IMO Morgan need to take a side step and look at developing cars that don't need so much attention, they must realise that there is a lot of a new age population that do not know there way around under the skin, i read with interest the amount of Morgan owners who are mechanically minded, but this generation and past are slowely disapearing, that leaves a generation that are IT literate and not so much mechanically minded, they will not be willing to tinker and that will result in high maintanance costs from the dealers.

Modern motor cars are already there IMHO.
I wouldn't want to do much work on my Clubman...

A la LifeCar with a small-capacity turbo-ed ICE, now that would be the way forward for me; rather than the Eva!


Yes I know it has no windows and an impractical entry system, but hey, look at the styling...

P.S. It would of course, need a Spider version too!

A few years ago, when the concept car was being shown around the place, I told MMC that as soon as they could build me a LiFECar with a series hybrid power train for less than GBP 60k, I would buy one.

I haven't heard anything from them since. Which is probably just as well, because Jane dislikes the shape, and has since torpedoed the idea. Interestingly, however, she has not uttered a single word against the alternative of buying a 3 Wheeler, so that's where I shall be heading, I guess...

+1 agree with Aeroman, i have a 22 year old who already wants an automatic car after owning 2 manuals, his comment is "why change gear when you don't have to" my daughter drives a SMART and to think i owned a Garage Work shop for 20 years nothing has rubbed off on them.

I am quite close to the future of the industry, in particular the drive to "lower carbon". I have been to a number of conferences on the subject recently and the trends coming out are interesting.

For example there is a growing realisation that there is a big difference between "low tailpipe emissions" and whole life cycle "low carbon". The tail pipe only looks at the impact of the car on the road. Whole life cycle looks at production of the car, running it, producing and delivering the fuel and final disposal of the car. There has been an assumption that low carbon means inevitably electric cars...BUT studies by influential companies like Ricardo Engineering (sponsored by UK govt) have shown that the whole life cycle impact of an electric car is substantially affected by the method of electricity generation. They did a like by like comparison of a super efficient internal combustion diesel engine with added energy recovery hybrid compared against a pure electric car. This shows the electric car to be a hands down winner in France with its nuclear power. It is marginal as to which one is better in the UK. BUT in China (which is a major producer of CO2 and has a big pollution problem) the electric was MUCH worse than internal combustion!!! China has coal power..

I am interested in the "make me a smaller Plus 8 with 4 cylinder power" debate above. Why do we assume we need to "scale down" the size? What in fact is needed is to considerably scale down the weight. This is where Morgan is actually doing some very interesting industry leading research with materials like Magnesium and Carbon Fibre.. As I have said before the link with Oak Racing for LMP2 is giving them the access to Carbon technology....

With regard to engines then I think we may have seen the last non turbo Morgan. In the drive for efficiency then the days of big lazy V8's are unfortunately numbered. As we have seen by engines like the Ford Ecoboost range..smaller very efficient direct injection turbos are the way forward. These engines produce incredibly flat torque curves which in many ways give the same of even better drive-ability than lazy V8's whilst consuming far less fuel, less emissions and less car tax!! I am aware of a 1600cc turbo 4 that produces 200bhp with a torque curve flat from 1500rpm to 6500rpm!

Also into this pot you need to put energy recovery hybrid systems (some mechanical, some electric, some both) which can typically add another 30-50bhp across the range.

We must also not forget that diesels can on their own give better fuel economy and we can run them on our old cooking oil!!

So my crystal ball for the future Morgan would be:

• Same shape and size as the current cars e.g new Plus 8
• Much lighter..say 25-33% less by use of new materials
• As its lighter you need less engine for same performance
• Engine will be turbo, direct injection with hybrid energy recovery..

Phil

Very interesting, thanks for posting

Bud

____________
2003 - 4/4
Triumph Bonneville

Some excellent points there, Phil. When I referred to a 'scaled down' Morgan, I wasn't thinking in terms of size, just engine capacity and cylinder count.

I'm fascinated by the technology available now, like energy recovery systems, and hybrid power.

I don't say this to upset or offend the numerous V8 fans out there, but personally I see V8s as being pretty anachronistic, with nothing apart from the noise they make to recommend them.

Modern systems can give better performance, including torque delivery, for less weight and better economy, which has got to be a good thing. Regardless of what one may think about global warming/environmental issues, the fact of the matter is that the cost of petrol is only going to go one way, and the less of my money I spend on it the further I can go :-)

Phil

Thanks for a great post. Whole life cycle "low carbon" is I am sure the way to go in the future if we want to be really green, and not just for motor vehicles. For instance bring back white goods that are repairable as opposed to disposable.

Cheers

A hybrid for work and a V8 to play