Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Reflections on a possible PlusFour

It would make sense. They need to recover the investment in the chassis which is a volume related action. The cost of integrating the engine/car electronics means that the smaller BMW engines make most sense and are good engines. The aero production numbers were too small to be profitable in a real sense I would imagine. Also keeping the number below (1500?) a set point keeps them out of serious costs for certification and testing so they have room to increase it quite a lot from Aero numbers.

It would be a shame if they did not produce an Aero version in all engine configurations. The blend of modern and trad in all the past Aero models is obviously attractive to many buyers but the past concentration on the big V8 has excluded many potential buyers, particularly in markets that penalise high CO2 emmisions or high powered cars.

I wonder if the eventual aim is to have two body styles, trad and Aero, with 3 engines options (1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 litre) plus a hybrid version.

Quote.... "I'm thinking of going back to a 70s car perhaps.......tell me why not someone....help

Grumpy rainy day Nick"


Nick, I suspect I should be the last person on this forum to advise against turning the clock back to a time when technology was such that individuals could equip themselves with the knowledge and general understanding of how best to use a few tools in order to have some level of confidence that they could maintain and possibly repair their chosen mode of fun transport.... The world has moved on, and some like me think unfortunately so, but then I am but an old duffer...(-:

It seems self reliance may not be valued as it once was thought to be, though some folk are still giving it their best shot despite the rate of change which seems set to try to confound any such attempts. It seems kit is neither designed or constructed at a human level, more likely to be digitally designed and constructed robotically, and as such replacement rather than repair when it fails becomes the accepted process...? The tools and perhaps more importantly skills that humans used to construct the world around us are perhaps fast becoming useless..?

So Nick, unless you are of the dirty fingernail variety of beings, perhaps better to accept that the kind of Morgan that has been available in more recent years and may yet be capable of repaired by others with access to interrogation and parts, might be a better fit for today`s Morganeer...?

I suspect our priorities may be defined relative to our passage through life which can be time specific. As a baby boomer, I grew up influenced by the make do and mend generation. I have a great admiration for craftsmanship, as it exists in many forms, and it took a while for me to note that the more I aged, the more I appreciated the levels of craftsmanship that seemed to be disappearing, and had in fact almost reached the stage of being lost. My interests in all things mechanical began to drift from the latest and greatest, to appreciate the more hand crafted, and in motoring terms that drew me towards a growing appreciation of vintage machinery, preferably large and of the sporting variety, though I have a soft spot for Austin Sevens and derivatives thereof..(-:

On returning to m/cycling in my spare time, having abandoned my iconic branded sports car that seemed to create FAR more envy more than appreciation, I came across a vintage Bentley being thoroughly enjoyed by it`s pilot as it hopped and skipped along a wonderful stretch of quiet countryside Tarmac, following it for a few miles caused me to think that the Bentley would seem to be the epitome of desire in terms of a vehicle to enjoy occasional runs in the countryside...?

Apologies to those who may have read this more than once, but coming across that old Bentley caused me to contemplate an alternative that more fitted the realities of my requirements... It did not take long before most of that which I prioritised at that time was thought to be found in a Morgan.... CRAFTSMANSHIP.... hand formed panels, coach-built techniques dating back to the earlier days of wheeled transport, but with a measure of sporting performance, all be it a tad more RAW than that which I had become used to in my previous chosen sports car priorities... M/cycling had pressed my priority re-set key some years earlier, but at the time in question a Morgan would seem to provide a more comfortable option for my cold legs and stiffening mussels though still retaining a high degree of INVOLVEMENT from the pilot as was witnessed when following the Bentley...I consider myself to have been most fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity as it was found to still exist in a Morgan, and in my case mid 80`s +8, all be it taken apart circa Y2K by an enthusiast/craftsman with the idea of improving upon the original build quality in the hope of extending it`s preservation... which today seems to have paid benefits..(-:

So there you go Nick, just a very personal insight to the evolution in MY thought processes which may or may not match any one else`s set of ideals.. I suspect an old Mog like an old dog, requires a particular type of owner...?

The more modernity built into a Morgan the less and less it suits my personal ideals. Of course the marketing men will still try to apply some aspect of imagined craftsmanship to the end product, though I suspect since JHJ`s visit to the factory suggesting automation would create a more efficient and modern production line, the after effect of which has in time likely reduced the level craftsmanship required to some degree, that plus all of the many additional and increasing complexities demanded of manufacturing processes in the car industry would seem to determine a measure of change in the end product..?

That the MMC can turn out a sports car that still contains initial 1930`s visual appeal, is something to be grateful for, and it seems a bit like every Morgan ever built, it will hopefully have the capability of providing a high degree of involvement to pilot it, when compared to the product of more advanced automation in both the production and drive-ability of it`s nearest sports car rivals, which these days seem to leave or indeed NEED so much of the input relative to progress on the road to be decided upon digitally by an ECU....?

Advantages in digitisation...? Most definitely.... If you can grab forty winks while the car drives it`s self through congestion till you reach the open road, why not, BUT that does not fit with my present and very personal automotive fun ideals, though it seems that something along these lines is very likely in the not too distant future..? Perhaps a future where my old +8 may be legislated off the road, all be it hopefully in stages as opposed to a blanket ban....Till then, like much else perhaps best to enjoy what you can while you can...?

Sorry if this ramble is considered to be a tad off topic, but I Nick did ask...?

Just thinking in type

Well that says it all, doesn't it.

Lets not be too hasty, this was posted on FB yesterday by an American site so not necessarily the same for rotw New England Morgan

We all feel the end of new Classic build is approaching but nothing has been confirmed by the MMC as far as I'm aware, and we know there are a number of Roadster engines at the factory so we wait and see.

It would be nice if they could continue on a limited annual production to maybe keep them under some of the legislation.
This would also retain the skills within MMC to carry on repairing of the Classic line, we shall have to wait and see.

It would be an odd way to do business, not to have a special order facility to bang a trad out on demand.

Or even to do a limited run of say, fifty 4/4's, or remaster old trads...…..if MMC don't do it, somebody will.

If this is true you can expect a "Limited" series to be announced to finish the last of the engines and parts.

That's what I would do...………….but maybe that's what the 110's are.

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring

This amended version has just been released