Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Perfectly imperfect? A philosophical question

A bit of background on me to give context to my question (those who are understandably allergic to pointless waffling could stop reading here ). I'm in my 60's, recently semi-retired from a job that kept me quite busy, and the kind of person who for 50-odd years enjoyed reading about cars while never actually owning an interesting one. About a year ago I got that "now or never" thought and started carefully considering my options.

I had no special connection with Morgans before I started my search. I knew I wanted something small, not too powerful (I'm not the world's most skilled driver, and of the "more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow" school), with a friendly vibe (I'm not out to impress anyone), and that was, not quite sure how to put it, "evocative"? Or perhaps "emotional", or "vibrant" or "colourful"? I also strongly wanted something that gave a really "mechanical" feel without requiring too much actual mechanical ability. 1960s/70s Alfas and air-cooled 911s were obvious candidates, as were the usual MGBs, TR6s, etc., but their age coupled with my afore-mentioned mechanical know-nothingness scared me away a bit.

And then a kind of light went on (a light that I guess is very familiar to members of this forum): "Wait, those Morgan cars, don't they make them with modern engines? And in some kind of delightful wood shop?" and frankly that was that. I learned about the transition to the CX generation, decided a Trad was right for me, bought DaveWs amazing book, and was off to the races looking for a car. After maybe six months (Morgans are not particularly thick on the ground here in Sweden), the wonderful Mats and Ann at British Auto near Gothenburg were able to put me together with just the right car.

And then I discovered this fantastic forum, which has been entertaining and indispensable in equal measure as I've tried to figure out how the care and feeding of this odd beast (I never ever imagined I would find myself and my daughter lying in the dirt trying to figure out how to grease kingpins, but man that is satisfying).

And this, finally, brings me to my question. It has struck me, and I truly hope that this doesn't offend anyone since please believe me when I say that absolutely no offence is intended, that Morgans are in a sense flawed vehicles. Or, to be precise, flawed vehicles by modern standards. But that they are flawed in just the right way. They are, if I may venture a phrase, "perfectly imperfect". The various ways in which they need to be tended, or can be improved, are somehow, magically, not problems at all but rather an intrinsic part of their appeal (at least, this has been the case of my own experience so far). I understand the "flaws vs character" debate, but I think what I'm getting at is maybe something just a little bit different from that: flaws In my Ford S-Max hardly add anything positive to the experience, but in my Morgan the jouncy ride, heavy steering, lack of creature comforts, rattles and squeaks, sagging leaf springs, need to rub the key on the transponder ring to start, etc. all seem to be part of the appeal, at least for me and, I suspect, others as well. And I honestly can't think of a single other car currently in production anywhere in the whole world that quite has this characteristic.

So, to those few who haven't already abandoned this post out of boredom and have the patience to answer, my question: What is your opinion of this "perfectly imperfect" take on Morgans? Am I over romanticising with the flush of enthusiasm typical of new owners? Or just wrong about the "flawed" idea? Or making it more complicated than it has to be (it's also I guess kind of fun to fix a toaster now and then). I'm genuinely curious to hear any reflections on this you would care to share!

No good will come of all this fanciness, computers and electrickery malarkey, you mark my words!! 🙂

They should have found some old gaffers in the midlands with a foundry and kept on making Crossflow motors .... then just built basic mid-70's spec crossflow cars (with some tasteful changes to the plastic switchgear) for ever and ever! .... utter perfection! 😆

K

PS - I should also say, the analogue nature of the traditional (pre-CX) cars will appeal to many for the same reasons why some people have re-invested in turntables and vinyl. Digital music is brilliant but lacks the warmth and tactility of putting a record on my player. I have a vast catalogue of digital music and for ease and simplicity it cannot be beaten; however, when I want the music to be centre stage, rather than the soundtrack to my life, I sit down, fire up my stereo, put on my favourite vinyl and sit down and savour it. Morgans, to me, are the same, an analogue sense of occasion.

I will also caveat that the Aeros and CX are, to my mind, no different, in terms of the above; however, they are slightly more complex and therefore some prefer the ease of working on an older traditional car; however, in essence, I view all Morgans as the 'analogue' choice in a world of digital cars.

Some thoughts that relate to your post and also my own general ones.

The Japanese have a concept that, to me, perfectly sums up a Morgan and Morgan ownership: Wabi-Sabi (侘び寂び) - very crudely, it relates to finding beauty in that which is imperfect, impermanent or incomplete. As an aside, perhaps this is why Soichiro Honda, (the founder of Honda), had such a kind view of Morgan Motor Company.

