Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Electric Cars

Very interesting. I thought at first ooh only 56 bhp but then i checked the specs of my old 1967 MG Midget and they are similar. The Midget was real fun so this is interesting.

Not bad. When a Daihatsu Copen and a Porsche 356 produce offspring in the garage. I particularly like the interior and the frameless windshield at the top.

But for a new price of €54,000 you can buy a young Morgan 4/4 plus an used everyday car in good shape.

Unfortunate choice of colour for a demonstrator ... the dark paint with a stripe looks so much better .... 75 bhp and a 200 mile range and that might be the only style of EV I could see myself buying ... looks well made.




Think there's an EV future for a variety of light retro-inspired fun cars.


K

Much as I think the 356 is a work of automotive art (and probably the only Porsche I'd consider having if I had the funds) this looks a bit like a Chinese Copycat 75% scale model of one? Don't think it's enough to tempt me to the dark side.

Phil ...... I agree regarding the 356 shape (just commenting that the uninspiring blue wouldn't have been my choice to showcase the car) ... there are some pretty little Barchetta bodies out there that, with the right 'no driver aids' Morgan-like engaging dynamics, would make for a super-light fun backroad motor ... to me the Carice format appeals far more than the hippo-like luxury barges that currently pass for the EV offering 🙂









K

Following on from the above: ..... to me it seems that our old world of enjoying performance on the road is rapidly waning ..... just so many cars, increasingly sophisticated speed cameras (and dashcam snitches champing for the little thrill of dobbing someone in to the law for whatever), ordinary cars becoming so powerful that even a boring daily can't be used to the point where it becomes interesting .... as those who have chosen the path of the Morgan already know ... engaging experience beats pub bragging at having hit 175 on some motorway hands down.

Saw this little cutie on my FB feed .... perhaps as we can no longer expect to travel in the region of our car's limits, maybe we will instead opt for travelling in style? ... 3d printing and robot assembly might be the saviour of interesting, engaging small volume fun-at-legal-speeds vehicles.... maybe an electric drive train with crushing accelleration to 70 but not much further might actually be acceptable if clothed in something interesting/amusing/beautiful with the right driver dynamics?




K

Ps ... don't worry the Mog stays with me while I have breath!! 🙂

I think you summarised the situation perfectly K.

I arrived at Morgan ownership in 2002, after perhaps five years of having given up on Porsche around the time the 993 arrived on the market, in that both it`s predecessor and the 993 suggested to me that a combination of regulation and customer preferences equated to a requirement to alter the design of a "sports car," which had formerly required an increasing degree of driver input relative to the increased pressure that might be placed upon the accelerator, thus designing out that aspect of driveability at least until one arrived well beyond legal road speeds..? All of which seemed to be at odds with my usual driving pleasures.

All that being the case i returned to motor cycling to enjoy my primary pastime, until I followed someone on the road really enjoying a vintage sports car. as it hopped and skipped over the undulations in the road, and he applying all the required inputs to maintain reasonable directional stability...(-: .Not too long after that I went off in search of a Morgan as being the closest thing to that level of requirement of driver input and performance that I might afford..

It seems to ever have been the way of Morganeers to improve aspects of their Morgan`s, perhaps beginning with sorting out the expected foibles it seemed most if not all Morgans were likely to have built in to some degree..? . Searching for more power and all that followed on from finding it, has been the pastime of many generations, and apparently some are still engaged in, enjoying such processes today....

As for the addition of bling and the search for improved comforts along with easing driveability, it seems entirely logical that as we age such such aspects of evolution in Morgans might be well catered for as in the Aero 8 and following CX Morgans.

While the comforts of an Aero 8 certainly attract me, I guess having spent enough time to understand aspects of Morgan related foibles., in time I went back to a reasonably modern Porsche (who are not perfect) for tin tip sports car comforts..

As for EV, I`m in... I have a Tesla and as daily transport it well caters for the old man I have become. I do greatly enjoy the rip roaring old and uncomfortable thing that is my +8, that never felt uncomfortable to my younger self, or was that part of the enjoyment of it... Hmm..? (-: These days the demands the Morgan places upon me during occasional drives out on the warmer weather days can be greatly enjoyed.. I have a great fondness for all that my Morgan is, and represents, and it still looks beautiful to me each time I visit the garage, bringing back all sorts of memories. more so when I have the keys in my hand intending to fire it up and venture out again... (-:

As for the EV versions of sports cars, that to me seems just another example of evolutionary processes, I am not fully convinced on EV as being the way forward, but on the other hand the idea of destroying aspects of the future for others certainly does not appeal, and EV sports cars would seem to be a logical process in providing an alternative to that which I was so very fortunate to enjoy for so many decades.... Preferring a tin top these days and perhaps not one that has grown in dimensions, I suspect this one might be near the top of my list...
As ever Each to their own..

Following on from the posts by Image and Luddite, I found in my many years of Porsche 911 Turbo ownership ,I can count on my one hand the number of journeys I undertook that in any way came close to utilising the performance and handling of my Porsche to any where near it full potential . Other than those few exceptional journeys and generally looking good whilst driving, most of the time experienced driving the 911 was more than achievable within the performance envelope of my more humble mundane cars.

So in essence the Porsche was a relatively inefficient conversion of petrol into propulsion for most of my journeys. Slightly sad but true in this very UK congested, controlled transport network. These days I'm less concerned in what I arrive in, and more in the quality of the journey eg enjoying blue skies and open air motoring.

Whenever I look ag EV articles, descriptions I see acceleration as a positive reason to get one. Yes, instant torque so away you go. Very soon to reach the speed limit. These days it is this acceleration that can be an easier “thrill” over high speed. I enjoyed that in the Plus 8 without going berserk. Driving smoothly was a better fun option than outright speed. Reading the road/conditions whilst getting a move on within legal limits was enjoyable. Still is 8n the Plus Four. a very capable car with plenty of scope to enjoy. I am still learning it after 5 months and 5k+ miles. Kickdown in auto gives a good surge, Sport/Sport+ likewise and paddle options add to it on suitable roads.
The 20mph limits here ( everywhere in Carms) mean a lot of crawling along and added journey times. Don’t believe the “only adds 1 min to the average journey” bull. That is poor stats not properly weighted for journey type/location.
Driving has definitely changed not for the better.

But Sospan, you must find motoring frustration in Wales caused more by congestion that the 20 limits. Certainly that is the case here in Monmouthshire. Leaving aside the likes of Cardiff which is to be avoided as much as possible, the 20 limits are mostly applied where previously there were 30 limits so they are never in areas where you could once enjoy motoring. Perhaps more significant is the number of 60s that are now reduced to 40s but providing you are on the back roads the chances of being caught are negligible.

For me the issue is congestion and the plethora of huge SUVs, camper vans etc. Doesnt matter if I am in the Ferrari or the family Merc, the chances of "making progress" on the B roads of wales are limited very much by the mobile road block in front. So if I want to enjoy myself, I have to be Valentino Rossi rather than Lewis Hamilton. Take the bike and overtaking becomes easy.

Yes its more risky but I have only has two accidents in 40 years or more and only one of them was of the "helicopter to A&E" standard. For me that is an acceptable level of risk. SWMBO doesnt agree but thats another issue.