TD 2000

TD Cars Pte. Ltd.
Founded	1986
Headquarters	Selangor, Malaysia
Products	Retro-classic cars

The TD2000 is a retro-classic roadster styled after the MG TD. It is produced by TD Cars (Malaysia) Pte. Ltd., a private limited company incorporated in Malaysia in 1998. The company acquired the rights, intellectual properties and trademarks associated with the production of the TD2000 Roadster which was originally developed in Australia. The car is assembled in Malaysia today and exported overseas. It is available in Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Brunei, New Zealand, India, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Thailand, England, Ireland and the Middle East.

Pearl TD2000

History

The idea of creating a retro-classic to pay homage to the 1950s English entry-level sports car MG TD based on a modern Japanese drivetrain. The roadster originated in Sydney, Australia, in the mid-1980s by Marshall Motor Company using Nissan components and original MG TD jigs, dies and moulds. The 1st roadster to roll off the factory was lovingly called "Sally" with a commemorative registration plate TD-2001. However, sales were unprofitable so the car arm of the company changed ownership several times until TD Cars took over and moved the production to Malaysia. The company is upbeat, having secured a local distributor, to penetrate the North American market since MG TD sales did very well after the Second World War.

Design

Rear of a TD2000 with the canopy up.

Today, the TD2000 roadster consists of 2 models, a Silverstone comes with a 5-speed manual shift and Gatsby with a 4-speed automatic gear. It sits on a steel chassis and equips with an independent double wishbone front suspension, a leaf-spring back axle and all-round disc brakes, delivering better handling than the original.

Its fiber glass bodywork incorporates side intrusion bars, is protected by stainless steel bumpers. With a 2-liter Toyota 3S-FE engine developing some 130bhp, the rear-wheel drive roadster delivers better performance than its predecessor. Power-to-weight ratio is superb as the kerb of the roadster weighs less than 1 ton.

Standard features come with spoke wheels, walnut-burr dashboard, mohair soft-top and integrated roll-over bar. Options extend to leather trims, air-conditioning, wooden Motolita steering wheel, stainless steel luggage rack and roll bar.

The National Automobile Museum at Sepang International Circuit houses a pearl-blue Silverstone for public viewing.

Last updated on 8 August 2014 at 08:39.