Ramble alert..
C.C. Glad you liked the +8 vid and thanks for posting the follow up to it. I appreciate that the creator of the vid is presenting his personal opinion on that which is a modified +8 and differs from my old carb fed +8 in a variety of ways, but to suggest as he does that the Mog he is driving, or perhaps any Morgan may not be an out and out sports car, has me confused relative to other of his comments..?
What is an out and out sports car I wonder...? I think the chap in the vid should have explained that the viewer might be best to define their own sense of perspective on what an out and out sports car might be..?
As I have typed many times (definitely too many times) My idea of an out and out sports car was one that might provide a somewhat vintage driving experience, demanding involvement from the pilot to adjust gear choice, throttle positioning, steering input and perhaps clenching one`s buttocks dependant on the surface viewed directly ahead of the bonnet, all of which was my primary motivation to buy into the idea of Morgan ownership in the mid 90`s. I was unsure whether to go for a 70`s/80`s 4/4 or the +8 as I reckoned the 4/4 was probably sports car enough for the kind of B roads I enjoy, however I also did have a thing for larger engined vintage sports cars, and the idea of keeping up with modern traffic on m/ways etc caused me to lean towards the +8.
Still on the out and out sports car theme.... Some years back while on eMog I typed of an experience of cruising along a deserted highland B road, and that a 993 complete with roll over bar flew past me... I decided to give chase. He obviously had uprated suspension given the way his Porsche rode the bumps and handled the corners on what was a twisting and undulating road surface, and I suspect much to his surprise there was the old Mog large in his mirrors for quite a few miles, all be it my involvement in the piloting process caused me to remember the description of a Shackleton crew member saying something along the lines of, that it was like flying a few thousand rivets travelling in loose formation...(-: Yeah the old Mog did shake rattle and roll a bit, but it drove like the sports car I wanted it to be and indeed kept up with one of the best of them at the time, so much so that the 993 driver indicated that I should pass.... At which point I just returned into cruise mode making it obvious I had no desire to continue with the fun and waved him goodbye... (-:
Out and out sports car in 2023...? I recently shared my thinking on the three cars that I currently have available in a post entitled "worlds apart" or somesuch... Over the decades spent on Morgan discussion groups I have read of the impressions and expectations of many Morgan buyers, and as has been typed it seems many expected the fit and finish that they had come to experience from their daily driver, which may have been a BM, Merc, Jag or even a Nissan Micra... All from what was a hand built car with vintage looks, and very vintage suspension, the reality of Morgan ownership seemed come as a bit of a shock to them...?
Coincidentally I have within the space of a few days driven both my 991.1 C4S and My Mog over local much favoured tight and twisting roads, and for sure the experience is indeed worlds apart. As for the chaps impressions on the +8 he was driving circa 8mins 26 sec in...? My old Mog could provide as much if not more of of a thrill in a couple of constitutive tight bends, which required me to lift off the throttle, give it a quick blip to rev match for the next one or two required downshifts, the exhausts popping and banging as the unburned fuel in the system ignited on the over run, to be immediately followed by a roar as acceleration was applied at the apex, throttle then feathered with a tad more pops and bangs for the fast approaching next tight bend, and throttle up again roaring it`s head off.... and a smile a mile wide on my face... (-:
My old Mog apparently has a standard spec 3.5, thus lacks the sophisticated bark of the +8 in the vid. Perhaps when new, the old thing had circa 150 horses under the bonnet, though quite how many of those might have wandered off to graze elsewhere is anybody`s guess, but had you just been through those corners in my old Mog, I`m pretty sure it would match if not better the experience of the same two tight corners in my C4S with all it`s digital driver aids to try it`s best to keep me on the Tarmac...?
MGB... I thought them to be fine little classic sports cars, still do, though as ever relativity has to be employed to be sure they are just right for you, and at the time I restored my last B, it was right for me.. (-:
Once a vehicle has been restored to jewel like quality what are the chances it will be driven much on the road...? I suspect when Kevin rebuilt to concours standard, that which in time became my Morgan, hearing the occasional stone hit the oh so carefully applied paintwork, may just have caused him to flinch somewhat, so much so that he may have thought to part with it... Dunno for sure, but I was not about to treat it with kid gloves, and ran it up an unmade road as fast as I could with stones flying, criminal act though it felt, knowing the effort it must have taken to create the paint finishes, however I had no desire to suffer slow torture every time a stone might hit, and preferred to get it over in one short fast blast..(-: Strange assit seems such was the quality of Kevin`s workmanship, that the old Mog still looks smart today...(-:
