Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms End Of The Road With Morgan.

The discussion as to what was the last "true" Morgan will continue every time there is a radical change of design. I met someone who claimed the last true Morgan was the flat rad

very empathetic

At some point the cost/affordability graph crosses the unsaleable line.

Of course the profit line by unit by selling price also impacts on this.

So providing Morgan don't cross the threshold, they'll be fine, even with smaller numbers being produced at higher values.

I'm glad I'm not in charge.

I agree DaveW.
At some stagethe profitability would plateau out as trad volumes decline. How many younger people would buy them? The niche market is a precarious one.
I think the reintroduction of thd M3W gave MMC a boost to help maintain volume/profit but on a relatively short term only. A good move too despite the less than perfect development work (seemed a rush).
It reminds me of the Triumph Acclaim scenario.....interim collusion with Japanese to ease decline and allow time for newer models to be developed.
I hope MMC can continue the current trad for a long time as an option. Not thatI think the tradis doomed!
Too many ifs and buts in the equation.

No. Why buy "new" when it looks exactly the same as "old", and particulalry when the old look is what people buy trads for.

Mass manufacturers spend millions making sure that the new model looks different to the one it replaces. MMC spend thousands making sure the new model is little different to the one it replaces

The "1%" bit is what concerns me a bit about MMC's business strategy. They seem to be deliberately shrinking the size of their potential market by driving the price of their cars up to levels which are pretty unattainable by mere mortals.

How are new Morgans purchased? I would guess that few are financed, and either depend on people cashing in part of their pension pot or are paid for out of other savings. To be in the top 1% of earners you need to be on an income of > £140k/year. How many people are there who would consider parting with over half a year's salary on a toy? Or looked at another way. what proportion of an average person's pension pot does £80k represent?

Caterham on the other hand can still offer an 'entry level' car at under £30k and a much more youthful appeal. I bet there are 10 times as many people out there with enough money and desire for a traditional British sports car who can afford Caterham prices rather than Morgan.

I shan't be selling my Morgan or buying another sports car, but if I were 40 years old again (the age when I bought my car) I don't think I'd be considering anything other than a Caterham.

Morgans seem to hold their value more than Production cars. This offsets the high entry costs to some degree. Morgans are not just transportation. They have a special niche. I used to have a Sail Boat. Now I have a Morgan and a Ski Cabin in the mountains. Now will Morgan's loose this "Special Niche"? Now that the Morgan Family is no longer in control. That is the $64,000 question.

My take on it is this

I think one of the main reasons that Morgan still sell any cars at all is that they are the antidote to modern bland ubiquitous tintops of all sporty varieties both in ownership and aesthetics

It’s sort of joining a nonconformist club that isn’t rediculous nor particularly showy of wealth nor invites envy but is a little esoteric and is certainly a bit of a pose

Just look at the list of the famous and wealthy that have bought and tried Morgans over the years. They haven’t bought them because they are exclusively expensive like buying a Rolls Royce or Ferrari because they aren’t that expensive. They haven’t bought them because of their performance as sports cars because they could buy a Porsche instead, or several if they wanted.

They’ve bought them because of the looks

Peter Jones, Simon Cowell, Jonathon Ross, Paul O’ Grady to name a few

The new chassis married to a trad body will just allow Morgan to continue making a 4 wheeled traditional looking typical Morgan to the old aesthetics after legislation has killed off the viability of the old chassis because it can’t cope with newer power plants and safety features

Stop it Stewart, you're putting me off with that list of buyers!
When I fell in love with the plus 8, there was no element of pose. It was simply supercar acceleration at a fraction of the cost of any of the alternatives. No frills, just performance.
In fact you had to actively give up what your peer group thought of your choice as the car was so "rural".

I do see that it's quite different these days though.
Nick