Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax Aero platform for all Morgans ?

I very much doubt that's a correct price!

Based on my limited info. I believe the BMW engine, gearbox and electronics is around £15k then add rear axle, and front/ rear running gear another £5-6k. Then there is intereior, seats, stereo, leather etc, I would guess this is another £5k, then there are wheels and tyres, about £3k. So allowing a bit extra say £30k. £8k for body panels. Then we need to add about 10 weeks labour, probably around £10k. So so far we have £48k without the chassis/tub. I suspect the chassis is around £10k at cost. So we're up to £58k already, the rest being MMC profit, dealer chunk and tax.

I doubt this is far from the truth in my simple opinion. So when you consider MMC is not a large volume producer it shows how hard it is to make a sensible profit and keep going, remember there are lots of other overheads to cover off at the factory.

On the subject of Ali chassis new Morgan whether it looks trad or not I think there is no question, it has to come to give them chance to meet all the new lookin regs.

Having had the pleasure of watching a complete build go through in 17 days, all I can say is that production is deceptively intensive. On a factory tour you get the impression that everything is leisurely, but from my experience it is far from that. It's clear that production numbers is key for profitability.

Lets leave aside the question of regulation - that will happen whether we or MMC like it or not. Much more important is the appeal of Morgans to their potential market and whether it would be affected by a change to the ally chassis.

Seems to me that those who say it would spoil the appeal for them are missing the point. Overwhelmingly, they have already bought. Whats more they are a dying breed - what young man expects to spanner his own car or even kows what a grease gun looks like? MMC need to attract the next generation not the last one. And finally, their view is pure sentimentality in the sense that IRS and disc brakes and IFS and ally construction were all available in the 1950s. But the alternators and fuel injection and electronic ignition the cars now have were either unknown or uncommon then. There can be no rational reason for wanting sliding pillar front suspension or cart springs or solid axles.

It's a rounding of the number that Steve Morris gave us for 2016 production when we visited the factory in January. I don't recall the exact figure he gave I think it was 789 or 738 or something.

Out of curiosity why is the chassis the main problem here, as in what necessitates the move to aluminium?

Or is it the use of ABS and other electronics that is the issue? In which case can these not be fitted to the old chassis?

Nick

they have try by making automatic trad in some market and it's a failure, the young generation will want electric window aircon , radio with GPS in the dashboard, LED light, dashboard camera and so on.

MMC for 100 years do the same cars and it work because of that if they go in the modern way they will not last more than 15 years (if they arrive) the trad are the trad and we love them because of this, if they become a Prius with old looking not sure we will love it

That's my 2 cent's

I doubt it is the electronics. And it certainly isnt the desire to produce a truly modern car. I would think that the pressure to go to the ally route is a combination of several things:
1/ increasing safety regs both here and in export markets
2/ To produce 700 cars a year in three completely different designs is production engineering madness. No commonality, no production volumes, no economies of scale.
3/ The Trad looks old but only certain parts of it actually are old and the new parts, the engine and gearbox for example, dont prevent traditionalists ordering the trad. So why would getting rid of a beam axle do so?
4/ economies that come from using industry standard components
5/ better ride, better braking, more rigid structure so better road holding

That was what occurred to me too.

But maybe that's maybe why Lotus has been losing money hand over fist for years (tho' I'm really pleased to see that Monsieur Jean-Marc Gales has managed to narrow that to losses of £39 million against sales of £83,4 million against losses of 167 million 4 years ago).

I cannot see the Classic cars surviving in their current form.
The only parts of the original that have survived intact is the body, suspension and chassis.
If you drive a Series 1 folowed by a new 4/4 they are as different as chalk and cheese.
A change in chassis will not change it into a MX5 anymore than a Caterham or a Lotus.
The new Fiat 124 Spyder based on the MX5 chassis is applauded for its different character even though the chassis is the same.
Having seen the 4 seater dropped I would like to think the classic had a future on good underpinnings.