Morgan Motor Company

The Morgan Motor Company is a British automobile manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by H.F.S. Morgan and was run by him until 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until his son Charles took control in 1999. Peter Morgan died in 2003.

The factory is located in Malvern Link (an area of Greater Malvern in Worcestershire) and has 155 employees. All the cars are assembled by hand. The waiting list used to be up to 10 years. Up to 2001, production was 9-10 cars a working week but has risen as high as 24 cars in recent years.

Early cars - three-wheelers and 4-4s

The early cars were two seat or four seat three-wheelers, and thus count as cyclecars. They were designed to avoid a British tax on cars by being classed as motorcycles. Competition from the likes of the Austin 7, with comparable economy and price and better comfort, made cyclecars less attractive. Morgan's first four-wheeler was the 4-4, for four-cylinder engine and four wheels. The first production 4 wheeled Morgan was released to the public in 1936 and is known as the Morgan 4-4 Series 1. Three wheeler production continued along side the 4-4 until 1952.

Postwar four-wheel cars

Morgan +4

The Morgan +4 was introduced in 1950 as a larger ("plus") car than the 4-4. The +4 used the 2088 cc Standard Vanguard engine, while the 4-4 used a Standard Special 1267 cc engine. Later +4s used Triumph TR2, TR3, TR3a and TR4. Production of the +4 stooped from 1969-1985 when it returned with a Fiat and then Rover 2.0L engines. Production ceased again in 2002 returned in 2004 with a Ford engine.

A version of the +4, designated the +4+, was made from 1964 to 1967 with a contemporary fiberglass coupe body. The light weight and reduced drag characteristics improved the performance of the +4+ over the regular +4 in every aspect. However, the traditional Morgan enthusiasts did not embrace this departure from Morgan custom. Only 26 +4+ cars were built.

Morgan 4/4

The 4-4 was replaced by the 4/4 in 1955. The 4/4 uses the +4 chassis and a Ford engine.

Morgan +8

With the demise of the Triumph TRs, Morgan began to install the aluminium Rover V8 engine in their cars in 1968, giving these cars the model designation +8.

The V-8 engines fit well into the Plus 4 engine bay and were even lighter than the cast iron TRs. Engine displacement jumped from the 2.3 L of the Triumph TR4 engine to 3.5 L, then 3.9 L (in 1990) and a 4.6L option in 1996. These features made the +8 accelerate much more quickly than the +4 and the model quickly became an icon.

In the +8's final iteration, the Rover V8 was fuel-injected and produced 196hp. Thus powered, the car could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Enthusiasts work on the engine, exhaust and electronic chip management to improve this figure. Bhp over 300 is not uncommon.

Availability in the United States

For many years (1976-1991) all Morgan Plus 8s imported into the United States were converted to run on LPG (propane) as fuel to pass the U.S. emissions regulations. The importation of a 4/4 or a Plus 4 was very rare. The conversions and US compliancy measures were under taken by the US dealers until 1998.

When the Rover Group certified their V-8 engine for use in the Range Rover SUV sold in the U.S., Morgan made a gasoline-powered +8 available with the same engine in the same tune and with the same anti-emission devices. As the emissions and safety regulations continue to change, the MMC decided to abandon its North American homologation efforts for classic Morgans in 2006.

Morgan Aero 8

In 2001, the Morgan Aero 8 was introduced and, as always, the wooden body substructure was ash. (Contrary to popular myth, however, the chassis is metal; aluminium for the Aero 8). The Aero 8, with a BMW V8 engine in a car half the weight of the BMW, is even faster than the Plus 8, delivering what Autoweek magazine termed supercar performance. New versions were introduced in 2004, 2006, two in 2008 and two in 2009.

Morgan Roadster

When the Rover Group discontinued production of their V-8 engine, Morgan replaced the +8 with the Roadster. Introduced in 2004, the Roadster was first powered by a Ford 204 bhp 3.0L V6 used in the UK Mondeo. A second version, powered by the 222bhp Duratec used in the US Ford Escape debuted in 2008. In 2011, Morgan announced another version to be powered by the US Ford Cyclone engine at "260-280 bhp".

Morgan LIFEcar

In October 2006 Morgan announced it would produce a fuel cell based modernesque sports car called the LIFEcar. The project was supported by the UK Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), fuel cell maker QinetiQ, BOC, and OScar, and educational institutions. The project has been dormant since 2009. [1]

EvaGT

In 2010,, the company presented a life-sized clay renditon of a new model at Pebble Beach in the US. It is a 4 seater coupe with a radically modern design. Mr. Morgan has stated that the car will begin shipment after the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

M3W

In 2010, Morgan purchased the rights to a 3-wheeler design created by a Seattle enthusiast. Powered by a V-twin it is very reminiscent of the 1930 Aero Super Sport. It has been very well received by the Press and public and there are many orders in hand. Customer shipments are to begin in early 2012.

General characteristics

In spite of their traditional design and simple construction, Morgans have always had sporting or 'sports car' performance, due to their very low weight. This is especially true of their V-8 powered models, the +8 and the heavier Aero 8. However, the company has pursued a new buyer type for the last decade with the Aeros and the announced EvaGT.

Among their enthusiasts, Morgans were affectionately known as Moggies. Their owners used to be known as very traditional in their approach to sports cars; the failure of the +4+ is generally used as an example of this.

References in popular culture

Morgans have been seen in a number of books, movies and TV programs.
A Morgan three wheeler is driven by Peter Sellers in the movie The Party, as somewhat of a badge of ridiculousness.
A Morgan four wheeler was used throughout the Mel Brooks film Silent Movie.
The movie Speechless featured a 1957 Plus Four Four-Seater, and the movie Now and Forever, set in Australia, had a 4/4 1600 Four-Seater.
Perhaps the biggest hit among movies featuring Morgans was The War of the Roses in which several cars were used to depict Mr. Rose's Plus Four roadster.
In the episodes Kill Ari (1) and (2) of the television series NCIS Dr. Mallard is seen driving a Morgan roadster which he restored himself, although it is a four-wheeler, not a three-wheeler.
In the novel Have His Carcase, a technical aspect of the three-wheeler Morgan formed part of the plot (though it would be a spoiler to reveal why it had to be such a Morgan.)
In the Monk episode "Mr. Monk is at Your Service", Clara Buchanan was murdered by her son, who then staged a car accident in a Morgan to cover up his crime.

Models

Morgan 3 wheeler
Morgan 4-4 Pre-WWII and 4/4 following WWII
Morgan +4
Morgan +4+
Morgan Plus 8
Morgan Aero 8
Morgan AeroMax
Morgan Aero Super Sports
Morgan +4 Four Seater
Morgan Runabout
Morgan Roadster
Morgan Roadster Four Seater
Morgan LIFEcar
Morgan E
Morgan 3 wheeler (new)