Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - The Pinnacle - yawn

Well I'm calling it the cynical or clinical a wee bit below the hype I think..

It was an Eva we wanted

Thankfully, there is a place for both.

However, I would also strongly argue that in a market place saturated with similar bland, almost homogeneous, products, that offering something different, which appeals to the consumer, is an attractive proposition. Furthermore, when the market is universally slow, as it is, being able to stand out with an appealing specialist product is all the more commercially attractive.

Watering down the core DNA, moving away from what made the product unique, authentic and a niche offering would, at face value, appear to be a financial mistake. Lotus are doing just this by moving away from lightweight ICE engined cars to heavy EVs, which really seem to fly in the face of the Lotus ethos.

To my mind, Morgans have always been appealing cars because they were elegant and yet classless; akin to the appeal of the original Mini: owned by someone who saved to purchase it to the other end of the spectrum, the uber wealthy and adored by celebrity clientele.

If, as has been mooted, Morgan push the brand ever upward and aim to take a piece of the Bentley, etc. market, I think they will struggle. The Aero was a perfect test for this and as the price increased, so did the dissatisfaction from first time owners; more often than not, resulting in them selling up and moving on with bridges left burning behind them. An Aero at £40k is good value; however, at £100k+ customers start to compare it to other brands and their expectations increase accordingly. To my mind, the same can be said for CX platform cars… the higher the price, the more comparisons you draw to other products. As it stands, the body shape alone means it is challenging to make a direct comparison; however, if that is eroded, the comparisons start to be easier to make imho.

Concerning the lambswool matts, I don't think MMC is expecting owners to go walking in a muddy field and the put their boots on them. They simply wanted to add something unique and what will be special to those looking to order one.

Again, not the first nor the last. Land Rover did the same with the Autobiography Defender in that it had a very deep pile and dare I say luxurious rear floor mat, removable, as part of the spec.

While I agree MMC has areas they need to improve to play in this market, and the dealer network for that matter, can we just be happy that they are still around and keeping a workforce employed? Someone reading this would get the sense that us as Morgan owners would be thrilled to see them fail.

Let's face it, right or wrong, MMC have moved on from what used to be their customer base. Get used to it and enjoy what you have.

Apologies if this has been covered, but watching the video it seems fairly evident the carpet flooring in the car is the standard box weave and the fun plush wool goes on top of that and is removable. Could be mistaken, but that’s what it looked like to me when John pulled it out (4:25 time stamp in the YouTube clip). Just seems like a fun little addition on a final swan song for a great car. Not sure it needs to symbolise the end of Morgan as we know it, but I am aware some of you have made your minds up on that front already and a little plush carpeting is just further proof the sky is falling.

For my part I think the Pinnacle looks like great value for a well specced and special plus six. I think they nailed the concept well. It certainly looks to me to be the best of the six and if it is indeed the last time the b58 or an engine of its ilk is in a traditional body Morgan than I suspect it will hold a special place for owners and in the brands history.

Never worn a flat cap, but i can relate to the sentiment............the acid test for me these days is can I get in and out with some modicum of ease and whilst retaining my self respect. I remember well my father used to pinch my Honda S800 and go for a spin, I didn't mind too much as he always filled it up, we all tried to be around to watch him try and get out of the car often hands and knees on the ground, it was not graceful, but a source of amusement to us all.. Mind you he was used to the wider doors of his Jags to make his usual more graceful extraction. I'm trying not to emulate that characteristic.

Just watched the video and feel it belittles the history of all the earlier big engine Morgans. How can soft furnishings make it the pinnacle of all those fabulous V8 examples. Just sales spin if you want my opinion 😉

"A satin warm silver paint finish is applied to the wheels, stone guard and dashboard, colour selected due to connotations of champagne and victory but softened to ensure neutrality when complementing any exterior paintwork". Utter bo##ocks!

Yes, sort of anti-climax! But maybe we could expect this. So after these 30 PlusSix Pinnacles we can expect something different and more "upmarket". The company drifts away from a large part of its customers or better said: Morgan drivers. I think its successor will be over 200K in €€€, is this the way Peter Morgan wanted the company to go? I doubt it. We shall see, I treasure our PlusFour and trad 4/4!

