TD2000
Encyclopedia
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
-styled roadster
Roadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
styled after the British MG TD. Produced by TD Cars (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., a 70% Malaysian-owned operation with the remaining 30% share owned by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n partners, the car is assembled in Malaysia and exported overseas. It is available for sale in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
History
The idea of creating a retro-classic to pay homage to the 1950s English sports carSports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
, the MG TD, based on a modern Japanese drivetrain, originated in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during the mid 1980s. Despite enlisting the help of Nissan, the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based Marshall Motor Company could not make a success of the project and the tooling changed hands several times until being acquired by TD Cars (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., a 70% Malaysian-owned operation with 30% Australian partners.
In 1998, Malaysian businessman Edward Teo acquired the rights, intellectual properties, and trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s associated with the MG TD to produce the replica TD2000 Roadster.
Design
Today, the TD2000 Silverstone is built on a steel chassis, equipped 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.