Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax MOG Mag Teaser

I still haven't seen SP1 in the metal...

Marmite car IMHO

There seem to be two issues here.

Legislation and the Business Aspiration.

The latter is easy to manage. IMO I doubt very much if the shareholders would want to pump a massive ££ investment into the business...a very risky thing to do.

Legislation is a linked issue but not completely under the control of MMC...but an ongoing threat for the future.

I know...

the day job is to imagine and explore just this sort of "what-if": I come up with the ideas and then we start on the financials (DCF and such) to see there is a viable return on the investment.

After that others worry about making the investment. Or not. In 10 years we have taken a $4m business unit to $120m with a very healthy gross margin and a growth rate of over 20%. So I sometimes get it right.

So yes, MMC could do this and properly done I believe it would show a return but I don't really think they should. Why? because they would need a technology partner, like BMW and that would change the character of the firm for ever.
They would also need a new, green field manufacturing site as Aston has at Gaydon, the old site would then be a R&D, Custom development Museum.

Aston Martin has realised they cannot survive alone and Lotus is a great example of what happens when people who really don't understand the business get involved.

My guess is that the advancing Euro legislation will force MMC to eventally drop the Trads as Euro Homologated cars, letting UK buyers go down re SVTA, as Caterham does. The Aeros will remain, with a range of models based on the chassis and a comfortable production of 500 to 600 cars a year.

Oh, and as to the "Family Run" business issue: the firm I work for, a US Public Company, is being purchased by a German family owned business for $17 billions. The family has owned the business for almost 350 years and their breif to the management team is to ensure it will be strong and prosperous in another 350 years. So family ownership isn't always a reason for conservatism and lack of ambition.

This might well be the case, maybe a bit of market research could provide/has provided an answer?

I agree.....many times people at Classic car events have asked me about the wooden chassis!
These were " car people" who I would have thought knew more. Joe Public are even more ignorant of what a Morgan is. They see the trad old style design and assume it has old school mechanicals. They are surprised at the modern engines etc but not so re chassis/ suspension set up.
When you look at alternative cars to Morgans it is the style that attract to Morgan, ride and cost are barriers to overcome to attract buyers. I think a Morgan offers a more "raw" driving experiencethat is not what a lot of people look for.
Me? I love it!
Morgan will hopefully cope with emissions issues as they buy in engines, but it is when structural requirements may change that a threat is posed.
The Aero chassis is a good model to have up their sleeve.
Luckily there is the SVTA route as a fallback.
Things like mandatory rollbars for open top cars may come in...
Airbags all round.....
Driver aids like ABS, ESP etc....
Can Morgan live with these in a trad?

ABS is obligatory on all new passenger cars sold in the EU from 2007 and ESP from November 2014. I can only assume it is another exemption that Morgan has under the European Union Small Series Type Approval. Airbags are obligatory in the USA but are not in Europe - yet.

Waiting for the glass windscreen and side-windows, and then some testing including MIRA, and then registration for the road Graham.

When it is road registered, maybe we can meet up halfway for a pie and a pint and a drive?

I have already said that several times previously. It was never meant to be a production car...

I love the fact that Morgan enable a one off like the SP1.

To be able to have an input on a car that is more than just finish and options must be a great feeling.