In the ever-changing world of car design, two reassuringly consistent shapes have been gallivanting around British roads for generations. One is the no-nonsense, utilitarian Land Rover Defender and the other the flowing silhouette of the open-top Morgan. Like Land Rover, the Morgan Motor Company, which has been headquartered in the Malvern Hills for 110 years, has finally decided to move the game along. Unlike Land Rover’s Defender, though, you would be hard-pressed to spot the difference between the old model and Morgan’s updated Plus Four.
Originally made in 1950, there is little doubt that the car was overdue a makeover. Nostalgia can only get you so far. From a distance it may look untouched, but much has changed. Gone is the ancient ladder chassis, replaced by a lightweight, bonded-aluminium monocoque. The Frankenstein-esque combination of mechanical Ford parts and a Mazda gearbox have been swapped for a turbocharged BMW power plant with a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox.
It may only have four cylinders and a measly sounding two-litre engine, yet it is light and unlike many sports cars whose full performance potential is unattainable on most public roads (unless their drivers desire a spell at Her Majesty’s pleasure), it is a car whose capabilities can be fully exploited and is all the more rewarding and enjoyable for that.
It falls into the sports car category because it is a two-seat convertible, but really this is a sports car without the sport. It’s a car in which you won’t care how long it takes to get to 60 or what its top speed is. You’ll just enjoy the ride and arrive in style. Which is why droning on about its statistics is pretty pointless. This is a character car driven with emotion, not aggression, wearing a waxed jacket rather than a fleece (although with this new version you can probably dispense with the string-backed gloves and Biggles flying cap). Diehard fans should not despair that all traditions have been thrown out of the window, though. Like its predecessors, this Morgan has a wooden frame; it’s just this time it has been kitted out with every mod con, from automatic headlights, heated seats and central locking to, shock horror, a Bluetooth sound system. But they haven’t gone too far: the LED screen on the dashboard, for instance, is tiny and the distinctive three small silver windscreen wipers still make a jerky journey across the windshield. Some things never change.
Like the original version, the Plus Four doesn’t come with much luggage space. Those who want to take bags with them could opt for the £510 luggage rack and lash their suitcases horse-and-carriage-style to the rear deck. But this is a car that is more likely to be used for picking up the Sunday newspapers, via a little 20-mile detour, than a transcontinental jaunt.
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Will fans balk at this newfangled upstart version with its current componentry or be pleased that this wonderful-looking car now has refined and reliable technology beneath its skin? Sales and time will tell. To me, this is a welcome and successful evolution of the brilliantly British original – even if it has been several decades in the making.
Top speed: 149mph
0-62: 4.8 seconds
Engine size: 1,998cc turbo
BHP: 255
Price: £74,949
Website: morgan-motor.com
