Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Roadster bulkhead

Returning to my thinking on expectations, I am sorry if you might be left disappointed by any aspect of the build quality relating to a hand-built Morgan when compared with the tasks that robots can perform flawlessly on a basic mass produced machine. I can also be sympathetic to those who`s expectations might cause them to think when paying out Porsche levels of cash, that Porsche levels of build quality should obviously apply....? However neither of those things are likely to apply in the real world....?

Thus when we think to buy into the idea of Morgan ownership, it seems best to research the possible realities as opposed to applying our expectations, which no doubt can be skewed and enhanced by a degree of hype that may surround any particular marque...? Or have I got that entirely wrong..?

My mid 80`s +8 Morgan was disassembled circa Y2k by an industry professional who was then it`s owner, and was also well educated on the likely areas of a Morgan where corrosion can begin to eat it`s way into the metalwork, thus he re-assembled his Morgan with a degree of care and attention to detail that matched his personal ideals, while exceeded my more average expectations of that which a Morgan might be, having spent some time researching the realities of Morgan ownership before spending my hard earned cash.... Now some 20 years later the care and attention to detail that Kevin applied on what came to be my Morgan, is still paying dividends..

If you apply a modicum of care and attention to some detailed areas where a degree of extra care might pay dividends, then perhaps you too can avoid the sort of issues that can frustrate with the passage of time..?

BTW it seems Porsche and others can be less than perfect too...

"If you apply a modicum of care and attention to some detailed areas where a degree of extra care might pay dividends, then perhaps you too can avoid the sort of issues that can frustrate with the passage of time..?"

It really is simply this. Those who expect Morgan ownership to be a pipe and slippers experience will usually be disappointed. What may be perceived as a weakness is in reality a strength. The ability to fettle and improve doesn't exist on mainstream cars.

Yeah, for the price you might expect perfection, but perfection only comes with fettling. And to buy a Trad and then complain about the fundamentals of Trad Morgans points towards a lack of research.

The funny thing is, after reading so many road tests in publications such as Motor, and Autocar, when they existed as competitors, I was blown away by how much better my first Morgan was, than I expected.

Well I don't have OCD & quite like those quirky features. The fun is in the fettling

Goodness, I must have touched a raw nerve there. It's not that I'm unhappy with my Roadster, but there's a big difference between perfection and simply taking a pride in doing a good job. If that's how the 2009 cars left the factory, then I'd say that's a "training need". For many years I drove those other Great British sportscars, TVRs. In hindsight, some of the "rough edges" (literally -- as in badly sawn-out holes inside the doors for loudspeakers etc), dodgy fuel gauge, questionable earth, leaky hood, now seem to be a bit par for the course. I well recall seeing the headlight covers on TVR Griffith's and wondering why they had used hedgehog poo to seal them - a sort of nasty crystalline black mastic (have a look next time you see one at a classic car show). But at least they had made a modicum of effort to smooth them out.

It may amuse all the Trad owners to know that the mastic between the bulkhead and ash frame also weeps mastic, in my case it is silver/grey!

Not a raw nerve at all Peter. When you've been around TM a few years you'll see patterns emerge which are often rooted in a lack of understanding of what owning a trad Morgan is really like. A lot of this depends on where you came from. My base line was MGB's and I found my Roadster to be streets ahead in every respect. Those who look at a Morgan and think the experience will be like a Boxster, or anything similar will be disappointed. The fact that the values may be similar should create a similar experience, but it doesn't. That's why many owners move on to Aero's and now the CX cars. Thankfully there is a steady supply of owners who can take it on the chin and enjoy the driving experience which you just don't get with anything else.

I had to smile a different elements of this debate, yes there are issues resulting from this being a hand built car which are understandable but can be frustrating from time to time. Then there are fundamental design/development issues which are a result of poor design/development or execution.

Case in point with the Roadster, who places an engine in the vehicle that leaves the factory with a sump so low, prone and exposed that people suffered from cracked /damaged sumps. Something that could have been designed out of the car by fitting a modified sump giving adequate ground clearance from the outset as a part of its design development. Do they not look under the car to see if it gives sensible ground clearance when adopting a new engine type ,especially as they often go to the trouble of modifying the engine management software.
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In 2004 I bought the newly arrived Roadster series one. My dealer took me to the Motor show and we flew out. Once on the Morgan stand we were chatting to the,I think new at the time, sales director. He kept saying "we don't sell cars, we sell dreams". Then he started to get some stick about the aero hoods leaking like mad. He made some comment about the sort of person they wanted as customers..which was basically rich men wanting a toy. I am not rich, by the way. Anyway, my dealer grabbed his arm and turned to point to me and said "This is your perfect customer, when we were out for the test drive and the rain came in he thought it was funny".
I think I am the tail end of that type of customer. Not rich enough to spend 90k on a car that will only do 1200 miles a year.
I admit I don't use mine everyday now, and haven't for the last three or four years, but I am that dinasaur. I still laugh when the rain comes in, it's absolutely part of the fun.
Maybe it's reverse snobbery...the rejection of everything most people expect from a car, for a different type of fun.
Lately I have driven a couple of the latest cars, all cameras that see speed signs and lane sensing that vibrates the steering wheel, massively complex menus to change heating, comfort zones etc. I absolutely loathe the experience. Bring back red hot air on my feet and freezing face...I love it.
Nick

Oh to find a car with a CD player ! And if I needed a Satnag (becase I'd forgotten to bring the c.1974 AA Road Atlas), then SWMBO would come to my rescue. I may be a bit OCD, but check the orientation of the screws in the visible areas of Trads -- my kind of assembly. Last time I smoked a pipe it was made of clay. Must go and find my slippers (and align them neatly).

To be honest my “hand built car” has a few iffy bits. Notwithstanding nothing on the left side has any symmetry with the right there is a myriad of items not quite right. One day I will fit a replacement seat belt receiver, one is red and the other orange!

But my car is like my wife who doesn’t look like Marilyn Monroe but gorgeous nevertheless and wouldn’t dream of swopping for another model.