Oddly enough, I've been to view another one today but not a Morgan. I was contacted by Donaldosaurus from Dumfies & Galloway as he's after something daft to tickle with & he's after a Lomax 223 kit car which is up for sale about 20 minutes away from me. It's a fun little thing, but any comparisons are meaningless. He'll love it, though. Tells me the Lotus he bought to replace the 4/4 is also up for grabs as he's got back problems.
I just thought I'd add a few notes about the thought process behind replacing my own three wheeler after two fun years, and as it's wet & windy out there this afternoon I've nowt better to do..!!
The M3W is fun. it's a crazy but perfectly useable thing, and the pavement appeal is great. Fuel stops are a lengthy affair due to the questions and photo's, and if you're busting for the loo then tough.. On the road it's a unique driving experience with such brilliant feedback it makes 60mph feel like the ton.
When the suns out & it's warm and dry you can't beat it for an experience. The problem that kept getting bigger with my thinking, was that I was becoming more & more dependent upon the weather forecast and it grated with me that I couldn't always commit to anything without wondering about the weather and I've already got a bike for that! It's not necessarily the cold and wet, but the fact that the engine's so exposed and anything really mucky would ruin it's good looks.
The dreaming and scheming started to set in, and being fortunate in having opportunities to drive several four wheeled Morgans including a wonderful P4SS, a couple of Roadsters and an earlier Plus 4.
The common denominator that fell out of all these drives was that none of them have a gearbox that is equal to that of the M3W. The Roadsters almost make a gearbox redundant, such is the creamy liquid torque from those V6 engines. The P4SS was superb, and went like a rocket ship but it was already tuned and the chances of putting any sort of my own personality into the car would be few and far between.
The choice really, was either a big engine or a car with the Mazda 5 speed 'box. Only the ARP4 has both, and that was out of the question as there's none left..!
During the TM day at the factory I'd wandered around the car park having a browse with my camera, and looked at the personalities of the cars and the colour combinations but some appealed to me more than others. It was only later when I sat at home looking through the results that I saw one such car that no-one seemed to own. It was there at the start and at the end.. Hmm..
Turns out it was a factory car, and despite looking very smart, everyone wanted to go out with the Belle of the Ball, the ARP4, and walked past this one.
I made a few calls and a week later, went over to have lunch with Jays and a look at this car. Seems it's a specific car for the Virgin Experience punters, and run by one tour guide who had a coffee and a chat before we went out for a drive.
It's a standard 4/4 with a corporate red and pretty much every option on the list fitted to impress the punters, and it drove surprisingly well. It always does when the owner sits next to you, doesn't it..?
Back at the ranch Nick Baker & Steve Morris ran the double act routine on me, and suffice to say they made a very attractive deal that included a good price on the M3W. Twenty four hours of thinking brought us to where we are today.
So come March, I will have a 250 mile, six week old 4/4 in my shade of Tart Red (I am a tart, after all..) as a blank canvas to apply my personality to.
The 4/4 Sigma seems to be the one closest to the ethos of why I bought the M3W in that you can thrash it and feel like you're flying at legal speeds, something the big engines don't as Mrs SBM found out on her demo ride in the ARP4..! I can do as much or as little to it as I fancy, whereas many others are limited to just exhausts, and in many respects it's like me. It has nothing to prove, and I like it's underdog position in the pecking order line-up.
Hopefully I can get Stringer out with me in this one, too..
So much thinking, but it's all good from here now. To everyone that has helped along the way, thank you.
I love TM..!!
and I'm sure you'll enjoy the 4/4.
