Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Newtown

Very sad.
I bought my 3.7 Roadster from Peter, and traded it in for the Aero (ex-biker’s car), and really enjoyed the experience each time.
Great dealership - all the best for the future, Peter and Mandy.

Just to keep it all in perspective lads this was the total World dealership list on a Catalogue I received from Peter Morgan in September 1972. I didn't include the price list as I don't like seeing grown men cry .

You hopefully will be able to see that Lifes and Allon White are the only 2 remaining from that time so it's evolution.

I think those 2, Richard Thorne, Melvyn Rutter, Williams, BHM and Berrybrook will survive but the rest will struggle in the brave new Italian Morgan world order.
I would very much like to be proved wrong and that the others will survive.

Mike Spence Ltd is what became RTCC. Richard bought the franchise a lifetime ago

So 3 dealers from way back when

Incidentally Bruce Stapleton of Morris Stapleton visited the workshop last week for a chat and to collect some parts

Simon @ SiFab.co.uk

Buying a car from a dealer far far away is one thing but what about the almost inevitable warranty work - then it becomes a complete pain.

Ledgerwood won't do warranty work on the Aero so it had to go to MMC last year for the electrical glitch.

I can imagine owners getting fed up if they are having to travel 50+ miles to sort problems.

That's interesting, the supplying dealer of my Lancia Flavia Vignale in 1964 was F.H Douglas. Still has the badge attached to the passenger door.

I don't think the TM massive has been introduced to your Vignale yet have we Shooter ? A picture for us to drool over would be lovely if you get time.

Richard Thorne is the only other Morgan dealer that I know of that sells these fine classic Lancia as well.

I love that there was a dealer in Papua New Guinea.

Given the size and location of Lae it was probably an owner that was given dealer status so that he could order spare parts. The same thing happened to a Moto Guzzi owner in Australia in the '60s at a time when there was no official dealer. He wasn't even aware of it until he started receiving letters from the administrator when the company went into administration when being run by SEIMM after the death of Carlo Guzzi.

The undelying issue here is that cars are changing from a collection of greasy bits that your local mechanics could service and mend to much less greasy bits coupled by electronics that even the factory doesnt understand. All made worse by incoming EU regulations that mean ECUs cannot be accessed by other than the engine maker.
The system works as long as there is a much greater reliability than used to be the case but if you have a manufacturer like MMC who is operating with limited skills in penny numbers you are heading for problems. Such manufacturer has to provide an expensive technical back up to the distributor.
Then you add in the problem of pricing and image. MMC have to charge ridiculously high prices for what they sell because of low volumes and crude manufacture, and that doesnt go with back street dealerships. OK Ferrari are far further up market but if you have never been into a Ferrari dealer, you need to visit one to get the upmarket experience. The feeling of something special. Price means that MMC need to climb that ladder.
All this is a long winded way of saying " how do you square penny number sales of a high priced product with expensive dealer back up and the need for a classy dealer image".

John Dangerfield of Bristol was the supplier of my +8 in 1994. A nice enamel supplier badge is fitted on the rear of my car. They were a prominent Reliant Scimitar dealer as well if my memory serves me correctly. All now sadly gone.