When anyone asks me about the reliability of a Morgan, the short version of how I describe ownership is: they very seldom leave you stranded by the roadside; however, it would be unusual not to find yourself with some water ingress when it rains and a few little jobs that require your attention. More often than not, these jobs fall into the 'fettling' or 'could have been done better' category. Unlike some classic cars or those small volume makers who thought it wise to develop their own engine, Morgans rarely go wrong in a catastrophic way.

Enter into ownership with that spirit, having done some due diligence (speaking with owners rather than sales people, reading some of the many excellent books written about Morgan ownership and chatting with the well respected dealers (again, worth being pointed in their direction by long standing owners) and removing any rose-tinted glasses, and most people wish they'd made the move years before.

Setting the vehicle to one side, the other element of ownership which is special is the sense of community. This community isn't just owners but the people you encounter when driving your vehicle (or filling it up with fuel, parking it, etc). I have always said that it is a rare day if you can fill the tank of a Morgan up quickly; inevitably someone wants to speak with you, tell you their own story (they had one, their dad did, their grandfather did...) and just have a general chin-wag about the car. It is my belief that in the UK, this often stems from a pride in our, now much reduced, auto industry but it also relates to exactly the sentiment you shared with your king-pin story: meaningful shared experiences that relate to the car itself.

They are easy cars to make memories in AND sometimes those memories relate to resolving or improving things that wouldn't necessarily be present in other cars; hence, we are back, full circle, to Wabi-Sabi!

Of course you are right.

We drive our Morgans because we love them, not because they are actually very good. You can get cheaper, faster, more reliable, better handling sports cars just about anywhere. But you still wouldn't have a Morgan.

Reminds me of my test drive. Came back thinking “that was awful” but had a grin from ear to ear. I ordered a new 4/4 immediately.
14 years later, & using the car almost every day all year, 85000 miles, I STILL TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME most days. No other car has ever given me that much pleasure.
Drive it enjoy it.

I read that when I was about 17, it didn't help fix the bike.

If I may (at risk of boring people beyond repair) poke once more on this topic, on the theme of "the urge to improve":

If the basic premise of a Morgan is that they are, well, significantly flawed, and it's those very flaws that endear them to us, why is it so attractive to so many to tinker/fettle/engineer/weld/bend/wrench/adjust etc. in the pursuit of mitigating those flaws?

I have my own theory, which is that Morgans, being more mechanically simple and more flawed than, say, a Bugatti Veyron, simply lend themselves more to improvement by the "home mechanic", and that as humans we just enjoy improving things.

Or is it something else? Is it because we experience them as having a kind of "living" quality and they therefore give rise to the natural human instinct to care for living things? I already find myself kind of getting attached to my car as I might, say, a pet (my kids even gave it a name, "Toad" -- 'cause it's green and has big eyes I guess), which I really like but also find kind of weird....

Or is it because I'm the farthest thing from a mechanic so just don't "get" the satisfaction of "fettling"?

Sorry if I've banged on on this quite too much, I will now have a whisky and remind myself to think less and drive more!

I've seen that in "The Repair Shop".

Personally, I don't see them as "significantly flawed" but I do see them as being considered 'primitive', in terms of elements of the engineering, and features, when compared to a similar vehicle you could purchase at the same time (and for the same price or less) from the 1990s forward. Perhaps I am being kind there but obviously, as time has moved on, the traditional Morgan has remained relatively the same, where as other car makers have killed off cars, overhauled them, introduced new ones and radically evolved them. The MX5 is often used as a comparable, as is the Porsche Boxster, less so the BMW Z3, Z4, etc.

Without wishing to go down the why a Morgan vs anything else debate, because that is well trodden, and ultimately, not the point of your thread, my personal belief is not only do people like to 'improve' but they also like to personalise.

To my mind, other than the old Land Rover Defender (pre-2016), there is no other vehicle that is more easily personalised than the Morgan. In fact, when buying new, there is no other vehicle that allows for such vast customisation without paying a much higher price point.

Thus, so much of the 'fettling' also falls into the personalisation category. From simple modifications like new steering wheels, to more extreme like entirely new dashboards, and then onto suspension and bodywork, each owner can tweak their Morgan to be exactly as they would like.

If, for whatever reason, I needed another Morgan, e.g. due to major damage, it would most likely be a ca. 2003 4/4 with a 1.8-litre Zetec engine and the good old lighter ladder frame. I would make sure that the frame was stabilised where the exhaust passes through. I think a car like that could be fun.

To me, relatively new to Morgan, but a fairly old hand at sports cars, it is the "flaws" which give a car character. The modern conveyances, with all the computer sensors and perfectly rational road behavior with safety built in to the handling and application of power are designed for those whose interest is not in the experience of driving the vehicle, but rather getting from one place to another in cosseted comfort. For me, those types of vehicles are not engaging, do not offer the more visceral experience of road feel and do not make demands of the driver. Those vehicles bore me.