Well put Matty. Use of the word craftsman sparked off another memory for me.

My father was a superb craftsman, yes I'm biased, but, if his bosses wanted a job done once they gave it to Arthur. If a colleagues substandard work needed putting right then, yes, you guessed it, they gave it to Arthur.

On the other hand he was sometimes hauled before them when he took an hour to do a job and all the other chaps "only" took forty minutes. Not all the bosses were clever enough to do the maths when he told them that his hour was less than the forty minutes they took plus his hour or so putting it right. We won't even go into the effort and time (money) needed to mollify disgruntled customers.

I have sadly inherited none of his ability with the spanners, but I do have the eye for detail he instilled along with the do the job right first time and you only do it once. Cheaper in the long run he assured me.

My mother loved Morgans, my father absolutely hated them. I won't use some of his phrasing but the slapdash workmanship he saw in every one he worked on almost made him froth at the mouth. He simply couldn't understand how they were allowed to leave the factory, and more to the point how people continued to throw their money at them. Anyone notice how history seems to repeat itself here? Or am I just being cynical.

It is important to give context here. He was equally dismayed by Jaguars, as was his brother, a lifelong Jaguar mechanic, and the effort needed to get them ready for a customer even before delivery. Astons weren't his favourites either. I could go on.

At the other end of the scale he was far more positive about the likes of Alvis, and to some extent Bristol and so he wasn't just dismissive of all the brands.

He was convinced that time and effort and above all thought before jumping in with both feet could have prevented many of the issues that befell many of the great British marques.

Were he alive today he would have said to me,"told you so" when I reeled off all the potential pitfalls awaiting us as M3W owners. He would also have asked why, after all he'd ever said to me I still went out and bought a Morgan.

I keep asking myself the same question, along with just how do they keep getting away with it, and, can they keep getting away with it. Well, my dad was having these same thoughts some 30,40, 50 years ago and more, and they still are. Just what form of black magic is it that remains in Morgans employ?

Now, as a separate story when my brother went out some ten years ago and bought a TVR Chimaera you can just imagine how dad reacted. A separate story indeed....

Last edited by stantheman; 14/09/15 06:38 AM.