Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms 2014/2015 Plus 4

Nice summary Peter.

Having just read it, twice, and accepting that it is not a fully fledged survey across a statistically valid sample but a set of thoughts and wishes from enthusiastic owners of the marque, the one thing that does stand out to me is that there is no overwhelming sense of a need for change in one particular direction. Stopping to think about that for a moment, and trying to put a MMC hat on, does that mean business as usual... subtle development and improvement to the existing models?

Personally, the one thing this site does reveal, subconsciously perhaps, is the need for MMC to work on getting the quality right and more akin to the price point for the cars (throughout the range) together with a little more customer oriented support (information, spares, warranty).

Well put Philip. I think everyone would agree value for money and quality control are key issues for Morgan owners.

One thing surprises me in all this: no one has pointed out that the very latest traditionally styled Morgan to go into production does not have traditional suspension. I am, of course, referring to the M3W. Neither, as far as I can see, has any one lamented its demise.

And the new Plus8 of course...

You are erecting a straw man. Morgan tried the MGA type style back in my yoof and it was a failure.

But the styling can be updated taking a cue from the likes of Mini who have maintained a very similar shape but in a more modern style.

For those that hanker after the trad trad, you could always take the present trad and put ( say) an old Ford 4 pot in it, say something from the 50s. Non synchro gearbox and that would keep the purity of the old car experience.

I think this sums it up in a nutshell. the idea of a morgan for me atleast is that you should be able to buy a car with styling from the 40's but mechanicals from today.

If we wanted 1940s cars there are still plenty of them around.

which brings me onto another point here, should morgans be seen as weekend beauty queens or cars to be enjoyed all the time. because thats the real nuts and bolts of this underlying mechanical's question.

Errrr.....because the engines and gearboxes 50 years ago are not now available?

Well they are, if you want to be traditional and you feel like an underpowered kent engine then you can still buy them new for industrial applications.

so Jays in your Mog do you look for a replica of the past or something that takes its inspiration from the past?

Well put MonteZooma, I'm with you...

may be we should be mmc's focus group and try and give them some directions.

I meant not now available to fit in a new car. Gwyn... I bought my Morgan as an alternative to a classic car which I had been looking around for at the time. The attraction was ... apart from a rather good deal from the factory...reliability from a modern engine allied to all the attractions of a traditional Morgan, the style, the chassis and suspension and the fact that the 4/4 in particular has changed little in the past 50 years or so. And....ok, I'm perhaps in a minority here but I enjoy the feel of the car that the old fashioned chassis and suspension impart.

I don't run my car as a daily driver, I'd not buy a Morgan for that purpose as there are plenty of more viable alternatives and I don't believe that MMC build their cars as daily drivers, although they would probably disagree with me!

Realistically we probably have to accept that Morgan will be forced to change their chassis architecture at some time in the future when stocks of the rear axle dry up and there are no alternatives or they are forced into it by changing legislation. How they end up doing it will be interesting as will how they would manage to keep the costs down on the entry car, the 4/4.