MORGAN AS A FOREVER CAR...?
I suspect that idea may be almost as old as the MMC (-: That Morgans were of "simple" construction as was their electrical and mechanical systems, I suspect the blacksmith could keep the thing going over many years in the very early days.. (-: Quite a few of those early Morgans and the generations that followed on are still alive and running around as the result of that simplicity of design, construction, maintenance and repair.
Likewise production was also able to survive for such a long time given there was little or no machinery involved in the MMC processes, just the skills of generations of craftsmen carrying on as the generation before, a forever process for a forever car..? Sure legislation for the mass market vehicles increased exponentially with time but fortunately it seems there were ways found to keep things much the same at the MMC, and very fortunately so for a lot longer than might have been thought possible by some..
I suspect complexity relative to legislation began to have some effect at the MMC when mass motor manufacturing was required to clean up it`s act in terms of the exhaust emissions from their engines, which for the first time added a degree of complexity for Morgan owners who had ever maintained and repaired their own cars. As one might expect of the digital age the advances in that area of technology grew at an exponential rate to the situation where today a forever Morgan may not be anything like as "simple" as it has been in times past..?
The Trad may still have some linkage to the simplicity of the past despite the increasing engine emissions complexity adding greatly to the amount of wiring and associated connection, sensors, actuators, and even mechanical aspects of the engine, did I mention Superform wings...? Yup, the trad it`s self has become considerably more complex with the passage of time to the extent that perhaps that which encouraged the hands on type to get involved with and be very fond of their Morgans over generations may have declined with the passage of time...? IF that is the case then the customer base has perhaps altered ...?
Investment potential... while wavering with time seems to be still hanging in there in the minds of many a Morganeer who may still be applying man maths justification relative to the hand crafted, coach-built heritage marketing mindset... Don`t know for sure but it seems logical that it takes more cash to own and run a "digital" Morgan relative to average income than it may have done in the earlier years right up till the hands on brigade may have declined to some degree? I suspect the digitisation may have started a process of demise in terms of DIY, abandoning the simplicity of the trad and moving towards something approaching monocoque may well cause the remnants of the hands on type of Morganeer to melt away in terms of buying a new Morgan, leaving it to those who are happy or need to pay others to maintain and repair their Morgans, which will still be carefully designed and marketed in a way that contains an essence of the heritage of the marque.... a bit of HAND varnished wood here and there, or perhaps an automated perfume spray of ode de ash, into the air-con.....(-:
AIR-CON..in a Morgan...!!!! Such is the effect of evolution and our ever increasing expectations thereof, that since I joined the MSCC DG at it`s inception and on through eMog and now here, I have read of folk seeking to resolve the St Malvern`s dance, improve engine performance and perhaps the knock-on effects of over heating, necessary brake upgrades to cope with higher speeds, improved handling to keep it out of the hedgerows as the result of those same higher speeds..... After which there seemed to be a change in ideals of Morgan folk who began to look at possibilities for power steering, more comfortable suspension, perhaps a tad more bling, and with that more heater performance perhaps even an auto-box and wider doors, air-con can`t be too far away..... Had you asked me about that kind of stuff 20 years ago, I might have replied that it would all have been as useful as an ashtray on a motor cycle.... TODAY.... Well we are all getting older, our expectations and NEEDS have altered... Truth be told wider doors and a slow acting ejector seat on my mid 80`s +8 might seem to better fit my NEEDS these days.. (-:
As for new buyers expectations.... I suspect a bit like us...err...mature Morganeers, they expect degrees of comfort that we have become used to in our mundane-mobiles, when they jump into a new and rather expensive Morgan to try it for size...? That being the case the CX seems a logical next step..?
Quick rewind.... Morgans as a forever car... Hmm? I suspect the possibilities of that have evolved with time and as the MMC have moved towards modernity initially dragged there kicking and screaming over the years..? I suspect the inevitability of the evolution in mainstream customer expectations has to be matched ..perhaps so much so that Morgan`s will loose some of the essence that kept them going as they once did as that which was infinitely repairable relative to it`s "simple" construction may now be lost...?
Investment potential/ man maths....Yup there are those today who are prepared to pay out fortunes to restore hi-tec machinery, though those prepared to do so with the possibility/probability of financial loss..hmm? Market trends... I am NO economist, though they tell me those at the top of the finance industry were......Yet we all have lived with the effects of the crash, and that was BEFORE the mention of Global warming in every news broadcast, and best not forget Brexit,the REAL effect which we have yet to witness if/when it comes to pass and the years thereafter....? As for wealth distribution.. Apparently the last time there existed the phenomenon of the rise of so called "Top 1%" peaked in the 1920`s.... Now that was a CRASH....a 100 year cycle perhaps.... OUCH..!
Best go buy that new Morgan NOW.... but perhaps less than ideal to borrow to buy it..???
Just thinking in type
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