Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) NOT Bentley "Old Number One"

Yes there is one in Bicester

I'm pretty sure this one for sale is actually one of theirs: B Special No.1

While I may have used the Old Number One case as a useful datum relative to the assessment of "old" cars for some time now, it seems that there is a long history of vehicles made up from the majority of much more modern parts while following the form of something much older, even to the extent that they have acquired a term relative to the era of their creation or recreation..? In earlier times such vehicles might be described as "specials" though in more recent years it seems folk are keen to be more specific in terms to classify some machines..? For that which is entirely modern yet with an outline yet follows the lines of an earlier era, the term "retro " may be applied, perhaps an example might be a bit like the Aero in it`s various forms..? Then there are the "Retromods" with basic elements of old and original machine at it`s core, yet with modifications to more suit modern autoculture desires....thinking Singer Porsche 911`s and others which may be further identified as "Backdated." It can all become a tad confusing when trying to set datums to assist vehicle evaluation...?

What is a Morgan if not any one of the above ..? Morgans have continuously evolved over the years to comply with automotive design and use regs and the many and varied customer desires of them.

In my case I was desirous of a pseudo vintage driving experience that could perform well enough in modern-day traffic situations, thus I ever saw my old +8 as a sort of substitute for the Vintage Bentley that so impressed me as I followed it down the side of Loch Tay on my m/cycle. No cable brakes in my +8 and with discs to boot, no crashing or whining of gears or diff, yet still a very rudimentary chassis, wooden floor boards, ancient design front suspension all be it with rack and pinion steering, and cart springing at the rear, ash framed, alloy panelled with cut down doors, all hand built by craftsmen using ancient skills, and of course lets not forget the occasional foible thrown in just to keep vintage hand crafted tradition alive.. Yes/No..

Then it seems the advances in law really began to take hold with regulatory changes just to complicate things along with ever more digital systems involved, be it in terms of the requirements for EFI and cats, as opposed to carbs, then the necessary air bags, and immobiliser systems, Superform wings as opposed to hand formed, it seems things were becoming somewhat un-vintage and ever more so with the passage of time, all of which causes me to count my blessings that my old +8 is so much simpler in terms of it`s build than later Morgans, more of my era of comfort perhaps, and therein lies the rub...?

It seems natural that an ageing body is desirous of more comforts, while holding on to at least some ideals from the past../ Enter the CX an even more modernised Morgan with Suspension the likes of which never graced a Morgan before, even bling interiors that Rolls Royce would have been proud of a few decades back if not today, there is no stopping evolution in both design and customers desires of it...unless one has Luddite tendencies to some degree...

A mid 80`s +8 is no true vintage machine for sure, and like many vehicles assembled to appear older than it is but with modern advantages, perhaps my Morgan could be reasonably be categorised as retro-vintage, all be it the subject of rather slow but continuous improvements given Morgan`s history and heritage, as opposed to being brought into existence over a much shorter period of time with the appearance of a much older machine..?

When attending Jonny Dumfries` worthy attempt to create a sort of Scottish festival of speed at Mount Stuart on the island of Bute, I had the good fortune to get up close to a LM Bentley that looked almost as good as new and overheard folk muttering that it was not the real thing, I knew nothing of such recreations at the time, but boy did it impress me GREATLY. Since then my education with regard to such wonderful recreations, I became interested to educate myself as to how such craftsmen would/could create such wonderful machines and yet conform to requirements of vehicle registration rules and regs.... I think in time I have acquired a reasonable idea of the work-arounds utilised.

As for making judgements... I am pleased that these old skills are kept alive and that such craftsmen can earn a living using them, be it recreating yet another wonderful machine that appears to be a clone of one of the many variations of the "real" Old Number One as it has evolved throughout it`s continued existence..and of course more importantly for selfish reasons, should my old Morgan suffer damage, there are those such as Vintage Sheet Metal and others who can still hand-craft an ash frame, or roll out a bit of aluminium by hand to create the wonderful swooping lines of the front wings, cowl or manufacture a radiator and whatever else might be required to keep our old Morgans rolling along without the need to engage in equity release on the old homestead... !!!

I did post some pics of the Mount Stuart "new" Bentley and some of it`s older brethren with some general event pics, if there is any interest in a few more pics from the event, just SHOUT and I will dig some out. With a bit of luck I may even have copied the link below, or perhaps even the pic of the "new" Bentley I had the pleasure of viewing at Mount Stuart.... But then again perhaps not... Duh!

https://www.tm-img.com/image/gHizQ

Here you go

You copied the link Gordon, not the BBCode to show the photo.

What would I do without the brains in the organisation who have what it takes to correct my attempts to post a pic... THANKS guys, much appreciated. I thought I had it sorted till I tried to post a pic I already had in one of my galleries... Duh! Not that the pic was perhaps worth the effort, given it was taken some years back on a point and shoot camera.

As an old duffer, I can forget where I put something I had in my hand but a few moments ago, so the more convoluted or less logical the process, the less likely I am to take time to work my way through it before frustration takes hold, in the knowledge I will forget part of the process at some future attempt to use it.....? I would stress that I`m not in any way complaining, I accept that to operate just about EVERYTHING these days it takes so many more steps to be remembered than in times past when an on/off switch would do the job .....Yeah, I`m just a grumpy old man for sure. I should also read over that which I type on occasion too....

I, too, am familiar with that scenario!
I try to never put car keys down in any alternative location, but always where they are normally placed