TC 7162 - View from Another Angle



November 18, 2017   St. Augustine, Florida

The Ancient City Antique Car Club held their annual show on the campus of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.  We took the MGTC to the show and were fortunate to be assigned a spot under the oak trees.  Even though it was November, it was a warm, sunny Florida day that made shady areas the most comfortable.

The MG car company built 10,000 MGTCs from 1945 through 1949.  This car is serial number 7162.  The TC attracted a lot of attention at the show with many people stopping by with questions or stories to share.  One Canadian was driving down the road in front of the school, spotted the TC, and had to find a place to park just so he could see the car.  Although the car proved to be of high interest to the visitors to the show, it left the show with no awards.  This is due to judging criteria of the Antique Car Club, which rewards originality - having the cars look exactly as they came off the assembly line.

MGTCs were prized for being a sports car that performed at high levels.  They were often raced the weekend after initial purchase, so they did not remain stock for long.  This TC raced and is presented in the fashion in which it raced, so it is original to the 1950s and, in our opinion, a better representation of the way the cars actually looked when in their prime.


One of the people in attendance who found TC7162 interesting was Dan Scanlan, a writer for the Jacksonville newspaper, The Florida Times Union.  Dan has an interest in classic and racing cars and often writes articles on cars for other publications.  For the TC, he detailed his interest in a blog that he writes.  Interestingly, a previous owner of the car, living in Texas, found the blog post and alerted us to its existence.  Dan posted numerous photos of the car along with descriptions.  A link to his blog post is below.  He missed a couple important points that are shown in this image.

The gas tank is stainless steel.  One issue with old classic cars is that the gas tanks rust inside as water condensates out of the air in the tank.  They often need replacing.  So, the stainless steel construction solves the rust problem and also adds a bit of bling to the rear of the car.

The top of the tank also has a non-stock feature - a gas gauge.  The fitting on the top left is the quick release fill cap, which Dan noted, but the fitting on the right is the most notable feature, a gas gauge. TC left the factory with a sending unit in the tank, but it did not provide a reading of fuel level.  When the tank was down to just 2 gallons, the sending unit would signal a light on the dash to glow.  A bit crude by today's standards.

The license plate is another unique feature - it is an original 1949 Florida vehicle license plate.  Florida law allows automobiles built between 1945 and 1972 to carry a license plate original to the year of manufacture.  Beginning in 1973, Florida began issuing license plates with double years and later with no year printed on the plate.  Now, Florida license plates are used multiple years with a sticker indicating the valid period.  Unfortunately, this original license plate has to be disfigured with a sticker to be legal.


Dan's photos have created many interesting images of the Watney-Stilton Racing Special.  The eye of a professional photographer finds art in differing views.




Photo Credit:  All photos in this post by Dan Scanlan, with a bit of sharpening through PhotoShop by the author.