UNUSUAL TICKFORD MG TB UNEARTHED

In 1939, MG announced that the TA was being updated with the fitment of the Morris M10 engine, the new model being called the TB. The car had a short life, because when WW2 broke out the factory was cleared in preparation for wartime work. Post-war, the TB was modified slightly and announced in late 1945 as the TC.

In 1936, coachbuilder Salmons & Sons of Newport Pagnell, better known as Tickford, had got a contract to body some cars as drophead coupés. With only a handful of TBS made before the war, the Tickford version – thought by some to be the prettiest of all – is now a rarity. Of 379 TBS built, just 58 were Tickfords, some 40 of which are known to have survived. The main differences are a higher door line, wind-up windows and a fixed rather than folding ’screen to better support the roof. The fully lined top has working exterior hood-irons and follows Tickford’s three-position design, whereby the roof can be partially folded back over the front seats and fixed in this position. There are two bucket seats instead of a bench, and other details such as trafficators as standard.

Mike Inglehearn is the registrar for the TB and has owned a number of them. At the start of the pandemic lockdowns Mike heard of a garage that was selling a number of MGS, including a TB with a Tickford body. He inspected the car by video call and found that, while many of the more standard MG parts had been sold, many Tickford-specific items were present, so he bought it.

FOE 890 was unknown to the register and no paperwork came with the car. It was first registered in Birmingham and there was a tax disc dating from June 1969, most likely when it was last on the road. Mike is completing another project but has stripped the TB down so he can list all the missing parts, and he hopes to start the rebuild later this year.