Sorry Dave but there is a bit of self deception there! I will accept that on a smooth racing track, Morgan performance is respectable if not good. But point one of the non ally generation down a potholed UK B road with the body flexing and the wheel writhing in your hands and you wont keep up with an equally well driven modern car. Now the CX is a different issue, at least at under 80mph.
I have driven a variety of Trads and they are not cars that I would trty to thrash in the way that I used to with my Lotus. They are cars for a bimble in the sunshine.. All IMO of course
You can have lessons for that kind of stuff.
My experience of most modern cars is that they are great at going fast in a straight line, but useless at corners. Most journeys in my Mog or MG, they are leaving me for dead on the straights, but holding me up on the corners. Not sure if it is car design or driver ability, but very commonplace.
Howard as TBM suggested it is possible to proceed quite rapidly in an older machine, just that there tends to be a tad more involvement required, which is one of the reasons I gave up on 911`s and ended up buying into the idea of Morgan ownership.
I feel most fortunate to be able to enjoy interesting local (ish) roads in a rather high spec 2012 991.1 C4S as well as my mid 80`s Trad Morgan.
My Morgan is almost completely standard, other than having the vast benefit to handling that is the modification from lever arm shockers on the rear, converted to Koni tubular adjustable shockers, with matching Koni`s on the front....I have to admit to never having thought to try to adjust the shockers to improve on the ride quality..... (-: I think the engine may have at one time had 150 HP on a good day, and the LR gearbox was designed for a mud plugger as opposed to a sports car.... But as a whole package, it works wonderfully well for me, and I have enjoyed reasonable progress in it on rather poorly surfaced roads on numerous occasions... (-:
I feel most fortunate indeed to be able to choose between the 991 and the old Mog on any day I might feel the desire to head out for a drive. As for the engineering advances involved in the 991...where to start..?
While I suspect the 991 is more a GT in the sense of a grand tourer, than an out and out sports car, it does have circa 400HP available and a plethora of onboard digital decision making gizmology to aid keeping all those horses between the hedges. Also despite it`s advanced and digitally controlled suspension system, I have to admit that it does not seem to absorb the shocks and generally rough road surfaces in any way which might encourage the occupants to imagine they were being transported in luxury, compared to the old Mog..
While there is no doubt relative to the technical superiority of the 991 over the old Mog, the reality is that the Morgan is the favoured vehicle of the two over the somewhat testing roads I am so fortunate to be able to enjoy driving in my part of the world..
I don`t doubt that that if push came to shove that the 991 would be the quicker of the two over any interesting section of tarmac regardless of surface imperfections, but I suspect not by much in any meaningful measure, though I suspect the 991 driver would have had less physical and mental involvement in the process overall..?
I guess much depends upon ones priorities, and as we age it seems comfort and convenience built into vehicles may become more of a priority over increased horsepower and a roaring exhaust, but how far one might care to take that it an entirely personal decision..? I cant imagine choosing a Tesla to enjoy that which either my Morgan or 991 provide when in the frame of mind to choose between them to head out for a drive, other than were I in the mood to amble along enjoying the scenery with minimal involvement in the process of controlling the vehicle... one pedal operation works wonderfully if your habit is to read the road well enough..?
Again I feel most fortunate in mt 78th year to be able not only to access and egress my old style Trad but to be ale to enjoy driving it when ever in the frame of mind to do so, though the advantages of the extra door width on later models might ease that process somewhat.. (-: As for additional comfort and bling, I can well understand the appeal of that too while we age, and I think it is great that the MMC seem to have catered rather well for that too while retaining much of the obvious lineage of the quirky idiosyncratic vehicles that us happy few are drawn to ....? (-:
As ever, each to their own..
