From 10 metres or so, my car doesn't look too bad at all. But get closer, and it all starts looking a bit grim.
After 31 years and 115,000 miles, the steel wings have loads of stone chips. Because the steel wings were fabricated from around half a dozen pieces, the factory covered them in filler. Over the years, the filler flexes and cracks, water gets in, and they start to rust.
Years of exposure to the sun, rain and wind dulls and degrades the finish on the dash. On one occasion I had been working on the car and jumped in for a test drive, forgetting I had a screwdriver in the back pocket of my jeans, promptly punching a hole in the Ambla seat cover.
The accumulation of patina is relentless, and one has to make a choice about whether one finds it distasteful or not. I rather like it.
I've owned my Morgan for 17 years, I've done loads of work upgrading its performance, I know every inch of it inside and out, and I love it to bits despite the scars and wrinkles.
It might not have quite the looks of a more recent car, but that's ok. I wouldn't dream of trading 'er indoors in for a younger model and I can't see any reason to treat my Morgan any differently.
This perfectly sums up my attitude to Morgan ownership.
