The MG TD roadster, last produced in 1953, will once again be seen on UK roads.

A British company called Lifestyle Automotive Ltd. plans to import a revived version of the MG TD roadster, the 'TD2000', from Malaysia. Lifestyle Automotive Ltd's director Tom Martin said the manufacturer is TD Cars (Malaysia); the replica's developer is an Australian company, Westmex. After importing one car to the UK and securing single-vehicle approval for it, Lifestyle placed an initial order for 13 vehicles, six of which have arrived in the UK. Martin said in the first 12 months, he planned to sell about 30 cars through six retail outlets in the UK and Ireland, and that sales could increase to around 100 a year.

The original MG TD was built from1949 to 1953, during which time more than 30,000 cars were sold worldwide. The TD2000 Roadster, developed by Australian company Westmex Ltd, made its debut at the Melbourne Motor Show in 1989. In 1998, a Malaysian consortium bought the manufacturing and intellectual rights and began commercial production of the reengineered TD2000 in April 2000.

More than 250 TD2000s have so far been manufactured and sold in 14 countries.


Source : http://www.newcarnet.co.uk (5/5/2006)