Talk Morgan Forums Community Welcome Forum hello from France

Hello everyone,

After looking at Morgans for far too long, it’s time to take action.

I’m Francis, 47, living in the woods in the center of the Var, passionate about cars (do I need to say that on a MORGAN forum? ), with a wife who’s also passionate about cars, no children but 7 cats and 3 dogs (and they’re not the easiest…).

After a number of sporty cars with character — including a Corvette C6 LS6 — and plenty of driving with a bunch of “baltringues” from the southeast of France (a Porsche 997 Turbo, then for more sensation an old slightly modified 911 that I still have), I’d like a more authentic car while keeping the driving feel (I’m not that old yet :lol:).

The problem with my old Porsche is that my wife, who drives very well and fast — perhaps too fast — hasn’t really been able to enjoy the old Porsche because it’s a hard car to drive and is made for going fast (heel-and-toe is mandatory, for example), and it becomes tiring… I’m not going to detail here the “specifics of driving a car with an overhung engine,” but it’s closer to a motorcycle than a car, at least this one…

Now, some of you are probably going to be tougher on my comments — and on a forum the tone and people’s lack of knowledge can make writing (and I have no talent for that) come off as aggressive, so in advance I’m sorry if I’m clumsy with some of you…

I’m a scientist; I work in mechanical research and design, and by professional habit I like design: I completely rebuilt my old Porsche. I like to learn even if I’m not very gifted, and I appreciate well-made cars. Also, I know (from afar, let’s not exaggerate) a certain moustachioed guy who made a stop among the Morganists (or Moggers — I’m not sure) with his orange Morgan and who didn’t mince his words and still doesn’t, but I like passionate people and debates…

Anyway —

So I’m looking for a Morgan:
Because it’s got an amazing look,
Because it’s beautiful,
Because we both love this car…
But:
The last time we followed a Morgan on our broken southeast roads, seeing that rear end bouncing like that (I don’t remember which model, since they’re all the same :D) made us hesitate… I know that’s not the intention, but still — we’re in the 20th century!
So I’m looking into how to improve that with the SSL 5P and other things… but I hadn’t taken the plunge: maybe, actually, a Morgan isn’t what we need…

But every six months I reconfigure my Morgan; prices have been crazy for some time like a lot of things at the moment.
The new ones aren’t so bad after all :lol:
And I’m getting older, so maybe…

I’m therefore looking for a Morgan that suits us!
I still think a more modern one ticks more boxes aside from price, but looking at a 3.7 that doesn’t really depreciate anymore and a Plus Four from 2020 that’s come down a little (reasonable, of course), I’m hesitating a bit.
So:
Maybe a 3.7 with suspension upgrades
Maybe a Plus Four with a manual gearbox
Maybe a Plus Four with an automatic gearbox for the boss

Of course you have to try the different models, but in the meantime I’m looking and I’m listening to you!

I’m worried about brake problems on the 2020–2022 models and, of course, radiator failures…

See you later,

I have had a 3,7l Roadster and now a 2022 CX +4 manual. The CX is a far better car for long journeys and has the power ot the 3.7l.
If you go the CX route the model year 22 was a major upgrade.
Welcome & good luck

Welcome to TalkMorgan!

Welcome to Talk Morgan Francis.

There are quite a few owners on TM who either have a Morgan and another sports car or have owned a Porsche or something similar before buying their Morgan; therefore, you should get a variety of opinions and advice.

Personally, I'd love to see photos of you classic modified 911

As an aside, the early Roadsters V6 engine (series 1 with the 3.0 engine), comes from a Porsche developed engine that was then taken over and adapted by Cosworth for Ford Europe.

Welcome to TalkMorgan

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Stefan
+4
+8
ARP4
PlusFour

Thank you .

For my old Porsche, I try to post a photo here :

That's a beauty!

Very elegant. I really like eary 911 before they became bloated

Welcome indeed to the forum Francis, thanks for the detailed introduction and posting the image of your modified 911..

The first memory of Morgan handling I witnessed was on a wet night driving to work in the 70`s, I spotted what I thought was a trailer with suspension issues, as I passed it I was surprised to see it was a Morgan..! If comfort is high on your options list, then I suspect I would dismiss the idea of buying into a Trad Morgan with ladder frame chassis, cart springs on the rear, and sliding pillar front suspension... Though having typed that there are available modifications to the suspension and much else in varying degrees...Of course the newer CX Morgans are very different beasts and perhaps fit better with modern-day expectations of comfort and convenience..

Comfort was not high on my list when I thought a Morgan might be fit my desires in the mid 90`s, as I wanted a change more in line with a pseudo vintage driving experience having owned restored, maintained and run, quite a few varieties of Brit sports cars and air cooled Porsches too, in the form of a 912, and two 911`s, a 77 3 litre Carrera and an 82 SC. I went back to m/cycling for fun in my 50`s and then on to Morgan ownership in the form of a mid 80`s +8. Yeah ,one with the above described archaic suspension system, and although my good lady who was a keen driver never drove it as the clutch was too heavy and she was a bit under 5 ft tall, but she loved touring Southern Europe in the Morgan, and not only on smooth roads, indeed some rather rough roads were encountered from time to time..She also very much enjoyed driving our 991.1 in more recent times.

I have owned my Trad Morgan longer than any other vehicle, circa 23 years, and I am passed the half way mark in my 70th decade, I can still enjoy my Morgan`s surprising road holding and performance while roaring around the back roads, lochs and glens.. A Morgan is a real sports car demanding driver input on interesting and twisting back roads, whereas I suspect my 991 is more of a grand tourer, with sports car performance requiring digital management of it`s circa 400HP to encourage all those horses to maintain the desired course...

Bottom line for ME, is that enjoying the Morgan`s capabilities, more suits keeping within the speed legal limits on an interesting twisting stretch of Tarmac.

I have enjoyed my +8 more this year than I have enjoyed my C4S...

Hope you might find a Morgan that suits YOU BOTH Francis.

I would drive a few Morgans first, as they can be so different in nature and 'enjoyment' factor as they range from 1.6 L to massive 4.8L V8's in the Aero's and later Plus 8,, very different cars indeed.

The ladder chassis traditional Morgans can be very crude with their sliding pillar front suspension and there's really very little you can really do about that, the rear can be improved with the 5 link setup. The Aero's and CX's are a more modern feeling car.

As you will note there are lots of really low mileage Morgan cars around. By comparison there are very few low mileage classic Porsche's around, mainly because people like and enjoy driving them.

So from a former Porsche 930 Cabriolet owner, my words of advice would be drive a few examples first, to see what suits best.