I have to admit to suffering no real degree of surprise relative to the content of this thread and it has caused me to wonder what are the needs and more importantly the expectations of the "average" Morganeer today, and how different is he to the average Morganeer over each of the decades, starting in say the 50`s onward..? Apologies to the politically correct, but most owners seem likely to be male..?
I suspect as ever evolution will play it`s part, and Morgan came into being as a cheap and cheerful form of transportation, which over time has come to be looked upon as an expensive, luxurious and somewhat impractical recreational vehicle..? It only seems logical (?) that expectations of buyers would have evolved over the years to match advances in automotive engineering in general, given most purchasers will have owned a wide variety of vehicles over many years..?
I suspect in a word, "expectations" are key as to whether a Morgan fits well enough into ones life or not, emotionally, financially and physically..? It seems there are quite a few variations in all three of these in terms of expectations and with the passage of time we may be forced to adjust one or more of them, and which can alter our perspective..?
Me..? As one who has over very many years grown to value quality in engineering of all sorts, having cut my teeth on old Brit m/cycles as a yoof, then on to the more usual sports cars in the shape of MG`s Triumph et all rising to what was thought of at the time, the heights of Lotus ownership, every machine very much in need of work to get them back into road worthy condition, and many were struggles to keep them running. In time I arrived at ownership of a premier sports car marque, and learned why they were so successful with their quirky but superbly well engineered vehicles. After a decade or more of ownership and involvement with that marque, in time other of life`s priorities caused me to turn it back into cash and returned to m/cycling at age 50 for fun miles, before I considered I might be too old to enjoy that pastime. Boy had m/cycle engineering moved on in the shape of my BMW R850R since the days of my old Norton Dominator...!
All that typed, when looking to return to four wheel enjoyment I was desirous of turning the clock back, but not too far in terms of motoring engineering advance. I ended up choosing Morgan as the machine of choice, and part of making a choice is where expectations return to the scene in terms of making an entirely suitable choice. My search for education was Initially through the now defunct MSCC`s Discussion Group and subsequently through the also sadly defunct eMog, providing me with the ability to tap into the expertise of Morganeers, and it took no time to learn that in order to enjoy Morgan ownership one would require to forgive Morgan it`s ..err.. foibles or seek to overcome them, for it appeared in truth to be a shed engineered project which had over the years moved into bigger sheds, and in the process seem to have held on to manufacturing processes perhaps more so initially on a costing basis than preserving ancient skills..? A time when main stream motor manufacturers had long since abandoned hand crafted manufacturing techniques...?
Move forward a few decades and a certain and growing section of society became known as the Baby Boomers, many of whom placed value on heritage and craftsmanship as opposed to the mass produced vehicles and the BB`s had the cash to spend on their values, a set of values promoted as being retained by the MMC in spite of John Harvey Jones trying to drag them into the 20th century.. Though in time with Charles at or near the helm, it seems modernisation of processes crept in, by way of Superform wings, and all sorts of gizmology making for ever more complex vehicles, much of it required by ever tightening emissions and safety regulations until the evolution into the CX, and which seems to better fits the expectations of the ever ageing BB`s..? The CX with more compliant suspension, comfortable seating in both style and comfort less steering and braking effort required, fancy trim packages, even air conditioning, just as an ageing Morganeer such as I might be expected to desire or require, but still with enough hairy chested bragging rights relative to scary performance...? (-:
From that which I have read here and elsewhere the M3W seems to be suffering a tad as the result of perhaps shed built initial design, being modified in an attempt to fit with BB`s ideals, with even more adventure and scary performance built in than that desired by the four wheeled brigade.... Well some folk to climb mountains and in Winter, or take to the water in small craft with storms forecast.. Each to their own, but ultimately if the reality of that which you chose, does not fit with with one`sreal world ideals, then perhaps not enough research was put into matching reality of ownership with ones expectations.... All be it those expectations driven by media advertising or owners hype, some of which may be designed to maintain value in THEIR investment..?
Morgans are what Morgans are and have been forced to evolve in a slightly different way than the main stream, but evolve they have, whether for the better or not, at least at this time there are plenty to choose from and across a hundred years or so of production, the hope is that one can find a Morgan that fits the bill somewhere amongst the large selection available at any one time..?
