Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Lowering the front number plate box

You can use dental floss to cut through the double sided tape, and then remove it with white spirit.

I talked to Steve Morris about this a year or so back.

The reason the Aeros are not sold in the USA is simply financial, not technical.
To get the cars approved they would need to fit side bags in the seat base and backrest, plus a bag under the scuttle to prevent the drivers legs being damaged by the steering column and pedals and a 2 stage airbag in the steering wheel.
This is, from a technical perspective, perfectly possible and affordable.

Homologating the fitments for the USA and EU would, I was told, cost several millions pounds in admin, and multiple crash tests.
MMC cannot produce sufficient cars to achieve anything like a realistic return on capital employed.
One estimate I was given from another informed source is that they would need to sell 250 Aeros a year for 10 years, an impossibility within the present factory and skilled tradesmen available and probably more cars than there is a market, at £150K per car...

A small company like MMC must pick its regulatory battles carefully. The present management team know this very well indeed.

Yes, that's exactly what I did as the photo on page 1 of the thread shows.

Or a hair dryer to warm it to soften the adhesive

I wonder. You had me looking at the EURO NCAP ratings and no Morgan in there. My guess is that they dont meet these ratings and dont need to being a design that pre dates the system. Or in other words if they were re-designed, they would have to meet the ratings and this might be a reasin why they wstay just as they are.

FWIW I dont think that Caterham or Lotus have to meet these ratings either.

But I am just adding 2 and 2 and may be getting 46. Does anyone know tyhe facts?

Yes.

Euro Ncap are a business that manufacturers subscribe to in order to add selling points. They don't form any part of the legal process, merely test vehicles that manufacturers submit. You don't find small manufacturers subscribing because there is little point & certainly no fiscal benefit. You don't buy cars such as those you describe on safety box ticks, I'm sure..

Cars need to meet a European Certificated specification in order to be sold for use on the road, and Morgan along with Caterham and Lotus do.

Google it..!

If you're not a manufacturer, there is the Single Vehicle Approval scheme for single vehicles, but Ncap is simply a comparison business..

Sure, but both Morgan and Caterham are Small Volume Manufacturers (SVM) and as such gain the benefit of some emissions, and passenger and pedestrian safety, exemptions or delays in implementation. In order to maintain the SVM status (as has also Ferrari) they must produce less than 10,000 units a year. There is also a category manufacturers of less than 1,000 units a year.

SVMs still have to comply with basic safety requirements, seat belts, collapsable steering columns, side penetration protection and so on. Other safety requirements may be implemented over time. If I understand correctly the 4 seater was discontinued because of the problems in fitting an approved child safety systems.

I don't know but there may be some benefits for older vehicle type that are still essentially the same as that approved some time ago. It would not surprise me to be told a completely new model would have to have airbags and ABS and meet other homologation requirements.

I don't wish it on Morgan or Caterham by any means but it is possible that the need to implement further safety measures could be introduced at any time.

It is of course, equally possible that those measures won't..

Half empty or half full..?

Ive just left a message with Librands as I do like the look of their number plate lowering kit

Thanks for mentioning it chaps

I made up some brackets and lowered mine too as soon as I had the car. It looked ok from some angles but the box still did not look quite right from other (IMO) so made several more changes before eventually fully protecting my precious Mulfab protruding bits with an under tray. Just as well I did as I have picked up a dent in the 2mm thick ali tray from stone damage that I’m sure could have damaged the rad.

Dropped and twisted

DIY fully protective budget under tray