Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Caterham owner tempted by a Plus Four?

Hi everyone,

I’m Axel, 33, from France. I’ve been browsing this forum for years, but yesterday was a big day : after spending a long time admiring Morgan cars from afar, I finally got behind the wheel of both a manual Plus Four and the Supersport. What an experience!

A bit about my background: I’ve owned a few Lotus over the years (from an Elise to an Exige 410) and currently drive a Caterham 340S alongside a classic Porsche 911 3.2 from 1988. Most recently, my spouse and I completed an 8,000 km road trip in the Caterham all the way from France to Norway and back in a month. It was an incredible adventure, but let’s be honest… a bit more comfort and practicality wouldn’t hurt. That’s where Morgan comes back into the picture (truth is, it’s never really left my mind… this trip just brought it to the forefront again).



About the test drives: I took the Supersport out simply because the opportunity was there, but my main goal was to try the Plus Four. My spouse loved it as much as I did, so it’s decided : we’re getting one (but would love to also test drive a Plus Six)! The only dilemma now is whether to go manual or automatic. The manual was enjoyable, but I found the clutch travel a bit long. But I’ll save that discussion for another thread in the right section 😉.

So that’s me in a nutshell. Happy to finally post here after years of lurking, and I’m looking forward to chatting with you all!

Hi Nestor!

Thanks a lot, I’m just seeing your messages now. I thought it was not worth it posting on the forum since the videos are in French.

Haha @DaveW, yes… I don’t usually generate thumbnails with AI but I did not have a proper photo of the inside of the factory so for this very specific video, I worked on generating one (that is actually inspired by a real scene from a frame of the video).

The Plus Four of Axool :

the construction of the Plus Four of Axool :

Welcome Axel! I bought a PlusFour manual from new and already drove 24.000 km in it. And I love it. Recently I drove CLPlusFour 's automatic, and that drives really well, really easy to have a spirited driving. But I don't regret my manual, for me it's part of the Morgan experience. But I can fully understand the choice for an automatic.

Can I add my name to those welcoming you to TM Axel.

I can`t fault your taste in sports cars.. (-: The first car I lusted after (in the late sixties) was a Lotus Elan, in time having owned and brought back to life a few sports cars including Elan`s, Over the years I felt fortunate to own a couple of air cooled 911`s....Variety is the spice of life is it not..? (-:

I came into Morgan ownership looking for a vintage driving experience preferably without the cost of buying a truly vintage machine capable of keeping pace with modern traffic, thus my Morgan has been greatly enjoyed as a pseudo vintage machine for over 20 years....My good lady loved our touring adventures in Southern Europe over a few years, she being more the organiser/ planner of those trips..(-:

I find it interesting that you are coming from a Caterham, towards Morgan, whereas I came from a 911 and m/cycle when I had first thoughts that a Morgan might fit the bill for me..and at a time (mid 90`s) when it seemed to me that most Morganeers who were of the hands-on type, were trying to make their Trad Morgans perform in every way like a Caterham...(-:

It would seem that both Nestor and I may think along similar lines in that choice of a manual gearbox for an occasional use fun car might be our first choice, though I would add, if one lives in a situation where one has to drive through heavy traffic for a while before finding a bit of traffic free Tarmac, then perhaps auto is worthy of consideration. My 991 is an auto, as by the time I was thinking of returning to Porsche ownership my good lady had preferred to choose auto for her cars for about a decade, thus while buying back into a manual air cooled 911 was initially my ideal, logic determined a PDK 991 was the way to go at that time.. Each to their own.. (-:

Sorry to ramble on, as is my habit, but it is great to read that the MMC has moved with the times in terms of evolving the design of Morgan`s to the extent that a young couple today seem to be contemplating along lines similar to those my good lady and I considered circa 30 years ago.... Perhaps an example of logical evolutionary processes...? (-:

I wish you the very best luck in finding the right Morgan for you both....

Welcome Axool.
I had a Plus8 but had a test drive in a manual Plus Four. Really liked the car. I wanted to compare an auto so arranged a test drive. I used to be a manual fan but the auto was a real joy. Tested in auto mode, Sport mode, plus paddle shifts. I get the best of both worlds now where I choose between the two. Auto is great for relaxed drives with the paddles for a fun option. I have tried Sport+ a few times but I think it is unnecessary and for track use, the normal mode is responsive on kickdown and Sport adds a bit more. Plenty of response without the more raw Sport+.
15k miles over two years and I don't miss the Plus8 (apart from the rumble of a V8!).
Long trips are no problem as comfort is good. Luggage rack over spare wheel works well. Our dog comes too, strapped in on the rear shelf.

Hello Axel from around the world, I have a 7 and a Trad Plus 8 , the 7 is more frantic to drive but surprisingly more compliant in the suspension -mine has a leather and carpet interior, but for long Touring the Plus 8 is wonderful with bags of torque and a bit more room for bags and gear so there are pros and cons either way.

For those of us who have, er, "forgotten" their French, YouTube can auto-generate English subtitles. First, turn on subtitles by clicking the CC button, then click on settings (gear icon), click subtitles, select auto-generate, and choose English.