We were back in the north of Ireland recently with Simon Thomas, a motor racing enthusiast and longtime collector of historic Irish racing cars. Simon’s passion for motorsports traces back to his parents—his father both raced and provided commentary, while his mother worked as an international timekeeper.
One standout in Simon’s collection is his 1949 MG TC Racing Special, once owned by Billy Leeper. MG (Morris Garages) built quality sports cars and made its mark on European racing by the 1930s. MG’s famed T-Type series—were five open two-seaters (TA, TB, TC, TD, and TF) built from 1936 to 1955.
MG TC HISTORY
Simon recalls the car’s history, “the car was supplied as a chassis in 1949 to Billy Leeper in Belfast.” Inspired by George Philips’ MG TC at Tallaght and fresh off a Leinster Trophy win in a Singer, Billy built it as a race car. “It was on the road briefly in the late ’50s, then sat under a tree until Jimmy McCullough found it and sold it to me.”
WILLIAM “BILLY” LEEPER (1909 – 2001)
Billy Leeper began as an apprentice engineer in Strabane, Co. Tyrone in 1925, later co-founding a Rootes dealership in Belfast with Fred Wilson. He eventually partnered with Billy Gibson to start a lawnmower business opposite the garage.
The MG TC Racing Special car was “bodied” by George Dummigan’s garage in Belfast (as was Leeper’s 1948 Singer). It was raced by Leeper and his mechanic John Dickson from 1951-1955.
Leeper raced at numerous events across Ireland including the Curragh, Wicklow, Dundrod, Kirkistown and hill climbed at Cairncastle and Craigantlet. As Simon explained, Billy Leeper took his MG just about anywhere he could “exercise the car”.
Simon knew of the car in the late 1970s through his father, who knew Billy Leeper, and “always had a notion for it.” When it came up for sale in the ’80s, owner Jimmy McCullough asked, “What are you going to do with it?” Simon replied, “Rebuild it as Billy Leeper’s racing car.” That answer sealed the deal.
BILLY FLEMING BODYWORK
When Simon bought the MG TC in the late ’80s, the body was in poor shape and had to be rebuilt. From research by Ireland Made Contributor Brian Manning he believes the 1949 MG TC Special was crashed more than once and is now on its third body.
Through the classic car community, Simon found Billy Fleming, a skilled craftsman trained at Short Brothers & Harland before the war. Working with his own English wheel he agreed to recreate the MG TC body exactly. The original bodywork has been preserved and is held in storage. When Simon collected the new bodywork he was as he says; “rather taken back that he had actually recreated the dents in the nose cone.” But then he did ask for an exact copy!
THE DELOREAN CONNECTION
In the late 1970s when John DeLorean came to launch the DeLorean Motor Company in Belfast, the gullwing doors of the first DMC-12 prototypes didn’t fit properly.
Billy Fleming’s name was put forward as being good at sheet metal work.
As a result, every morning he was collected and taken to the DeLorean factory outside Belfast using his own English wheel and tools to fit the prototype doors. Through his work Billy was on first name terms with John DeLorean and so the story goes they frequently shared a sandwich together at lunchtime.
When Billy Leeper passed in 2001, he left the car’s race trophies to Simon, as he had enjoyed seeing the car rebuilt and wanted to keep all the history associated with the car together.
MG TC STILL COMPETING
Reid Thomas, Simon’s son continues to campaign the car in hill climbs. When we asked Simon what it was like to drive, he was honest if daming about his MG TC; “it’s a racing car with flat springs on the back and with very, very stiff suspension and is not a pleasant car to drive on the road.
Simons goes on to tell us the car is quick, for a 1949 car. This is helped along by a recent engine rebuild and retune. The brakes were also rebuilt. Overall, “a nice car, but harsh, with good history, all the trophies and a great friendship with Billy Leeper, who built the car.”
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