Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Any thoughts?

I thoroughly enjoyed my Scimitar GTE automatic (Borg Warner 3 speed) and it made life very easy in the cities of Europe when we lived and worked out in Germany for a few years.

I think the way Krazy Horse converted a Plus 4 for a gent with a damaged leg to enjoy was a great service and were I to be in a similar situation I wouldn't hesitate getting one converted.

I prefer a stick but it's not the end of the world, I thoroughly enjoyed a Ford Galaxie in Canada for 4 months (1971) whilst working over there it's best to be flexible otherwise you are in danger of becoming an old fart.

Having said that were I to go the Plus 6 route in a couple of years time it would have to have a manual Getrag or similar, it won't be long coming plus an exhaust that doesn't sound like a moped..

As Steve says some cars are now only available as automatics. The alternative to the Jag, or perhaps that should be the other way round, was the Maserati Ghibli. It is only available with an auto gearbox. I still lust after one but other than it being a good bit more expensive than the Jaguar XE it is also heavier and I did not like the fact that it uses a cast iron Jeep block, and also AWD is only available in the more expensive and much more powerful version (different motor altogether). This would have left me with a much higher annual tax bill.

I have to say that if I could have had the same specification as the XE in the Ghibli for about the same money, or a little more, I would have chosen the Ghibli.

I agree with Dave W and think even 50KW manual is nicer than 500KW auto.

For my 50th birthday my wife bought me a super car day to enjoy with my son as passenger. I drove Maserati, Audi R8, Lamborghini, old Lotus, Porsche convertible and a Ferrari. All nearly new and autos with flappy paddles except for the lotus that was rather old with the synchro gone on third so I had to double shuffle. After two changes I got used to the accelerator and clutch and the gear changes were like butter, I loved it but everyone else whinged about it. The only issue was the old Lotus was very small and very uncomfortable. Since then I have driven my Silvia convertible on the same roads and enjoyed it more - probably because to me a $10,000 car with a proper manual is more fun than a $500,000 Ferrari with flappy paddles, but have to admit the Ferrari sounded fantastic.

My current cars are both manual, my 1988 Silvia convertible and a 2015 Skoda Octavia VRS wagon. Not sure if I will ever buy another new car as Skoda Australia have now dropped the manual option for all cars apart from the base model Octavia and the Fabia, I had a Subaru outback wagon, Ford Falcon wagon and a Mazda wagon before. When I need a new car I buy whatever is available with the correct gearbox, I just keep changing brands based on what is available in a manual. As I tell car dealers I am loyal to the left foot pedal not the brand.

My hopes are that a 150KW CX chassis manual Morgan will exist when I can afford to buy one.

Somewhere between 150KW and 180KW would be perfect. Actually, as you say, given the torque characteristics of a turbocharged engine, 150 KW is probably enough.

I switched to buying automatics for my daily driver around ten years ago when I was frequently getting stuck in traffic jams at the M25 Dartford Crossing. For those unfamiliar with it, this is a mysterious fault line in the time / space continuum that can magnify small traffic incidents and increase their scale to a million times greater than the original problem. Having wrought infernal misery upon the mortals trapped in this purgatory, the operators of the crossing then charge us an expensive toll for the privilege of enduring it. The constant tap dancing required by a manual gear shift became too much.

It is fair to say that the automatic gearshift also makes life a bit easier when trying to navigate around an unfamiliar city with busy traffic, but I also find the tremendous capabilities of my X3 combined with the ease of driving are not inspiring. In contrast I look forward to driving the Plus4 and I see it as 'real driving'. Thank goodness we can still have a real car!

40 years ago my first was a verry old green automatic 3 speed VW Jetta from a colleque. At that time I owned only 3 bikes so I brought it as "Winter Car" .

My actual car is now again an automatic!

Als many here have written: Automatic makes life easier!


I have only 10K km/ year covered with my Morgan so I have to take him on my trailer with me for my trips in east Germany.
That means many km traffic jam on the autobahn with my Morgan on the trailer. With my automatic Kodiaq I only have to lay back and follow the car in front of me ..

Hm.... would I drive an auto Morgan? I don't know
But a manual again as daily driver? No!

But to each his own! 😉

I like fun cars with a real manual gearshift. The everyday cars have been automatic for many years. When I had the AMG for a weekend I was impressed by the paddle version. But this is also a modern automatic with double clutch. You get the feeling that the car is doing what you tell it to do. With our everyday car it is still a conventional automatic, good enough to stand in a traffic jam but without driving fun in the real sense.
Emotionally I prefer a real gear shift to a paddle shift. No matter that I am slower and like to shift gears myself with love and appropriate time. It is most enjoyable when I shift the 1973/911 completely softly and without scratching. I love it. It's like shifting a school bus, so long are the movements.

I'm a complete convert to auto boxes. The 9 speed auto box on my SLC is absolutely brilliant, to the extent that I seldom use the flappy paddles. It also helps make the car incredibly economical in everyday use. These gearboxes are a world away from the old 3 speed slush boxes of yesteryear. I don't doubt that BMW's box is every bit as good as Daimler Benz's offering.

I do agree tho' from an emotional point of view with the feeling that a car such as a Morgan trad should be a manual, but I wouldn't be against it on principle without driving the new Plus Six. By all accounts, it is sensational.

Porsche made the PDK gearbox on the various models a few years ago the only option...

A couple of years later, back came the 'option' of a manual transmission!

For those of us 'old school' drivers. nothing gives more satisfaction that driving a manual... always in the right gear for not only the 'moment', but also the 'moment ahead'

Which is exactly what LGK Setright used to say... Auto gearboxes are only in the right gear for the view from the rear view mirror...

For me... a Morgan MUST be manual. In the same way as a Lotus, Porsche, or any other car that you want to 'interact' with will also be a manual.

I completely 'get' the amazing BMW 8 speed gearbox... it was perfectly suited to my M140i. However, for me, the 'M' in Morgan also means 'manual'! :>)

A manual version of the Plus 6 would make a mockery of the extreme performance available with the auto trans. A five or six speed manual box could simply not be shifted fast enough even if you chose optimum revs to change. You have to appreciate how quick the 8 speed auto on this car is. I would be surprised and maybe even dissapointed if MMC provided the option.

Have a manual box on your Morgan by all means, but not this one.