656 stayed at home) still carry a premium but that’s slipping too. Back in 2014 you would have paid £35k for a proper right-hand drive peach, now its more like £20k. two years ago silverstone sold a home-market ’53 in very tidy order, complete with original registration and buff logbook, for £16,500. the td’s image is a bit retirement-home, the flappy hood lets in all the elements, it’s flat-out at 75mph and at that speed the wipers won’t even touch the screen. But with prices falling it’s still a cute classic, cheaper than a Frogeye sprite or alpine. last year CCA sold a left-hand-drive older restoration, very sharp-looking ’51 in BRG needing a new soft top for £6850 while anglia sold a restored ’51 home-market td with green logbook and original plate for £8610. at those prices, pensionable image or not, a good MG td becomes one of Britain’s best-value classic Fifties roadsters.