I would argue that Morgan is one of the most eco-friendly cars made because of their "keeper" qualities.
That is very astute. An enormous percentage of the total environmental damage a vehicle causes in its lifetime is in its manufacture. Forever vehicles have been possible for decades.Trads are an example. When Charels Morgan made the bulkheads and valences in stainless steel, he announced that he had created a car that would "last the lifetime of the owner". Sadly, politics and profits get in the way and we have the world we have.
The one thing that has always struck me about Morgans from the factory visits over the years and owning one since the mid 80's , is in essence they suffered from under investment in both manufacturing facilities and in the end product itself. It clearly evidenced by the finished product was left for the purchaser to basically finish off. The lack of adoption of more modern underpinnings.....
Are you not judging them through the value system our generation was born to? Peter Morgan, in charge in the days you speak of, had the ideal life he wanted,
like the example his father set him. The company was making far more money than PM could spend, more in today's dollars than today's MMC can dream of! "Money pump". Economist/sociologists will show that people's spending habits are set down before they are out of your teens, regardless of what you amass after. Try to spend far away from that and you run the risk of being ridiculous and buying golden toilet seats...the epitome of "nouveau riche". Why rock the boat? Pre-Aero, the company had tax-paid millions saved and unused. Unused money in a one-man company is an indication of money unneeded by that one man who made it.
"letting the buyer finish of the cars" is also a quote from Peter Morgan. It encouraged ex-Factory development, which is infinitely cheaper than the inhouse source. The best of the aftermarket world was catered to BY Pickersleigh Road, from Melvyn's trinkets in the old entrance, (they sold it for him - no charge) to Lawrence's SS mods and Simmonds tops. We all had a blast with my 2002 rebuild as the Works, the dealers and the aftermarket were allowed to come together. My car even has stuff from the MMC development shed at the time as my mileage made me good test subject. And when forums first happened, development discussion and experimenting moved there at firs.t Sadly, as PM lost the helm, the MMC attitude changed and the Factory merely copied the ideas of others without acknowledgement or payment or even a full understanding of their watch points. Even early forums like emog lent many over-discussed ideas in the trads which became standard.
Sir John HJ was basically profit and money orientated as with profits it generated cash flow without which its very difficult and more expensive to obtain external funds to invest in product development , manufacturing infrastructure and stock holding . The most poignant comment JHJ made is why is the most expensive components the engine etc,(tying up cash) one of the first things fitted to the chassis This of course doesn't hold so true these days as it did in the past as many IT derived organizations have inflated values and access to funding even when they have no immediate or short term in some cases long term prospect of making a return/profit, but they are in vogue to speculative investors..
Absolutely true. He never understood any of the elements I speak to above. Morgan was making gobs when JHJ and you visited, an incredible return on capital. But JHJ grew up much as we did where there is no such thing as enough profits. One must keep p striving for more profits until the business inevitably fails. The wise ones who love what they do give the money away. The question is whether the extraordinary achievement of Peter Morgan was keeping together his father's company and making far more money at it or creating the life style he had. Were we buying the car or a bit of Peter's lifestyle?
I wonder how many potential buyers will be drawn to Morgan for its antiquated design and styling.
I don't know. I stick to what do know. The company made far more and cost the British people much less when the MMC made an average of 470 cars a year and spent little on development, leaving the owners to make of them what they wanted. Since abandoning that template, the Morgan Family lost 10s of millions and finally their ownership. Do these facts make me an anorak or someone who can do simple arithmetic? That being said, the MMC has been far more interesting to watch by taking the new route.
L.
P.S. I have non-mechanical friends who used to regularly buy Morgans in the day...as they were perfectly reliable. After 4-5 years, they would buy another new. They never lost tuppence.
