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

Interesting stuff. I have had my old Morgan on track and of course on the road, and some very rough roads too while touring. During my little bit of sport with one of Porsches finest, I did wonder if the lack of travel in the Mogs front suspension played a part in terms of a quick recovery to steerage after a yump or bump given the shockers may not play as much of a part as on other vehicles, perhaps more so if the other vehicles have logically longer travel and more springing and thus have more dependence on their shockers that could be showing their age to some degree..the light weight of my alloy clothed Morgan also playing it`s part in terms of G force reduction in the grand scheme of things..? When younger the occasional jar per miles travelled in my Mog was FAR less of an issue for me than today, but I can at least still get in and out of it without too much difficulty...Just (-:

Howard that which you typed re your Lotus experience, brought to back to a failing memory a day some years back when on the track with my then 82 911 SC, chasing down and passing a D Type Jag, though in my case it seemed to be more about the advantage of the 911`s brakes than the outright acceleration...I suspect the Jag driver might have rightly been inclined to be a tad more precious about his much more valuable machine...... a memorable day indeed.

I think it was agreed in car marketing circles that the idea of winning on the track on Sunday equated to increasing sales on the Monday, and who here does not take a measure of pride in the competition history where Morgans have endured and scored well over many a year, the Paris to Peking adventurers, legend of TOK at LeMans .... while the Aero 8`s performance at the same venue may perhaps be conveniently forgotten to some degree..? I suspect that the TRAD has over many years created a very marketable history.... Perhaps just that those who value that history may be having more difficulty in remembering it with the passage of time... myself included....(-:

With the ageing process of man playing it`s part, it does indeed seem logical that the balance in priorities of the.... err...mature Morganeer might shift towards the sort of comfort options I never before imagined as being any part of the requirements of a died in the wool Morganeer..? It also seems logical to consider those younger folk who might place some degree of value for the history of the motor car, enough to attract them to the flowing lines of a Morgan which left the drawing board to become a reality all those years ago, and which can be so very different from the latest sports car designs... Consider if you will that even the water cooled Porsche 911 derivatives today are as large if not getting larger than the 928 which the 911 enthusiasts roundly rejected as being more suited to mostly cursing in comfort, than the original 911 concept of a sporting icon..?

Thus it seems to my logic that both young and mature who can still get behind the wheel, will either be in search of modernity relative to easing the unwelcome effects of the ageing process, which a long time Morganeer may have to some degree become unwittingly more accustomed to relative to time spent in their mundane-mobiles over the years in the way of creature comforts..? It also seems logical that younger folk EXPECT every bell and whistle as STANDARD in all forms of four wheeled transport.... Thus it again it seems logical for the trad to give way and for it to be time for MMC to take the next step in their evolutionary process....? As for the amount of wood in newer Morgans, never forget the power of marketing the links to HERITAGE which will ever have a considerable effect around any BRAND...?

It seems to me that the M3W has taken up the slack in providing a sense of adventure for those folk who still have a need of exposure to the elements and the degree of risk that goes with it, and which the TRAD once provided in spades, or at least more than enough adventure for me when I bought into the idea of giving up on m/cycling yet not quite ready to settle into the arm chair, and at that time a vintage driving experience was sought as an adventure substitute without the reality of the costs involved in maintaining a truly vintage car capable of anything like the performance which my old +8 can and has provided over many a year..

Truth be told, like a few here I have noted a decline in my ability to enjoy my Morgan as I once did, it spends the majority of it`s time in the garage, perhaps more than it should due to my reduction in ability to enjoy it as I once did, the cold being more of an issue than before for me, even with thermals and the likes. I really do not like driving with the hood or side-screens in place and have had thoughts of returning to Porsche ownership....Hmm..? Even though I spend hardly any time in the garage these days, when I do and see the Mog sitting there, I just have problems thinking that any vehicle perhaps more convenient relative to the ageing process might ever fill the void if I let my Morgan go... hmm..?

While engaged in that line of thought.... Hats off to you Mr Button...

Presume wire wheels are not an option on the Plus Six - not sure if it is just a design or technical reason.

Would they be available on a new Plus Four, or are they on their way out along with the grease nipples?

As far as I know, wire wheels can only handle so much torque before they start deforming. I suspect that's the reason....

I thought I would comment on the desert racer Morgan, depicted in Simon's post, although it has nothing to do with the topic in the thread. Just fun facts. The car is "Frøya" (norse godess for love and prosperity). I know the owner Bjørn Schage, the mechanic and co-driver Trond Bråthen, I have seen the car, even sat in it. It is a very heavily modified +4 four seater from 1960. That is, the original design concepts are maintained, but almost everything is modified, fortified and improved. The suspension, chassis, fuel system, electric circuitry, hood, engine, side screens, tyres - you name it. In spite of this they suffered several breakdowns, but managed to cope and finally got to Paris. Later they have taken on the Himalayan Challenge and they will go for another Peking - Paris in 2021. This is their old website, still to be found on the net if anybody is interested: www.peking2paris2016.no

I made the chassis, suspension, fuel tanks, and the rear axle for the car...

Simon @ SiFab.co.uk

Not the radiator??

Yup that too....

Simon

Thanks for posting the link Robbie, and for sharing a bit of your knowledge of the P2P Morgan.

As you may have read before..... I came to Morgan ownership, having followed an old open top Bentley down the North side of Loch Tay, thinking "I want some of that" in terms of driver involvement. Like many folk I had become used to ever more horse power, better brakes, handling and more comfort in sports cars and mundanemobiles alike over the years, which if one was in search of pushing the machines boundaries a tad, most definitely required progressing at a rate of knots well beyond legality on UK road networks. Seemed to me that finding a more engaging motoring experience was key to keeping my licence while enjoying driving on the Queens highway...?

Boy do I admire those large engined Vintage cars, and that folk keep them running and also use them in events such as the P2P, their determination fills me with admiration for both the machines and the entrants. That there are those prepared to take on such an event in a Morgan (of sorts) adds so much to the marques history that might encourage others to seek their own adventures, even if it is limited to surviving big city traffic, or more fortunately on occasion, enjoying some wonderfully twisting country road winding it`s way through superb scenery..

I guess that the Bentley and other large high end vehicles of the time were built to be used over road surfaces different to those that exist today... but wait... given the pot holes even in large UK cities today... Hmm..? I digress, I suspect Bentley`s initial design philosophy was somewhat different from that which HFS had in mind when building his rather more basic vehicle.. However I suspect the road surfaces both Bentley and Morgan experienced back then were much the same. Perhaps the main difference is that Bentley evolved differently in that by the sixties it seems dubious that a Bentley driver might have put up with the idea of front wheels dancing around as they seem to have done on some Morgans, however that resistance to modernise is what kept the MMC in business when so many other manufacturers disappeared.

It was indeed interesting to see the level of modifications applied to the old Morgan to re-engineer it to become Froya, in the hope of taking on such a momentous challenge, and to succeed... I thought it a pity not to see a Morgan taking part in the last Hero event, though I do hope that there may well be one or more with the courage and stamina to have a go at the next LeJog event..
Pretty sure my old +8 could do it with it`s eyes shut. though I doubt I could stay awake that long..(-:

Older Morgans lack of digital reliance appeals in terms of the ability for an old duffer to understand any fault that might crop up and repair it with a bit of fencing wire or similar, which may make pre digital machinery more suitable for solo adventures into the wilds of the countryside on whichever continent you might care to choose....Unsure if a Mongolian herdsman or even a Scottish sheep herder might have a work around for a digital foible or sensor issue..