Ian, a very good synopsis I would say and very accurate. I agree the fuel consumption is between 25 and 35 to the gallon and whilst it will drive very civilly at low revs. with no flat spots or jerkiness, it does need revs to make it fly, and fly it does, I find 4000 rpm to be the place it really starts to shift and then will go all the way round to 7500, when a red light comes on and you will need to find another gear. When in the mood I drive around in a lower gear than would normally be the case, to stay in the power sector, this becomes quite normal after a while. A bit like the M3W which should never go below 1750 and not lugged, which would seem to be more natural for this engine.
Noise can be tiresome, but I have never felt the need for earplugs, but have substituted a side exit pipe which actually reduces the noise somehow and it does pop and bang on the overrun if you keep you foot very slightly on the throttle, so it is something that can be turned on or off, depending on mood.
I have power steering, but also substituted a smaller 11" Momo wheel, which means I can not only see the upper reaches of the rev. counter, but can get in and out easier too. The steering is now perfectly weighted at both parking speed and on the go.
The story I heard was that MMC bought a batch of 50 of the last 225bhp engines from Cosworth at a very good price, then needed a car to put it in. The engine and the car are not really compatible - the car is a tourer and the engine is a racer, however the two together make an interesting and intriguing model, with the addition of some very nice extras like coil sprung rear suspension, larger front 4 pot brakes, rear disc brakes, double lined quiet hood, limited slip rear diff with 3.9 cwp, dry sumped engine on roller throttle bodies, optional power steering, 16" 3 piece alloys with soft rubber, adjustable dampers all round, a very nice interior wiHith things like upgraded leather, an Amp and 5 speaker setup, sun visors, door check devices a rather nice and unique to this model, dashboard, etc etc.
I keep thinking about changing, but feel I would miss its' idiosyncrasies and character and having installed cup holders and a combined oil pressure and temperature gauge as well as a Pioneer radio head unit, and a few other little mods, feel it is now very much 'my' car.
Hi Paul. Thank you so much for your reply. It was very helpful and was exactly how I found driving the ARP4. I can't wait to meet up at future Morgan events and maybe we can get some photos of the ARP4's together. Thanks again. BR, Christian
