Crunch....(MGTF content)

I think I'd be looking for a donor car if I were wanting to fix what's left. All of the front sheet metal will need replacing, finding fenders appears to be easy (Nohome already found two, and I have found a spare in the past), but finding a bonnet with side panels and a scuttle may prove a bit harder to find. The rear wings and running boards don't look too far gone, so should be relatively easy to fix. The other bit of unobtainium is the windscreen surround.

The one thing this car has going for it is the fact it's a TF 1500, but even then, T-series prices haven't moved much in the last 20 years. Dear old dad's TF is still sitting in the garage under a cover, he occasionally talks about selling it, but as it's not yet finished he wouldn't get anything close to what a finished one is worth (typically around $25k to $30k).

RoddyMac17 wrote: I think I'd be looking for a donor car if I were wanting to fix what's left. All of the front sheet metal will need replacing, finding fenders appears to be easy (Nohome already found two, and I have found a spare in the past), but finding a bonnet with side panels and a scuttle may prove a bit harder to find. The rear wings and running boards don't look too far gone, so should be relatively easy to fix. The other bit of unobtainium is the windscreen surround. The one thing this car has going for it is the fact it's a TF 1500, but even then, T-series prices haven't moved much in the last 20 years. Dear old dad's TF is still sitting in the garage under a cover, he occasionally talks about selling it, but as it's not yet finished he wouldn't get anything close to what a finished one is worth (typically around $25k to $30k).

A total burn out TF1500 went unsold at a Detroit wrecking yard early this spring it failed to meet the sellers minimum .. I lusted after it because an XPEG engine is extremely desirable to the vintage racing crowd.

Prices for T series have moved significantly since this spring.. Recent sales of nice TF1500's have been in the $35,000 range while even decent driver TD's have sold in the high teens and low 20's while basket case TC's hover around the same number.

Projects and basket cases have started to sell as long as the owners are realistic.. The formula is relatively simple.. Ignore emotional attachment and ask market value less the cost of parts to restore. Yes it's such a simple car to restore people don't count their labor or if they do they simply pay for a nice one already finished.
Wire wheels for example cost around $300 each. An engine rebuild is easily $5000 and the transmission properly rebuilt can approach $3000 After labor day, heck maybe after the 4th of July depending on the economy prices will start to drop reaching bottom about Halloween.

I've been looking for an MGTD for a number of years. Recently I was narrowly outbid on a running, driving, very presentable and complete TD. The final bid was less than $6,000, which did not meet the reserve. Granted, all things equal, a TD does not fetch TF prices and certainly not TC prices. My 30+ years of observation has been that for a long time there's been a large gap between asking price and actual selling price for T-series MGs.

In reply to Apis Mellifera: The price of TD's depend on when and where. While TC's move across countries and even oceans. Only the TF1500 (with it's XPEG motor) seems to command the top prices while the XPAG powered TF sells at or below TD prices and then it's a case of finding the right buyer.

UPDATE:

The car has disappeared.

Anyone ever find out how it happened??? My vote is for the off-the-trailer theory

You folks would make pretty good detectives. Turns out this is the result of the tow vehicle being in an accident. The trailer broke away from the tow vehicle and rolled. Fortunately the owner/drivers were not injured and continued on to the car show in a rental. Tow vehicle and trailer were totaled. Don't know about the ultimate fate of the TF.

UPDATE!

I was at Lime Rock on Friday and ran into a guy who I suspected might have some more info on this car. I asked if he knew anything about the TF-1500 that was wrecked nearby. He said he knew a lot about it.

It was fresh off a restoration and the proud owner (from NY) was towing it to Nova Scotia behind his Dodge Caravan (poor choice). He fell asleep behind the wheel and drove off the road. The car and trailer rolled over the guardrail with the trailer landing on top.

The guy I spoke to was contacted and asked if there was a shop in Connecticut that could assess the damage. He suggested a friend's shop and the car was towed there. He was told that the only parts that were salvageable were the engine and transmission. He said that the frame was worse than any MG frame he had ever seen. The guy had collector's insurance and they totaled the car and cut him a check. The car has since shown up on multiple insurance auction sites, but hasn't ever reached the reserve. High bid so far has been $6000. The guy that I spoke with said he bid $4000, but even he thought it was too much at that. He said they are looking for $10,000. He said that TF-1500s have some very valuable parts, specifically the engine and the dash, but he also said that if you were parting the car out, you would have to sell every single part for full price on eBay to get your ten grand back.

Interesting to know what really happened. Sad story though.

Must have spent a bundle on the restoration only to cheap out on the delivery.