So if I've read this correctly what one or two people want is MMC to spend hundreds of thousands on development of a roof as I'd guess at a minimum. mainstream manufacturers do, but do this wIthout affecting the list price of the car as £70-80k is to much.
It's a Morgan at the end or the day, and as such should never be driven wIth the roof up.
Do you think Steve Simmonds spent hundreds of thousands of pounds developing his leak free hood?
Also whilst "one or two" people want a leak free hood does that imply that the remainder would find a leak free hood on a Morgan either not an improvement or actually a backward step?
"Never driving a Morgan with a hood up" is fine for the owners who drive on nice dry days, but I would imagine that a fair few owners would like to drive the cars when they want to, not just when the weather is clement.
Brian I speak as someone who has owned 2 aeros which between them have covered I'd guess 50k miles. Driven in the snow, rain and on the occasional sunny day. They didn't leak, they would more dribble, but I'd certainly get more water in the car when I opened the door. With the roof up I'd end up driving the car with the window open as it gets too hot, or the windows steam. So I guess that then means all the AC and heating system needs redesigning.
What I'm trying to say that if you're demanding perfection then you need a car that's built with micron precision and assembled by a robot, not made of a material that will flex and assembled by a bloke with a screwdriver and hammer. Will Morgan owners accept this probably not.
The roof on the S4 aero is different to all the others aeros, with less than 200 built the development cost on the perfect roof would add significantly to overall purchase cost. Personally I'd accept the dribble over the extra few £K cost.
I don't know much about the Simmonds roof, but he operates a cottage industry and I'd guess (waits to be proven wrong) that a reasonable percentage of the cost of the roof is Steve fettling the roof for each car. He may not have spent £000's on development but I'm sure his time at the factory and working for himself will have amounts to '000s of hours with a cost of knowledge gained.
Now I'm sure MMC could do this, but production would be slowed down and cost would go up.
Very few of us are blinkered when we buy these cars and TM members have all freely commented on the foibles of Morgan ownership, indeed some members with the aid of neoprene have made an art form of tweaking.
If I wanted a convertible that didn't leak, had no soul, was designed by committee, built by robots, I'd have bought a Merc. But instead I chose to spend my money on something a little different and put up with the problems being different brings.
So here's your answer - it's a tax mitigation AND asset diversification strategy. My wife bought this story when I came home and told her I'd bought a traction engine (made my Aeromax look cheap...)
Ploughing engine next???
I've been thinking of some 'classic' farm machinery (read tractors), but before that I hope to have an early '70's 4/4 to complete... It won't lose money...
Graham (G4FUJ)
Sold L44FOR 4/4 Giallo Fly '11 MINI Countryman Cooper D All4 '90 LR 90 SW
Smashing post Asbojohn. As a Trad owner I've never been in any of the Aero's, Max's, Plus 8's, but there is Morgan DNA in your words which underpins why they are different.
Getting back to the original question here.........this says everything to me about what I love about my Morgan! Roof off, side screens off and wind in the hair There really isn't another car available that ticks all those boxes....well, apart from a M3W of course!
Jays Former Morgan owner. Gone but hopefully not forgotten!
Asbo, I fully agree with your comments -- I too have had much fun "fettling" my Mog. My fear is, however, that the factory is moving the marque upmarket to a point where the potential purchasere are not of a similar view. This then jeopardises the continuity of the whole firm. Basically --at a price point of the "trad" I agree most will buy for the tradition and happy with the foibles -- at the £90K+ point - I doubt it.
I believe then that if they want to play in the rich mans park, they have to up their game to fit in!!
Can I opine that the whole Morgan thing is a bit compelling to certain people. I have known Porsche owners who hated Morgans with a passion and other friends who have got under my skin temporarily by calling it my toy even though I drove 200000 miles in it. In retrospect my first was terrible but I was thirty years old and knew nothing about them other than I was that lad with the poster on my wall. I kept that car eighteen years and loved/hated it but couldn't part with it. It fell apart because it was damaged when I bought it but eventually it was rebuilt and I see it is still being taxed. I have never had a car about which I felt so warm ,perhaps the word romantic might be apt. now on my third in almost thirty years I still feel very lucky to have one. I don't much care if it should leak because I know from experience that I can fix it and that it is not unusual is it? My Elan leaked, my friends TR6 ditto and our new- ish Fabia leaks through the back doors. I know, they should not, they are made these days by machines but there is supposed to be quality control. I think of my Morgan as something organic and for me something which gives great visual and tactile pleasure.
This has got to be one of the most sensible quotes on this thread - well done Clipper. 
You know it makes sense! 
