MG TF 1500 and Austin-Healey 100-6 sports …

MG TF 1500

 My mate, Bobbie Charles owned a TF 1500 like the one pictured here.

Bob used to pick me up occasionally in East Vic. Park and drop me off to work in the city. He used to frighten hell out of me as he would have the car screaming down Berwick Street and around to the Causeway, passing cars as though they were standing still!

The ride was always very exciting as the cars dashboard would flex and vibrate and the gearbox would scream and Bobby would laugh at me holding on with white knuckles!

We probably weren’t going that fast however it was a lot faster than catching the bus!

Bobby was very handsome and he always seemed to have a different girl in the MG with him.

This may have influenced me to buy a sports car however it would be a couple of years before I could afford a decent motor car.

Bob lived next door to John Berkshire who  owned an Austin Healey 100-6  sports. John also loved to frighten crap out of me when he gave me a lift in the six cylinder Healey!

Pictured: Austin Healey 100-6 sports the forerunner of the famous Austin Healey 3000

John was a mechanic at Road Bend Motors in Welshpool who specialized in servicing Jaguar cars.

Bob and John lived just up the street from me and they were always tinkering with their cars to make sure they were fully tuned, to frighten shit out of me!

John had lots of stories about the old clients who came to Road Bend Motors. Most of them were professional people who were the only ones who could afford Jaguars in those days. He said they would ‘tootle’ around town at low revs. and half the time the Jaguar engines would not be fully warmed up by the time they got to work or wherever they were going.

John said the best remedy to get them running well when they came in for service, was to change the oil and plugs, then take them for a burn up Welshpool Road into the hills and belt hell out of them! This had the desired effect of cleaning out the engine by getting the vehicle to its correct operating temperature.

Specifications: Mg TF 1500 .The TF Midget, launched on 15 October 1953, was a facelifted TD, fitted with the TD Mark II engine, headlights faired into the fenders, a sloping radiator grille concealing a separate radiator, and a new pressurised cooling system along with a simulated external radiator cap. This XPAG engine's compression ratio had been increased to 8.1:1 and extra-large valves with stronger valve springs and larger carburettors increased output to 57.5 bhp at 5,500 rpm.

In mid-1954 the engine capacity was increased by 17 per cent to 1466 cc and designated XPEG. The bore was increased to 72 mm (2.8 in) and compression raised to 8.3:1 giving 63 bhp (47 kW) at 5,000 rpm and a 17 per cent increase in torque. The car was designated TF1500

 Specifications: The Austin-Healey 100-6 is a two-seat roadster that was announced in late September 1956[3] and produced from 1956 to 1959. A replacement for the Austin-Healey 100, it was followed by the Austin-Healey 3000; together, the three models have become known as the Big Healeys.
The 100-6 featured a 2 in (50.8 mm) longer wheelbase than the 100, a more powerful straight-six engine in place of its slightly larger inline-four, and added two occasional seats (which later became optional). The body lines were slightly streamlined, a smaller, wider radiator grille placed lower, an air scoop was added to the bonnet, and the windscreen fixed.

The 100-6 was produced in two model designators, the 2+2 BN4 from 1956 onwards and the 2-seat BN6 in 1958–9.
The cars used a tuned version of the BMC C-Series engine previously fitted to the Austin Westminster, initially producing 102 bhp (76 kW) and increased in 1957 to 117 bhp (87 kW) by fitting a revised manifold and cylinder head.[4] The previously standard overdrive unit was made optional.4]
A 117 bhp (87 kW) BN6 was tested by The Motor magazine in 1959 had a top speed of 103.9 mph (167.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20.8 miles per imperial gallon (13.6 L/100 km; 17.3 mpg‑US) was recorded.