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Here we go! First impressions from ARP4 AR04MOG.
Did 200 miles over Dartmoor on Friday with Fossilmog. Great day out and lovely people. Needless to say, the car attracted much interest from the other owners, which was nice. Lots of compliments and best wishes.
The first thing to say is that I am very impressed with the finish. As some of you may know, the car initially came out of the factory with the wrong colour leather. However, with the help of Berrybrook it was taken back and two weeks later returned in the correct trim and looking brilliant.
I have been very careful not to rev over 3000 or labour the engine. As with other owners' comments, the car felt a bit sluggish and lacking in torque. However, as my last Morgan was a 4.0 litre +8 I have to keep reminding myself that this is a very different car with an engine where the torque and power only starts at around 3500 revs!
So, I have to remain patient and put some more miles on the clock at the same time as gradually increasing the rev range. Notwithstanding, I felt the car's engine loosening up a little towards the end of our run and at 3000 revs it definitely felt as if it wanted to go for it!
The steering was very direct with good feel. Having opted not to have powered steering I was pleased with that decision. It is a nicely balanced car and the new rear suspension much more forgiving than my last car. The ride is quite firm, however, and I will wait and see if it settles down after about 1000 miles before adjusting the settings.
There is a little vibration in the steering wheel at 70 mph and I will get the wheels checked for balance in due course.
The biggest issue at the moment is the sound! Lots of popping, spitting and far*ing on overrun and deceleration. For most of the day this was quite entertaining and brought lots of smiles and giggles from my wife as well as the other Morgan owners immediately behind me. However, towards the end of the run I was beginning to wonder whether this might prove to be a little too much, to the point where I might have to consider wearing ear plugs. We also live in a small village where lights out can be quite early and if we are coming home after 10pm we may have to be very careful not to wake up the neighbourhood!
I am going to wait and see what the noise levels are once I start winding her up through the complete rev range. I am hoping that the sheer performance will compensate for this minor irritation. My last car was a Boxster S and one of the greatest thrills for me was hearing the Porsche exhaust howl above 5000 revs.
How is it that the Sierra Cosworth managed to produce mind blowing acceleration and power without breaking any windows through noise?
So, all in all, it is fair to say that I love the car, am looking forward to experiencing the Cosworth performance once properly run in, but am a little worried about my ears!
More to report in due course.