Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Trad prices

Also it seems to me that Charles adopted a degree of JHJ`s thinking when the MMC ditched hand rolled wings and Superform wings were introduced...?

If there is any interest in why it seems the pre 964 air cooled seem to becoming the one to own, you could check out Harry`s Garage latest vid...?

Going forward there will be a buyer for every Morgan. But it was hard enough with Trads, and even after the long doors were introduced, buyers were often uninformed about what they were looking at. Now the CXs complicate it further, but the uninformed, may just regard a CX as a newer Trad, which it is not. The more modern dynamics hide a much more complex design, with more reliance on dealers, and a lot more to potentially go wrong. Anyone who researches properly will discover the radiator and braking history, and whatever else emerges over time.

All of this will play out over the next few years.

On the subject of diminishing dealer network

I'm just re-reading a long lost publication from 1980, celebrating 70 years of Morgan motoring by MSCC and MTWC

It lists 13 Agents / Specialists who contributed (assume financial) to Morgan 1980

Only two survive !! MMC and Allon White's

Allon White are the world's oldest Morgan dealer....!

As were Lifes until MMC killed them all off with ludicrous expected stocking levels - MMC will be the only Dealer soon and that is exactly what the Mafia want - total control of Zero.....

I think the Porsche allegiance and solid price retention is due to the fact that Porsche have and really still continue to be the only true super car that you can reliably drive on a daily basis. Nothing can get even close on practicality, reliability, and durability, this coupled to reasonable service and repair costs makes them king of the market by a huge amount.

I'm in agreement with most of your comments with the exception of the service costs, even the independents found amazing ways to part you from your cash. I had the 930 Turbo cabriolet and the addition of the turbo insignia, helped them empty your pockets. Great reliable cars, start first time every time but crap heating. air conditioning and ventilation system made them hard work to use in winter, as you could never get the heating balance right. It was either too cold or too hot. The Turbo was the worst with the heating switched on, as every time you spooled the turbo up, a fire ball of heat came shooting down the ducts into the cabin trying to melt your shoes. So most of my winter driving was with a luke warm cabin avoiding where ever possible spooling the engine up, which was almost impossible to avoid, as that turbo engine was a hoot to drive, fast .and very enjoyable.

Great cars and a well maintained, solid car are great fun to own and enjoy, it just did it without too much fuss, Hold your nerve and just don't lift off in a corner when you think you have arrived too fast into it. Usually it went round or you just finished up going backwards into a hedgerow .......those were the days.




Of all the air cooled 911's, I've always wanted the Targa 993 with the sliding roof........

Yes, some are better than others but like most cars they have an Achilles heel somewhere. Service cost are pretty hefty but in comparison to ferrari or Aston martin it is more doable. Aston Martin are always breaking down, then there's the gear change, Blimey, a Morris thousand auto is faster! And, Have you ever noticed the panic on a ferrari driver's face when he has to stop at the lights? Will it keep running.... WILL it restart? Will it overheat? Should have got it serviced but at £5000 twice a year!!!

Now the Porsche. How the hell did they get them to corner like that with all that weight on the back and rear wheel drive and... why didn't the Hillman Imp drive like that too!

Mentioning a Hillman Imp brought back some fond teenage memories, a girlfriend had one, and silly enough to let me drive it. I pushed it too hard into a country bend and the back broke away. I did eventually manage to catch it, but only after it left 2 deep wheel ruts in the grass verge and a few scratches from a thorny bush.it came to rest against. I must have been doing all of 40 to 50mph at the time, when it tried to swop ends around. almost change trouser time.

Like the 911 the Imp handling used to change according to the amount of fuel in the tank, always kept my 930 as full as possible, more weight on the front, the Imp was always low on fuel as money was always tight, as funding beer was a higher priority.

A friend had Ferrari's for a while and couldn't put up with the cars petulance,, now he's into classic Bentleys and really emptying his pockets at an alarming rate.

Ah! my dad had one that he bought new.... he hated it! its huge tendency to avoid steering input was really impressive. I too had a similar experience to you with a friends car, actually it was a Singer Chamois! We used to go out on Saturday nights and alternate who drove in their own car. I didn't drink and drive, well one pint only. He on the other hand did drink on his turn to drive. On one occasion when he was driving I thought he was going for it a bit and I said to him you've had enough. When we got outside on a chilly sea front he became a totally incomprehensible drunk! I'd had had about three pints over the evening and we were in the middle of nowhere so thought I'd have no alternative but to drive. We got back to the main road and stopped at some traffic lights and opposite and turning right was a 3.5 rover P5 traffic car. At which point matey throws open his door and throws up!The lights changed and having priority I pulled out left and the P5 followed behind. I drove for about 5-6 miles with him following me, looking at the speedo and keeping at thirty, then as we left the built up area he pulled me over! Do you realise you were exceeding the speed limit he says. No I said, I was watching the speedo and kept to 30mph, I saw you at the crossroads so I knew you were behind me. At which point his colleague who was looking around the car called him over....... the speedometer was stuck at about 20mph. Is it your car? No officer and I explained the situation to them. They pulled my former friend from the passenger seat and really laid into him about his behaviour and lack of responsibility, I think he really lost any level of innocence in the situation when he told them his dad was a mechanic and knew about the speedometer ! They poked him back in the car and said, Right, I know that you've had a drink, Get him home and if you get stopped again you haven't been pulled by me! So I decided to take the back roads which I vaguely knew but not really well enough and on one sharper than expected right hander the limp decided to go straight on and I had a blow out too! When I saw the tyre I wasn't surprised, it was as bald as a slick! So the car is stuck in a soft winter verge I can't move it and I'm in the pitch black with an incomprehensible drunk and the lights are shining in the wrong direction to help! Oh, and his dad evidently knew that the jack didn't work properly either! How I managed to get the BALD spare fitted I still don't really know but I was now totally knackered, covered in muck with cuts all over my hands knee's and wrists but when I backed that car out and onto the road, well, I'll never forget that feeling of relief! The rest of the journey went without further incidence. I parked the car in his parents drive, finally retrieved his front door key from a pocket he didn't know he had and pushed him through it! I never saw him again. Some years later I met his older brother and he said that his dad had banned him from using the car until it had been sorted out and he'd wanted to know how he'd changed the wheel to the spare and where were the tools and the other wheel! I'd left them there as quite frankly I was exhausted and they were useless anyway and it was just a bridge too far.