Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Stopping trad production

I think that (DaveW’s thoughts about the future way forward) may be the best result for MMC.
Other manufacturers such as Jaguar and Porsche have a Classic or Heritage department which supports owners of their older models. This strategy ensures that customers feel valued and supported. Current new car sales have that assurance that if they want to keep the car indefinitely it may, in time, become a future classic and to have the support and comfort of knowing that the factory will look after your car, should it need parts or restoration, would be a big attraction.

Having looked at the narrow body thread, that is one good looking car.

To satisfy fans of both the 4/4 and Plus 4 maybe Morgan could do the run out model as a narrow body but have the 2 litre GDI engine etc in it to create another limited run of narrow bodied Plus 4?

Just a thought...

I agree with David and Jays. I don't like the wheels on the Plus 6, they could have come off any modern car. I also don't like the scoops at the front of the bonnet or the exits on the front wings.

To me its like comparing a Series 1 E Type with a late model E type V12. The purity of design has been lost and the modern bulges scoops and wheels aren't an improvement in my opinion. But maybe someone much younger than myself will have the opposite opinion and I have yet to drive a Plus 6.

Maybe there will be options for the wheels or even a more traditional spec for a possible CX 4/4 or CX Plus 4. We will have to wait and see.

Looking at the seemingly exponential growth of media interest in climate change and the goings on at COP today, I hope that the CX tub has an EV variation in the pipeline, the future for ICE vehicles seems less assured with every passing day ,in terms of the "time left to enjoy,"....?

In terms of ICE Morgan continuation, I would tend to think that a four cyl Aero would be quirky enough to continue the brand identity for new buyers as well as suit old ever stiffening geezers who may be finding it increasingly difficult to get in and out of their TRADS and being a hard top it could indeed incorporate all the bells and whistles and other toys expected of today`s mundanemobiles... Not too sure how much longer soft tops might continue to be manufactured by any marque, thinking on possible evolution of regs re safety...hmm..?

Oh well if the TRAD is dead..... long live the TRAD..

I noted a mention of Porsche in terms of marque alternatives... Were it not for the power of brand identity, I suspect Porsche may have have had even more difficulty when the regs forced them into water cooling their engines... the result seems to have been a troubled few years relative to the new engine design, where bore score and IMS bearing failure could seemingly with little or no warning and with a perfect service record and low mileage, leave an owner vulnerable to require engine replacement, if not a very expensive repair bill... Seems the legendary engineering prowess may have taken a real hit, but not enough to stop or reduce demand for what some thought was an iconic sports car with a suspected flaw or two in it`s engine design...?

Flawed icons..? Well I guess there have been more than a handful of them over the years..?

The idea of a heritage division seems par for the course, though if the likes of MMC do not take that up, there are loads of folk out there with the skills to take up the cudgels. One such was Kevin Vernon of the one time Tudor Motor Bodies, who as both a Morgan enthusiast and owner of a body shop repair business, thus knew where all the likely problem areas could be found in old Morgans having restored quite a few in his time. I have enjoyed the benefit of Kevin`s craftsmanship in the form of my mid 80`s +8 on which Kevin performed a nut and bolt rebuild circa Y2K and it still runs well and looks PDG today...(-:

So fret not you Trad enthusiasts who may not know which end of a screwdriver to hold, or are like me getting a tad less..err..flexible and struggle to get up off the deck after a simple task like greasing... I suspect there will be someone somewhere more than capable of service, repairs, modification or full restoration to whatever standard your heart desires and if enough of them advertise their services perhaps the costs may kept in check to some degree at least..?

I think you could well be correct though you have to bear in mind the large numbers made over the years and the fact that the car in appearance at least hasnt changed much if at all. I reckon that the new cars wont do much for the value of the aero chassis models particularly the Plus 8, which is likely to be seen as the first and less well executed effort to get more modern.

Pity I bought my current toy when I did as otherwise I would have been interested in the new car .

As Luddite said,

Oh well if the TRAD is dead..... long live the TRAD.....
And long live Morgan!!

The Haynes Morgan exhibition put this debate into context. It is all about the joy of ownership and what you do with your Morgan. What the car is and from which Morgan epoch it originates is far less important. To be honest, I became disappointed by the Roadster's foibles and needs. Tarka still looks like a Morgan, but is far less demanding: she is likely to sit in the Garage now for a few weeks, but the first bright, dry day I'll be out in her, because we get pleasure from simply owning and driving a Morgan, and from the people we know.

There will be smaller engined CX versions with a manual box and they will be enormous fun. How long before there is a separate competition class for them? Their must be because they will trounce the best prepared ladder chassis 2.0L car!

This

Me too..

That jig that they proudly show off in the factory, the one that’s shaped every Trad wheel arch for the past 65 years, will now be redundant and put out to pasture.

How sad 😢

No time for sentiment...let's move on!