Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax Export USA Aeros

And there is a very small number of 3.7 Roadsters in the US as well!

You can get a new Roadster in the States - MMC ships them to Morgan West without an engine and they then fit - think its a Mustang unit - this must allow them to bypass the rules.

http://robbreport.com/automobiles/return-roadster-0

Womder why they can't do it with the Aero? - might be worth asking someone at MMC.

Also nice 2010 SS on the Morgan West website.

Yep, that's the case. I've wondered the same thing RE: bringing the Aero over or at least the new Plus 8. My guess is they can't source the 4.8 BMW unit independently like they can the 3.7 from Ford. If they could, it would be just as easy to get a roller from MMC of their Aero's and do the final installation here.

Morgan dropped the ball when they allowed their 'small manufacturer' exemption to expire with the Feds and left dealers with no new units to sell until the arrival of the 3-wheeler.

Suspect it was a monetary decision.

PM knew that US sales kept the firm solvent when UK/European market practically dried up years ago. I like to think he would not have turned his back on this market.

At over $100K, the cobbled up Roadster put together by a third party and sold by LA dealer is (IMO) no substitute for a complete Malvern car.

It is a shame we went as many years without a new Mog as we did before the 3 wheeler came along!
and while I share your sentiment RE: the Roadster we have being priced at just over $100K and "cobbled up"...it's not like we have a choice! In all fairness as well, the only parts left to cobble together by our third party entities are the engine and transmission, which are a slightly better spec than those provided even by Morgan! and with the exchange rates the way they are, we'd be paying close to $95K USD for a similarly optioned Roadster from the factory without shipping, VAT, etc. So I think we're actually getting a fair deal(if that can be said of a Mog)!

It was a clever way of getting around the restrictions of selling a new Morgan over in the US. I certainly don't think that the car is cobbled together!

Indeed it is and with a suitable 2L motor, such as the Mazda one, they could offer the Plus 4.

BUT are the cars "52 State Legal", or do some States not recognise the CA "kit" car exemption?

The general rule of thumb is that if you can title it in California(home of some of the most strict and erroneous road tax/title laws in the USA) you can title it anywhere. That's in stark contrast to FL where I can title practically anything with wheels that will move under its own power. I even managed to title an old 8hp lawn mower once on a whim...it's now road legal and perfectly capable of cruising on the local motorways at an astonishingly fast 13mph.

Good grief. Admiration for doing such a thing for the hell of it, but 13 mph down a Freeway is a proposition!!!

Californian laws are not unique: Australian laws are pretty much on par with them, I'm afraid to say!

Since emigrating here [to Oz] from dear old Blighty some 15 years ago, I was shocked to discover that one cannot import a car if it was first registered after Dec 31, 1989. The vehicle in question also needs to be on the Australian SEVS (Specialist and Enthusiasts' VehicleS) List.

I had trouble trying to bring in a 1996 Suzuki Cappuccino from Japan, a right-hooker country like the UK; and I had to embark on extensive research (with the help of the Cappuccino Owners' Club) in putting all the relevant data, facts and figures together when I was filling in the SEVS application form. That took some doing; but eventually, I was granted the approval which took an agonizing 6 weeks!

More up to date, the 3 wheeler had to be fitted with all sorts of unsightly attachments so that it could comply with the ghastly directive aka "Australian Design Rules" (ADR); and which IMHO, bastardizes the vehicle! ADR deemed the 3 wheeler to be a car rather than a trike (What???) which is why they won't allow it to be sold until these modifications are carried out by the importer (Morgan Cars Australia) which adds to the cost of the vehicle by at least another 30%! Australia is the only country which does this ; while everywhere else, it is sold as a bike!

The above applies to the whole of Australia rather than for individual states.

So if anyone visits Australia and happen to go along a car show here, don't be too surprised to find the types of display vehicles lacking: The UK still has arguably the best variety and diversity of classic and collectable cars anywhere because of her sensible Laws!