Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) A cautionary tale

Sorry to hear about your accident Bob - I hope it gets sorted quickly and sees you back on the road soon.

Glad to hear nobody hurt.

I was told "Slow in, quick out" - but then was added "but if you go in quick, make sure you come out a B***** sight quicker"!
But I agree - at this time of year slow & steady is the order of the day.

Bad luck Bob. Sounds like a fuel spill on the roundabout. Something you often find if it is near a service station and impossible to see in the wet. Someone overfills the tank, particularly on an older car or truck, and the excess can spill out on the first corner.

I have not had any particular problems with the Plus 4 (except accelerating too hard out of a side street on a patch of ice) but I am always very carefull in the wet. If your tyres are a bit old it may be time to change them even if they are not particularly worn. Old tyres get very hard.

PS. Just looked at your first post. There should not be any problem with tyres that are little more than 2 years old.

Thank you everyone. Didn't see any petrol spill but yes there is a petrol station virtually on the roundabout.
I'll post the extent of the damage after it has been assessed.

Tough luck. I hope the car can be easily repaired....and your passenger not put off from riding in them. In my experience the 4/4s grip pretty well for a light car and whilst the back end might step out a tad, it is easily caught...unless the road is greasy from oil or diesel. As you said there was a fuel station by the roundabout there's a good possibility of spilt diesel which you won't always see. As a biker I'm always very wary of roads around fuel stations!

To echo Jays, this story reads like the classic "bike on a wet road with diesel" accident.

Fresh diesel, water and rubber = no grip at all. When it happens you are a passenger. At least in a Morgan you are a lot less likely to be hurt than on two wheels.

Glad no one was hurt and the car will be repaired. But it is a stark warning to those of us who drive in winter and it is also one of the reasons why I'll replace the original Avons on my Roadster with Winter tyres.

Though to say but it's only a car that can be repaired. You cannot. At least the damage sounds "cosmetic".

On my drive back from a small Mog gathering before Christmas I could smell diesel at several locations on the way home. Instant "take more care mode" switches in, although good chance by the time I could smell it it may have been too late.
While I have howled rubber on roundabouts in a Mog, I've not had one step out on me (on the road) - yet . Some might say I'm not driving quickly enough

Hope the repair is completed quickly and glad to hear no one hurt.

I've always found the back end of my Morgan to be very predictable. Yes it does break away occasioanlly as any light rear wheel drive sports car should under certain conditions but it is normally well telegraphed by the wheel and your bum and can be caught by a twitch of opposite lock. It is well worth doing a track day to explore the limits of grip. It is amazing how much these "old" cars do have.

I've followed you a few times G......you drive "briskly"