1952 MGTD, org. 2 owner gently used as a fair weather vehicle only, No Reserve!

1952 MG T-Series Additional Info:

You are bidding on a 1952 MGTD, this MG is from my personal collection that I started over 45 years ago. An extremely original, two owner documented car that has been used as a fair weather vehicle for its entire life. This MGTD is my wife’s summer toy & has been for the last few years, she drives it on a regular basis & frequents many of the local car cruises & British car events. The MG has an interesting history which started in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1952. Purchased new by a Lawyer ‘Paul Burnett’ that lived & practiced Law in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he drove the MG for less than a year before deciding to trade it in on a new Jaguar XK140. The MG had less than 1,500 miles on the odometer when Downtown Motor Sales (Import car dealer for Jaguar, MG, Triumph) received the MGTD as a trade on the new Jaguar, the MG was then put on display in the show room for prospective buyers. It wasn’t long before Charles Fox a 29 year old resident of Windsor decided that he had to have the car. Charles was fortunate to be the only child of Mary & Charles Fox a wealthy & prominent family that resided in the small town of Windsor, Ontario. Mr. Charles Fox (senior) was an executive for the famed Whiskey Distillery; Hiram Walker. Charles Jr. told his father about the MG that he so desperately wanted to buy & was told that: “foreign cars like that were too small, unreliable & did not represent the image of the Fox family”.With no help from his parents Charles decided that he would buy the MGTD on his own, so on October 2, 1954, Charles Jr. walked into Downtown Motor Sales & bought the MG. He sold all of his world possessions including; ’27 Ford Roadster, a ’34 Ford Coupe & a ’46 BSA 500cc Bike which gave him the down payment that he needed. The balance was financed by; Traders Finance Corporation Limited in Toronto, Ontario. This was the beginning of a love affair with an MGTD that stayed with Charles until his passing at age 91. Charles owned this MG for over 60 years! We were lucky enough to have purchased it from the executor of his estate. In 1965 Charles was considered the most eligible bachelor in the Windsor area, an Entrepreneur, with a dog named “Gilwell” & a foreign sports car all made for his infamous stature. Several local area newspaper articles were written about Charles, ‘Gilwell’ & the MG (these are included with the Provenance of the car). Charles & Gilwell were often seen cruising the streets of Windsor & was an active participant in the Essex County Sports Car Club. Charles fame became so great that the Windsor TV broadcasting station put him on the daily “Art Laing” Weather report in the summer months....Charles with his MGTD & ‘Gilwell’ became regular weather reporters from different locals in the Windsor area!
The original purchase documents from October 2, 1954 are available & included in the sale; “Conditional Sales Contract,” Finance documents & Insurance papers all signed by Charles Jr. The MGTD is an extremely original car, Matching Numbers & with only one re-spray in the ‘60’s from its original black to its current Ivory/Cream (original factory color) at this time he also had the distinctive black & cream ‘Chequered Flag’ paint done to the grill. The interior is sporting the ‘original apple green leather seats’ that are in usable condition (after 66 years) & a testament to the loving care that this MG has received over the many decades. The door/kick panels, cock pit rails are the originals however, the carpet has been replaced. This MG is so original & untouched it still has the factory paper Identification tag still on the voltage regulator!!! (see pic). The dashboard & gauges are the factory originals & all in working order with the exception of the Water Temperature gauge. The optional factory heater is in place & in working condition & so are the optional “Twin Horns”. Charles purchased in the early ‘60’s a set of aftermarket racing screens for the car which are mounted to the dash & in excellent condition. The very rare ‘under dash panel’ is intact & in place. The MG shows 43K miles on the odometer, runs & drives beautifully... is safe, reliable & can be driven anywhere with confidence. Oil pressure is between 50-60lbs hot & 25 -30 at idle. It shifts up/down smoothly through all the gears.
The carburetors were completely rebuilt in 2017 as was the fuel pump & the gas tank was flushed & professionally sealed. The brakes were gone through & a rebuilt brake master cylinder was installed along with two new rear wheel cylinders. The front wheel cylinders were rebuilt & new brake shoes installed all around. The wheels were refinished in 2016 & the original Dunlop Gold Seal tires (near new) that Charles bought for the car before his passing were installed. New black canvas top (StayFast) & side curtain covers have been professionally installed this year & the top frame restored to its factory tan color. (original tan canvas top & side curtain covers have been kept & go with the car).
This MG is a turn-key, first class driver quality car that requires no mechanical work at all. I have taken a few pics of the worst spots of the paint, however, most people that see the car say: “leave it as is...it has great patina & suits the look of the car”. My wife likes it as is, no worries about stone chips or someone stepping on the running boards to get in. . The MG has never been in an accident, the frame is solid & straight with no sign of rust through or past repairs, the battery box is solid. The wood tub substructure is solid & the door mounting hinges are secure with no signs of wood rot, the doors open & shut nicely. The original jack is stowed in the tool box along with some misc wrenches the engine hand crank has been refurbished & is clipped to the back of the seats.
It is a numbers matching car & has the ‘T Register Production Record’ to verify the noted chassis # TD16678, engine#XPAG/TD2/17149, build & dispatch dates including factory colors & trim. I have pictures of the MG during Charles ownership wearing its Chequered Flag grill & racing screens. Original Driver’s Handbook (original to this car) goes with it. Plus a personal hand written diary, several newspaper articles written about Charles Fox his beloved dog ‘Gilwell’, the MGTD & his electronics repair service business. He was also nominated as the most eligible Bachelor in the Windsor area...an interesting newspaper article!
Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like, more pics are available beyond what the Ebay auction shows...they may be requested by sending me your personal email address.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire an incredibly original, mechanically excellent, charmingly patinaed and entirely honest preserved example of one of history's most important & sought after sports cars with an incredible history that is documented & rarely found in cars of this vintage.
My wife & I are reluctantly selling this MGTD (as we did the others)...but given my age & desire to reduce my car collection & to focus on just a handful of my long term favorites it is time for it to go to a new home. My opening auction price is less than what I have invested in this car & you would be hard pressed to find one comparable for the same price. I have tried to take pictures of all aspects of the car including the underside however, I don’t have a hoist and took them by laying underneath. If you want specific pictures please feel free to ask. I will do my best to accommodate.
Please note; The California plates displayed on the MG were provided by a friend who used the car for a photo shoot in a local travel agency ad promoting Canadian travel to California. The copy of the ad will be available once the publisher issues the promotion.
I am willing to ship WORLDWIDE & will assist with shipping arrangements. Given that I am located inCanada, some US & offshore buyers may be reluctant to bid given the border crossing and or importation paperwork required to import the vehicle to their home destination. I can assist with providing the buyer with contact information to an international transportation company (specializing in relocating vintage and classic cars worldwide) that can safely and at a reasonable cost transport the vehicle. I have personally used this company several times and have been extremely pleased with the pick-up & delivery.
Note: I can have this car shipped to any European destination for approx $1.5KCdn, this would put it at the closest port to your home destination.
Most important! All vehicle inspections are to be done prior to bidding!!!