As the shag pile carpet in the Pinnacle Plus Six will not leave my mind, I thought ( in humour ) that some matching colour furry/fuzzie dice hanging from the rear view mirror would be a good period touch... I am off now....

Just looking at production figures of the long door trads from 1997 is illuminating. All "approximate" figures..

4/4......4,550

Plus 4.......2,150

Plus 8 to 2004..... 1,260

Roadster from 2004........2.300

Aero Plus 8 2012-2019 ....356

Aero 2001-2019............1,040

Draw your own conclusions. The factory survived on these numbers though!

That's very tempting, and probably a good job Berrybrook is so far away

I think it's a shame that MMC has stopped building the PlusSix. I would be very interested in the strategy behind it and, above all, what comes next.
I keep asking myself what I like so much about a Morgan. For me in particular, the answer is quite simple. It is simply its shape, which has hardly changed since 1936. That is the main difference between other manufacturers who build or have built retro cars. For example, the Mini, the Beetle or the Fiat 500. Anyone who sees a “new” Mini, Beetle or Fiat 500 knows that it is a new vehicle.
When people ask me about my vehicle, the question is usually how old it is. I always make a joke of it and ask: What do you think? The answers I get are at least 40 years old or more. The shape just hasn't changed. In my opinion, MMC did the right thing with the PlusSix and PlusFour.
I have often said here that MMC can only survive if it makes a profit. With its structure and production figures, the individual vehicle can therefore only be expensive.
Here are the figures for the competitors that are repeatedly mentioned here, but in my opinion they are not competitors. They are all sports cars that are available from €75,000.

-----------------Annual production----------Employees----------Turnover in € million
Morgan:_______700_________________223_______________ 55
Lotus:_________1,700_______________1,400______________250
Ferrari:________10,000______________4,500______________4,500
Porsche:______300,000______________38,000____________35,000

Morgen's unique selling point is simply its shape, which still looks like it was made in 1936. All other manufacturers have the design of modern vehicles.

I agree with the previous speaker that the customer base has unfortunately had to change because a low-priced vehicle cannot be produced profitably in the numbers and structure of Morgan. The target group must be able to afford a vehicle in this price segment. Engineer type, children out of the house, education paid for and the last mortgage on the house paid off as well as a great interest in cars and a penchant for things from the past. ( Have I just described myself? ). MMC has to find 1000 of these types in the world every year. That is the big challenge.
The second question I get from people who want to talk about my car is: What kind of brand is it? Very few people here know the Morgan brand and if they do, they are surprised that Morgan still builds cars. It's certainly different in the UK. But as can be seen from MMC's 2023 balance sheet, the market in Europe is twice as big as in the UK. So there is a lack of awareness among the target group. Unfortunately, this can only be achieved through marketing.

If I could make a recommendation to the MMC, it would be spare parts lists and exploded views for the CX. The target group described likes to customize its car after purchase and would like to be able to carry out one or two repairs itself.
As the unique selling point of Morgan for me is the almost unchanged design since 1936, I hope that the successor to the PlusSix at least retains the same shape. An EV based on the PlusSix would be OK for me.
I hope the MMC will also celebrate its 150th anniversary

Working in this field I can say with confidence that it doesn't normally happen like that Julian. Spec up a normal Plus Six and it comes quite a lot more expensive than this LE. MMC isn't the first nor the last to do this. Update: A normal Plus Six with all the content of the Pinnacle comes out to just over £107,000 and that doesn't account for the bespoke content.

They did this with the 4/4 80th Anniversary which had more tat, made it exclusive to just 80 and yet again, priced attractively. I was one of the suckers who bought it sight unseen

Porsche - released a Style Edition based on their entry powertrain to start the send off the 718 will soon have, and I'm certain another LE is around the corner, and it comes out cheaper than a normal base 718 with the same options.
Bentley - launched the Edition 8 as a send off to the last of the V8 and leading up to the newly released GT/GTC/Flying Spur. Much like the Plus Six, it looked and drove like a non-Edition 8 but had unique interior quilting, added content and an attractive price.

Love it or hate it, it's marketing and keeps the factory running and skilled people employed. Considering the market, I for one am happy to see this.

I get the impression that the typical Morgan owner these days is expected to wear yacht shoes with no socks, cream-coloured slacks, a blazer, have a deep tan and be 'Considerably richer than Yow'!