So! I finally had the opportunity to have a drive of the Plus six today! Thanks to Dan at Krazy Horse, great guy, knowledgeable, ambassador of the brand.
Blimey! It must be ballistic in the dry! But it was not in the damp roads! In context, I have driven many miles in Lotus's with similar BHP in similar conditions... but this drive WAS a totally new experience!
I had decided to drive the car in 'manual' mode... ie: using the 'paddles' with me in 'control' of what gear to be in, so no nasty surprises with 'kick-down' from the 'auto' transmission. (I previously have owned a BMW M140i so I am familiar with the drivetrain) Despite this, I never got past about 50% throttle... in 1st, 2nd, 3rd gears, the rears broke traction with the power/torque... and basically, aside from driving down the road 'sideways', it was impossible to drive the car with any degree of 'satisfaction with the hedges and lamp poles seemingly looming large in vision! (not a good move to crash a test drive car!)
Dry roads clearly are not an issue to exploit all that magnificent BMW power! But given it's 'rainy bloody England' and especially In the Winter, well forget it (bearing in mind the public highway is not a track day/skid pan venue!). I think the combination of cold low profile tyres, lightweight rear end and the hefty BHP/Torque available, makes 'enjoying' the car problematic... unless you enjoy sideways antics, which I do!
Handling was however lovely. Very sharp and accurate turn in with nice feedback from all 4 corners. The chassis felt tight and quite 'Lotus' like... but obviously has lost the 'charm' of the skuttle shake etc of the trad!
Dan thought the sweet spot will be a circa 200 bhp 4 pot BMW engine, with a manual transmission, on the CX chassis. Mmmm, a new Plus 4 is sounding nice, especially as it will also be lighter as well! And you could get to 100% throttle application with that and enjoy a driving experience and 'fun' that the 'trad' offers! (I do know the Roadster and V8 cars can also be a 'handful' in these conditions, but this was up another level)!
Sitting in the car, I also thought that the Plus Six simply felt 'too wide' in the cabin! Gone was the cosy intimacy of the trad cabin ... the passenger door seemed miles away. Personally, I also did not like the 'electronic display' in front of the driver... it just seemed a bit out of character and did not feel like the 'Morgan' classic experience.
Would I buy one... Mmmm. I think I would need to try it again with dry roads etc. In the meantime, I hope the Plus Six is not going to get a reputation similar to the 1980's TVR's. I still think Morgan should offer all new Plus Six owners a track session to get used to the way the car handles on the limit!
