I suspect a Morgan today needs far more than a boot even for those who have owned Morgan(s) over a couple of decades and more and who were spanner handy and relied on no one else to either rebuilt or generally fettle their old sports cars over the years, I was one such.... However even in my earliest days of Morgan lust, I was desirous of vintage car attributes with sporting performance, not something to match the comforts of the 911 I had owned previously. While my +8 had the benefit of being restored just prior to my purchase, it had been modified with more leafs in the rear springs and Koni shockers all round, to suit touring with a rear mounted case, however had it still been on lever arms, it would still be that way today.
Perhaps I was not the archetypal mad for mods Morgan owner at the time I bought mine (2002) having gone through the knock-on loaded process of chasing one`s tail having tuned the engine, then to have to upgrade handling, brakes, etc. etc. etc....Evolutionary processes seemed to perhaps alter the processes of Morgan buyers who were now ageing, perhaps adding a few pounds, requiring wider doors, more comfortable seating followed by softer suspension, even power steering and servo assisted brakes...? Add a few more years where cup holders along with mounts and connection points for digital toys became the must have things, no less than expected at the price point, which I can understand.. and so it goes...?
Me, well I have to admit that my rear end thinks it can feel a bit of the seat frame and I think I can`t quite see the extremities of the bonnet as well as I think I used to.... Now whether I`m shrinking or loosing part of my personal padding, I`m none too sure, I guess some more detailed investigation might be worthwhile..?
As I suggested, Kevin the restorer of that which became my Morgan, set it up for touring, he even built a carefully designed colour matching and locking fibre case which it`s self could be secured by four stainless P clips to the rack prior to loading the case with whatever.... That the rack was also secured through the centre of the spare wheel equated to it being close to impossible to steal the case, which provided a degree of comfort while engaged in touring through France Spain and Italy over the years.
Other than using the thoughtfully designed luggage system to carry my good lady`s little necessities while on our adventures, she made good use of the space behind the seats in our mid 80`s +8 to fill it with soft bags over which the tonneau could be stretched with a slight bulge, the excess length just tucked down behind our seats to inhibit dust covering the bags etc, and keeping them out of sight while we sat in a cafe or similar. I often thought about, though typically never got round to having a U shaped zip fitted into the tonneau with some sort of waterproof fabric flap sewn in between the two halves of the zipper, that when unzipped would allow the rear section of the tonneau to expand to some degree yet still keep the space below enclosed and reasonably watertight....?
If you have a look in the local galleries I have posted a pic of the luggage in place on the Mog while touring...Was it really 20 years ago...??? If you view the pic you might understand better my mention of dust protection for the luggage behind the seats, as opposed to rainwater....(-:
