Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Six & Plus Four (CX-Generation Vehicles) 3 Write-Offs?

Agree entirely. Perhaps Morgan need to revisit the lack of such aids. The Porsche Turbo from the 80s unfortunately acquired the reputation and label of “Widow Maker” due to its propensity to end up wrapped around trees due to unskilled drivers not having the right balance of speed and control. If there are more incidents with the Plus 6 and, dare I predict, major injuries, then it may give rise to a similar label being applied to the Morgan brand. The pending launch of the Plus 4 with a manual box and less BHP might address the problem as the combination of the auto box with all that power and no “aids” is a recipe for more disasters.

I have never found the S2 or the Coupe to be vicious. The lighter weight over the back axle on the S2 means it slides earlier and more gently than the Coupe with the extra bodywork. This is a litytle masked as you can feed the power far more efficiently with the manual box in the S2.

If anything I find the nanny-tronics in the ML63 with 600+bhp far more annoying.
If you come off a cambered roundabout onto a main road in the wet (under power) the camber changes makes the damn thing think it has lost it and it cuts all power. Anyone following close behind suddenly has the sun blotted out and gets to see the supplier details on my number plate.

Accelerator pedals are not binary.

Yes, given that the age demographic of P6 purchasers pretty much guarantees that their physical condition will not be tip top in terms of physical agility and reaction times, the apparent strategy of manufacturing cars which require advanced driving skills to avoid crashing does seem a bit counter productive.

I don’t really think the age of the owner has anything to do with it, the best drivers in the world are from all age groups. There’s a lot to be said for practicing beyond the limit driving now and then, just to see where those limits are.

You'll be wanting a crash course then Stewart

It must just be me, then. I was never in anything like 'best drivers in the world' category, but I've noticed that my car handling skills are not as good now as they were when I was in my 40s. These days I compensate by slowing down a bit and giving myself more time, but that's quite handy for my licence anyway

I agree with practicing 'beyond the limit' driving, and that's exactly why (money aside) I wouldn't buy a P6. I can chuck my 4/4 all over the place with no concern that it's going to bite me in the bum if I'm millimetrically out of place with the throttle.

I completely agree with this post Tim. I feel exactly the same.
Nick

Very interesting observation & could indeed be the cause of at least one of the recent PlusSix crashes

Also my thoughts about the Power (and the money)

With the old ZZ3s it was quite easy to get the back end to step out a bit, I never felt that it was going to "bite" by going further than i wanted.
But since I put the MP Sport 4s on it feels as if it is glued down and I fear that if it goes it will "snap". I need an airfield to find out. At Castle Combe I was going as fast as I felt comfortable and the car felt glued to the track.

Talking to Henry Williams about the Plus 6 he felt that the car would need a revised suspension setup and different tyres to be a good track car, Morgan had tried to make it a civilised GT Road Car, not a sports car.
My feeling is that the known crashes all seem to have happened early into a drive, on cold, damp roads. So I think it needs all season or full winter tyres as well as a high level of understanding by the driver.

I was in the local Mercedes dealer today, chatting to Matt: he is one of the sales team and I've worked with him for close to 15 years. Mercedes has their new EQC demonstrator and it has been close to being wrecked twice. In each case the test driver has mashed the throttle, not understanding that the torque is instant and powerful and came close to ramming the vehicle in front. They are now much more wary who they let drive it. It is 402 hp and 490 lb-ft., 2.6 tons and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. Unlike the equivalent GLC the initial acceleration is very rapid, then it tails off, the reverse of a ICE engine.