Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) when is a classic morgan not one?

Hi there Morganeers,
A perplexing question was put to me at the weekend, and I did not know the answer!
My Morgan is a 1973 , 4/4 model and is referred to as a "Classic" narrow bodied car.
When does a Morgan become (not a classic)?
What is it called if not classed as a classic?
what year did the wide bodied cars become available?
Is that the clue? wide bodies?
Does the term only refer to age or maybe engine power as a v8?
On a brighter note, lots of us in here could be referred to as "Classics's", I certainly match my car in many ways, rather like the owner matches the dog!or even starts to look like it?
green and red Morgan owners definitely are classics, no names, no pack drill.
Peter

Sound like Aliens to me!

Classics or Trads VS Luxuries or Aero's ...

Maybe you should have added "Ivory" to the classic colours ...
But are Blue, Black, ..., non Classics ????

imho you have modern (aero) and trads (traditionals)

concerning classic: well, when it's OLD, then it's a classic
in .BE your car has to be 25years old
and can be registered with an O-plate
with less severe anual technical inspection

In the UK, the government defines classic as pre-1973 and therefore, you do not have to pay roadtax on these vehicles (you do still have to have an MOT every year).

As for the classic range of Morgan 4-wheeled cars - Morgan call the range Classic; however, as noted above, the name traditional cars seems to be used by many enthusiasts (possibly in more recent years as a way to define the difference between the Aero range and the non-Aero Morgans).

Since the birth of the Aero 8, Morgan have slowly filtered some of the technology into the Classic range (Superform panels as an example); therefore, you could say that a true classic Morgan is a Morgan built up until the point where the company introduced modern production parts. However, imho, this would be ignoring the fact that over time Morgans have continually improved and embraced new technology.

I recently had the pleasure of a drive in a 1954 Plus 4 DHC and trust me, it is light years away from a 2010 Plus 4 (and that is before we even get onto the AeroSS!).

To my eyes, the Classic range has such appeal because it looks like a classic car but doesn't alienate the owner by suffering from the myriad of problems that many associate with classic car ownership (rust, unreliability, unrefined drive, no creature comforts, etc); however, this does not make the Classic Morgan a classic, it simply means they mirror the style of one.

Ruby, it is an interesting question and I would say we all need to draw a line in the sand wherever we see fit. For my part, I stand where I always have: if it has a Morgan badge, it is a Morgan and I could care less what other classification someone else puts on it!

My previous car was a 1992 Plus 4 and that was different enough.

Dave

A classic morgan is one which has no electronics and can be maintained by a reasonably competenet enthusiast with a good selection of spanners and a jack - after that a reasonable term [imho] is trad. This definition works with a large proportion of owners too - Many owners these days wouldn't know a spanner from a set of chopsticks and seem unduly preoccuopied with lunch!

That's a good break point.
It would be interesting to know just how many DIY mechanics are around and with what age Morgan. At the risk of making some sweeping generalisations, I suspect that most three wheeler owners get dirty. Significantly less classic owners, and with current trads, I doubt that there are many. Most of the modern trad owners I've come across don't seem too mechanically inclined, and do favour a relaxing lunch......
Of course there are different levels of DIY from a simple oil & filter change through transmission oil changes, then brake servicing and replacing dampers. Beyond that there's kinpin replacement, then the tricky stuff like radiator replacement, clutch replacement and engine/ gearbox/axle rebuilds. In fact most day to day work on the trads can still be done DIY, except for the ECU and dashboard panel. Not so for the Aero though by the sound of it.

So not only do you pick on me but it's two against one

Simon can you please ban them for bullying

I know the difference!
Though, since leaving the sea and all those trips to the far east, I'm losing the chop stick technique
And, I can tell the difference between spanner sizes, sockets and a knife and fork .
Both home mechanicking (not that I've done much on Piggy yet) and good tucker, rank highly in my book!

Cheers,