It’s no secret that Jay Leno is a fan of all things motorized and rubber-burning. His collection is known the world over to host some rather impressive models, from a restomodded 1955 Buick Roadmaster to a 2010 Jaguar CX75, the latter being one of only two in existence.
As much of a fan as Leno is of modern-day performance machines, however, the man’s passion for hot rodding is as strong as ever. The aforementioned Roadmaster has been a car that he’s cherished for over forty years, and whenever Leno has a chance to showcase a unique ride on his popular YouTube channel, he never passes it up.
One of the more recent vehicles to pop up has been this 1952 MG TD hot rod, aptly described thanks to the stout 383 V8 lying under its gull-wing hood. The builder and former owner of the MG, David Stenmark, stops by the garage to talk and offer remarks on his awesome British roadster.
Stenmark bought the TD back in 1970, when it was not looking pretty sitting in a New Englander’s side yard. “I found the owner and his wife, and the owner had lost interest in the car,” says Stenmark. “It was laying in pieces, no engine, no transmission, but it had the original rearend still.”
The man was already familiar with how TDs operated and how to insert an SBC into one. “I did one in 1962, it had a 327ci in it, so I learned a lot from that process,” Stenmark explains. “For this one, I moved the engine forward a couple of inches, as it just happened to be easier in my opinion.”
Stenmark changed things up on the car by adding a B&M Hydro transmission, and a Chevy 12-bolt Positraction differential. What’s really cool are his solenoid-operated headers, which will transfer the flow of the exhaust either straight back or out to the side for a far louder and meaner burble.
All in all, it’s a mighty fine piece of work, and one that’ll continue to make fans (and enemies, as Stenmark comments) as it makes the rounds at future car shows. Watch the whole video to learn more about the car and also see it go through a Wilwood disc brake conversion.