Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Has the bubble burst?

When one considers the changes in the demographics, emerging fashions and tastes , I wonder how many potential buyers will be drawn to Morgan for its antiquated design and styling. When they can achieve far more cutting edge design and applied technology which is more tailored to their lifestyle, as well as demonstrating to their peers far greater green credentials in their vehicle choice.

When there are people that now struggle to converse directly with one another and prefer contact via their mobile phone world, is there enough demand going forward to make Morgan a viable proposition, in an emerging world that tends to blend in and be more introverted rather than the more extraverted that enjoy their Morgan. Driving a Morgan does make a statement,

When I see the large number of trad. Morgans with very low mileage therefore very little use over many years, it does raise a question as to why?

When I look at the membership of the centre I am centre sec for the demographic is definitely aging. So maybe the lack of new buyers is not helping here

26 or so years ago, so desirable were they, a friend had his car window smashed and their Buzz light year stolen from the back seat… I’m terrified to be seen with mine now😂
Re Ferrari, curiously, I was told by two different dealers, only 50% of buyers use finance, but then I was buying and trying to convince them they need to improve the deal since those who want one “on the drip” will have left the market.
Perhaps salesmen only tell you whatever would benefit them the most, who’d ever believe that!

Alistair,

Doesn't your comment assume acceptance of an odd (current) value system, the one all of us grew up with? Is business success really merely making the very most money you can? And that synonymous with life success? During his tenure, Peter Morgan received many offers for his company and/or his land, far more substantial (even in unadjusted numbers) than what the family settled for in 2019. For years I couldn't fathom PM's his reasoning. After all, it went against anything you and I had been taught.

But as time passed, I learned from him and altered my perceptions. Admittedly, I wasn't that far from them when I retired as a young man. PM, after WW2, apparently yearned for the Elgar life he was born to. Little Stoke Lacey, Little Malvern, a staff he thought of as extended family, a small base of fiercely loyal customers and enough revenue to make it all work. Hard to fault him. I believe if he had tried for today's perception of a "successful" company, he would have failed and even if he had succeeded on paper, he would not have been happy, which is merely another type of failure in my book. Too many sad acts like that around these days IMHO.

BTW, have you ever heard of Robert Cumberford, in his day a super sought after automobile writer, critic and designer. He wrote this about PM's era.

SNIP: In 1966 my brother James and I tried to buy Morgan - the company, not just the car. Sole owner P.H.G. Morgan - Peter - was vacillating about staying with the enterprise begun by his father, the dynamic H.F.S. - Harry - who started making spindly three-wheeled cyclecars in 1910. Impending U.S. legislation could well have meant an end to exports to the United States, then Morgan's biggest market. Peter was not quite sure about what he would do, and he remained not quite sure for years, always hoping that his TV cameraman son - Charles - would finally come into the firm. We came to realize that until Charles pronounced a definitive yea or nay Peter would never commit, despite the fact that from time to time he provided all sorts of information about the company, including financial data that had us salivating. That was and is confidential, but it is fair to say that the little company in Malvern Link was what the Wall Street types like to call a "money pump", so long as it is left alone to be itself, uninterested in growth. Not for nothing did Harry drive a Roll-Royce and Peter indulge himself with Ferrari V-12s.
Yes. From 1998. a new customer demographic was spec'ed out, and very aggressively wooed. Profits were irrelevant in that decision as well. Sadly, it didn't work out as well as Peter's formula. The newer vision of a great life was incompatible with the Works, the marque and even merely breaking even. The visions had very different histories.

Yes. I have always thought that one of the miracles of the MMC was how they managed to keep shipping a 1930s car to the world for so long. But the Morgan long time dream of a permanent exclusion for such things is now fact in all their major markets. They can produce anything they wish and merely have to pop in a environmentally friendly engine, of which there are many sold in crate engine form pre-tested and compliant everywhere. Yet, as these exclusions came on line, they simultaneously ended the trads. Considering ...er.... logic of that the tiny size of the company, one wonders why someone in Washington, (Carlyle Group) would ok the MMC purchase. Methinks the allure of the Morgan Motor Car mystique and trad mechanical heritage should not be downplayed!!!!

Yes. The market for Morgans (and all other sports cars I can think off) was ballooned by making them easier for less skilled people to drive. But for me, it all comes at a sacrifice to fun and control. I have seen some Morgan drivers that can make a trad pirouette. I am sure that we shall soon see remote controlled AI golf machines. They will hit 400 meters.

Disagree. He was profit and money oriented in his solutions, which is too 2-dimensional for me. Of course his advice was adopted after PM's passing.
Some of what I have written inadvertently explains George. He has been wordy for the 25 years I have known him. He is also the best theoretical mechanic I have ever met in the Morgan community.

L.

I would argue that Morgan is one of the most eco-friendly cars made because of their "keeper" qualities.

The one thing that has always struck me about Morgans from the factory visits over the years and owning one since the mid 80's , is in essence they suffered from under investment in both manufacturing facilities and in the end product itself. It clearly evidenced by the finished product was left for the purchaser to basically finish off. The lack of adoption of more modern underpinnings eg wish bones and the reliance on very little automation in manufacturing with labour intensive processes, for myself is more a reflection of the lack of capital invested over the years, Therefore subsequent reliance on old style production processes continued long after their demise in other sections of the automotive industry. Which overtime switched from being inefficient and labour intensive to being a positive selling point ie hand build craftmanship. What was recently achieved with the CX monocoque could have been achieved in the 60's (when coach building died out) with the right capital investment and inclination. We have moved on and now Morgan is just basically an assembly point for outsourced components that could be established anywhere in the world.

Sir John HJ was basically profit and money orientated as with profits it generated cash flow without which its very difficult and more expensive to obtain external funds to invest in product development , manufacturing infrastructure and stock holding . The most poignant comment JHJ made is why is the most expensive components the engine etc,(tying up cash) one of the first things fitted to the chassis This of course doesn't hold so true these days as it did in the past as many IT derived organisations have inflated values and access to funding even when they have no immediate or short term in some cases long term prospect of making a return/profit, but they are in vogue to speculative investors..

A more than fair comment, but I would suggest their longevity especially the post 80's cars that are better protected chassis and woodwork and therefore less likely to want a rebuild as the earlier models

Not convinced about the 2016-on electrophoretic chassis trads. I keep my chassis under close scrutiny but this coating erodes from road grit far more than the galvanised chassis.

You neglect these at your peril!

Yes, more than fair comment, I'd forgotten about that change in the chassis protection treatment.

Its always curious as to what mechanism and motivation is used to finance a car or a watch (both of which are not subject to capital gains) quite a few people I've known use cash to purchase and hide it away from prying HMRC eyes.

Thanks for the warning on Buzz light year......