History of the MG TD

Mr. Arnolt was an eccentric American enthusiast, industrialist and businessman who had a Chicago-based MG, Riley, and Morris distributorship.
At the 1952 Turin Auto Show, he saw a special Bertone body on an MG chassis and arranged to buy 200 bodies to place on MG TD chassis and sell as complete cars.
Eventually, after the construction of 102 examples, MG was no longer able to supply chassis, and to make good on his deal with Bertone, Mr. Arnolt started another project with them, which would evolve into the Arnolt Bristol.

The MG Arnolt was a more elegant, spacious, and refined alternative to the standard MG TD, and was available in both open (35 examples built) and closed (67 examples built) form.

The doors, hood, and engine lid were made of aluminium, and the body welded to the chassis rather than being bolted.
The cars were generally fitted with the standard 1250cc engines, though a small number of cars were fitted with the 1500cc MG TF engine.
They cost about a third more than a standard MG TD, which also contributed to the low sales volume.