Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) SS04MOG.. +4 SUPERSPORTS

Excellent insight into the real world of owning a Supersport

Thanks

Hi All,

Just logged into Talk Morgan and delighted to see my old car. Yes, I was the owner of the P4SS that Mike has for sale and a good car it was too. I traded it in for the black ARP4 and before I go further I should say two things. Firstly to correct one post - no one warned me not to do it! Secondly, the P4SS is a fine car but the ARP4 reaches another level entirely. I can understand that it's a bit of a 'marmite' car but for those of us who like that sort of thing there is nothing better. As a daily driver I have an easy to drive and very fast BMW (440i with some power upgrades) that can reach big speeds ridiculously easily. I wasn't however looking for the same thing with my Morgan. Here I wanted something that you connect with, work with, work against and remember every drive. In the 2,000 miles with the ARP4 I have had some of my best drives in many years. On the right day on the right road and in the right mood its simply unsurpassable. I wouldn't knock the P4SS and its drive and image but it and the ARP4 are trying to be different things. Having been lucky enough to have had both I couldn't honestly say one is good and one is bad - they are just different. If I was pushed to compare the two I would say that the ARP4 shines on its chassis (more road contact feel, more planted and precise with better lateral stability, better turn-in and less steering delay compared to the P4SS),braking (both are good but the ARP4 on warm tyres is stunning), engine response is even crisper and more direct, engine fuelling (the engine is properly mapped cold/warm, all throttle positions, rpm ranges and is faultless).
That's not to say its without faults but in comparison with the plus points its a no brainer for me. Faults - why did Morgan bother fitting a sound system (albeit a good alpine one), an old style hood would be better (cleaner lines when down), steering is heavy at parking speeds (and yes I don't have PAS), dip beam pattern with the LED lamps takes a bit of getting used to, its possible to accidentally turn off the ignition at night when meaning to turn off the driving lamps (look at the switches in the center of the dash and you'll see what I mean), and the elephant in the room for many from what I read on this forum before purchase is low rpm torque. The car has two distinct characters, you can potter around the lanes quite sedately (albeit with the odd cough and bang from the exhaust) or you use the revs and enjoy another world. I drove back from Malvern to Cambridgeshire this week at no more than 2,500 rpm comfortably (why did I do that? well foolishly I went down to pick the car up from Morgan after they had done some work on it and when I set off back home I realized that I had left the key for the locking fuel cap in my desk drawer so had to make the 150 miles home on an indicated 3/8 tank) and it was fine.

In an attempt to answer some of the questions posed/implied about the Almond Green P4SS (called 'Monsieur Almond' in the family for reasons that were and are still unclear (for best effect this always said in a kind of 'Allo 'Allo! French accent)) I'll give some feedback: -
1. ECU has the latest software as far as I know - red or orange sticker on the ECU from memory. Ran pretty well when TBs synchronised but not at a true OEM level if you know what I mean.
2. MOT issues with emissions seem to overstated on the internet. All other things being equal catalyst efficiency is a function of temperature. When the engine has been run fast under moderate load and the catalyst has lit up all is good and it will pass the MOT with very low CO and HC levels. Drive the car car slowly (just following normal traffic) and the catalyst temp can drop off and suddenly you are aware of the smell of unconverted exhaust fumes. Speed up, heat the cat up and slow down again and the smell is gone (until the cat temp drops again). ECU calibration can only make a small difference here in trying to maintain catalyst temp - I did mean to try wrapping the exhaust but never got round to it.
3. Hood. The old style hood looks good to me but as another poster said there are pros and cons over the easy up. I don't know many who use their Morgan as a daily driver all year round (certainly there are some) so for most an old style hood is fine. If anyone on here buys Monsieur Almond then I have original Everflex? hood that they can have foc. Just send me a message.
3. Yellow spots? (I preferred roundels) were a bit of fun which I put on after seeing the Morgan website pictures a while back. My wife hated them (shes more classy than me) buy hey ho. they will come off with a heat gun easily but probably want to be removed soon to avoid a shadow on the paint (I put them on in early 2016 when i bought car with only 200 miles on it).
4. Noisy. It is a bit noisy as some have said - mainly TBs - and I sometimes wore my motorcycle ear plugs. Having said that the ARP4 is not quiet although it has a more isolated/insulated feel as far as engine noise is concerned.

Sorry to go on and I didn't intend this post to be so long but having worked as a consultant in car development for many years (for a main stream car OEM) its nice to talk about cars as ones hobby rather than as a business!

All the best to whoever buys the P4SS! Morgan ownership is a broad church and like all Morgans, the P4SS is a fine car.
Ian

No it wasn't me so maybe another 1 of the 50 in the area? Although having said that I don't think there were many gloss black ones made. Prosecco seems the most popular and would have been my choice (if I had been ordering for myself). I bought mine new from Mike Duncan and it was a car that a buyer had been unable to take delivery of so I didn't have any choice on spec.

I think Folkmog is not my nearest group. I have just joined the MSCC but am right on the Norfolk border so may join FringeMog or LinMog - not sure yet.

Thanks to all for feedback on the post by the way. It always a pleasure to talk cars - might spare my wife!

Thanks for the encouragement madmax. I've just joined FringeMog as a number of their members are on my doorstep but I'll try to get the ARP4 over to a FolkMog meet in time.