Lone Star Lafer driver

[Bill Gould]

Hi, y’all. My name is Bill, I’m a Texas Aggie, and for the past four years have been restoring (as the bank account permits) a 1981 Lafer TI. That’s the “other” model — the one with no chrome and the smaller, slanted mock grille.

All the big-ticket items (engine, floor pans, tires, brakes, steering damper, top, upholstery and carpet) have been dealt with, so now I’m focusing on the details: stripping, sanding and refinishing the dashboard; pulling and refurbishing the gauges (if I can figure out how);  possibly repainting the centers of my alloy wheels; and adding just a touch of chrome here and there — like hood trim, headlight trim rings, turn signals, windscreen brackets, rear plate lamp, and door handles.

Nice to find a group that knows what I’m going through.

TexAg7140740.9691319444

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[Paul Mossberg]

Welcome aboard Bill!

You have landed in the right place! Great people! And lots of MG replica knowledge here!

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[edward ericson]

Post pics!

[Will Burge]

Welcome Bill

[MGLondonRoadste]

Is that a typo, or what is an MG TI?  My Google search was fruitless.
I would love to see some photos of it.

[Larry Murphy]

 Look in the MP Lafer section. Paul has a link to some pictures there.

[Bill Gould]

MGLondonRoadste wrote:

Is that a typo, or what is an MG TI?  My Google search was fruitless.
I would love to see some photos of it.

Not an MG TI; an MP Lafer TI. Made in Brazil from 1974-89, mainly in two versions (both VW-powered). The original bore a marked resemblance to the MG-TD, except for having doors that hinged in front and a molded “spare tire” cover that was actually just part of the engine deck. The other version (TI, standing for “International Touring” in Brazilian Portuguese), had a smaller, raked mock grille and almost no chrome. MP, by the way, stands either for the company’s motto, also in Brazilian Portuguese, or for some other phrase — opinions differ.

I posted a link in the MP LAFER thread to some photos I took when the car was delivered in 2007. Those will have to do until I take some more to show what I’ve done with it since.

TexAg7140750.9822106482

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[Paul Mossberg]

Here is an MP Lafer TI:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AMwEia9Ox1Q/RoEIPP2NRUI/AAAAAAAABS Q/IKosWuIP5Os/s1600/bmpsub2ti.JPG

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[MGLondonRoadste]

Thanks Texag71 and Paul.  You are all helpful, as always.

[Olimon Ricardo]

My understanding regarding the “MP” is that it comes from name the

company which made these cars in Brazil:

M?veis Patenteados Lafer S/A hence “MP Lafer“

(which translates to Lafer Patented Furniture )

   The lafers were made by Mr. Percival Lafer from Brazil whom after taking

over the family furniture business decided to venture into the automotive

field by developing a new “sports” car for sale primarily in the internal

brazilian market (at that time the brazilian market was pretty much closed

to automotive imports). He purchased brand new complete rolling

floorpans for VW Brazil, did necessary mechanical modifications,

manufactured the bodies and did all assembly within his large furniture

factory.

In Brazil the MP Lafer was sold as a complete new car including brand new

floorpan/engine.

[Paul Mossberg]

And Mr. Lafer ALWAYS insisted he did not create an MG TD replica.

Sure looks like one to me tho.

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Paul Mossberg]

Here are a bunch  of MP Lafer links.

http://mplafer.com/

But a lot of the linked sites appearto have been untouched for years.

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Dan Rosa]

 Hi I guess i’m a little late    Dan

[Paul Mossberg]

It’s never too late!

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Bill Gould]

I’ve never cared for the “patented furniture” tag. I usually tell people that MP stands for Motriz Prazer, which is Portuguese — the language of Brazil — for “Driving Pleasure.”  TexAg7140766.5666898148

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

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