The TC/TG was never intended to be a replica

by Patrick Harlow
TC buck

The begining of the Almac TC

TC buck2

By 1986, the Almac 427SC, was selling so well that Alex, who had never been happy making a replica, decided to add another model to his marque. Like the now forgotten Yellow Car, it would be a car of his own design. The intention was that this car would be cheaper and easier to build than the 427SC. Becasue of the success of the 427SC he was a little reluctant to move into uncharted territory, so he stuck with the retro theme and designed a car inspired by the MG TC/TD.

It was never intended to be a replica, so no measurements match the original, and the car was designed to fit a Triumph Herald chassis. The Almac TC was released to the public in 1986 and by New Zealand kit car standards could be called a success with 25 kits being sold in two years.

Although the car had spaces to allow the fitting of Almac badges on the grill surround and the boot, several buyers filled them in and fitted MG badges.

As it was based on the Triumph Herald chassis, the TC was designed to be a simple yet cheap car to build and had very little bright work. It was a classic looking roadster, complete with the long bonnet and a turning circle that few cars can beat. The Herald was originally intended to be the single donor, but builders were soon putting bigger motors into the car and Alex was not really happy with a modern Toyota 2.0 ltr engine going in a car with a chassis that was originally built in the sixties and even the Vitesse Herald became famous for its spectacular cornering. Or to put it another way it was quite a spectacle when the inner rear wheel tucked under the car in a hard corner and the Herald rolled. The main culprit for this was a single traverse leaf spring that went across the independent Triumph rear suspension.

It was around this time that Alex hired more staff to build turnkey models, such was public demand. However, it was after building up a couple of these he became aware of its limitations. The Herald chassis was getting old, most were rusty and there was a limit in the size of engine that you could put into them. Thus, it was that late in 1988 the TC ended production and work began on the car that would be called the TG.

Almac TC

The Almac TC was a simple car based on the Triumph Herald.

Almac TG1

A major difference between the TC and the TG was that the TG would have an Almac designed chassis and would be based on a modern donor car, the Holden Gemini. The TG now had a soft top as well as a new hard top which looked very similar to the soft top. In fact, most thought it was a soft top until they touched it. Doors changed from the suicide type to more conventional rear opening type. The best improvement was the new chassis designed to take Holden Gemini running gear. The kit was now more upmarket, and the entire car could now be built out of a box. With this kit Alex addressed all the shortcomings of the TC. The car could be purchased as a total kit in a box with all components that the builder needed to complete the car, including every nut and bolt.

The car went on sale during 1989 and was visually the same as the TC other than the fact that the fibreglass radiator surround had now been replaced by one made from stainless steel and the car now sported bumpers. Another feature was a hardtop, although this could be retrofitted to earlier models. Strangely enough this model did not sell as well as its predecessor and demand tapered off after only another 16 or so had been made. Production of the TG stopped in 1991.

Contact Details

Postal address
2a Nicolaus Street
Trentham
Upper Hutt, 5018
New Zealand

Email: almaccars@outlook.com
Website: http://www.almac.co.nz