Morgan Motor Company Heritage

A Design Philosophy Unlike Any Other

Nothing on the Morgan motor car has ever been changed for the sake of change. This has led many automotive commentators, past and present, to refer to the company as “alive, and well, and living in the 1930s” – a statement that actually does sum up their design philosophy rather well.

In all but price, performance, and visual detail, the Morgan of today is much the same sort of vintage-style sports car which was first produced in the 1930s.

Morgan was founded by H.F.S. Morgan, who produced his first crude, but speedy, tricycle in 1910. The resultant “Three-Wheelers” (two front wheels, one driven rear wheel) was continuously developed, and during their evolution they gained great popularity, both for their economy, and their sporting pretensions.

A Reputation Built On The Air Cooled JAP Engine

While a handful of Morgans featured the specially-built Anzani units, the vast majority used the famed “JAP” units, either air-cooled or water-cooled. These motors were a Vee-Twin configuration of around 1000cc.

The Super Sports model, with Matchless MX4 engine, had more than 40bhp and this, combined with minimal weight, helped produce a very lively performance. In fact, fully-tuned 'Grand Prix' Morgans were capable of 115mph, a startling figure considering the time and the fact that you were doing it on three wheels.

By the early 1930s Morgan opted for a side-valve Ford engine, and to assist with the extra weight they developed a more solid chassis frame. It was this derivative that would continue to be built until the early 1950s, and more than any other was the model responsible to establishing Morgan’s enviable reputation that endures to this day.

The Switch To Four Wheels

In 1935 H.F.S. Morgan decided that his company should manufacture a four-wheeler car, particularly if it wanted to stay in business and be able to compete with the other marques of the day. The result was the original 4/4, launched at the end of 1935, and using 1.1 litre Coventry-Climax engine, with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves. This engine was good for 34bhp and made the 4/4 capable of a top speed of around 75mph.

The 4/4 featured a simple ladder-style chassis, under-slung at the rear, and with Z-Section side members, a profile quite unique to Morgan and one it has retained to this day. At the front there was the familiar Morgan independent suspension, consisting of vertical sliding pillars, and coil springs - a layout found on the first Morgan. The Meadows four-speed gearbox was separately mounted from the engine, but connected to it by a long input shaft encased in an all alloy tube.

The 4/4 continued in production until 1950, though specially-produced overhead-valve Standard engine of 1267cc was made available from 1939, and standardized from 1945. This in-turn evolved from the Standard Flying Ten unit, which was a side-valve unit. Also from 1939, a Moss gearbox took over from the Meadows item, but still separate from the engine.

Development Of The Plus 4

It was then decided to produce a car with a much bigger-engine, a car that would be faster than anything previously manufactured by Morgan. The result was the Plus 4, which used the Standard Vanguard's 2088cc four cylinder and good for 68bhp at 4300rpm.

The Plus 4 had a lengthened wheelbase, and some detail changes were made to the suspension, but in actuality there were really no major modifications. Because the Plus 4 was incredibly light, it was able to out-accelerate all previous Morgan’s, although a draw back of the more handsome but less aerodynamic design was that it had a lower maximum speed!

As ever, the gearbox was separately mounted from the engine, the ride was hard and uncomfortable, and the road-holding was splendid. As ever, too, there was a choice of body styles on the same chassis two-seater open sports, four-seater open tourer, and two-seater drophead coupe.

From 1954 the Plus 4 offered the 90bhp Triumph TR2 engine of 1991cc (the TR2 engine in turn being a modified Vanguard unit) as an option, although this eventually became standard.

It made the car ‘almost’ good for a genuine top speed of 100mph, and the 0 to 60 mph dash could be completed in just over 10 seconds. But most importantly for racers of the day, the Plus 4 was able to be raced in the 2 litre competition class.

Peter Morgan Becomes A Star Driver

From this point on the Plus 4 became a successful club racing and rally car, particularly in the UK. H.F.S. Morgan's son Peter soon became a star driver in rallies and long-distance trials, and by 1956 the Plus 4 was good for a more than adequate 100bhp – formidable but a little old-fashioned looking.

In 1953 and 1954, however, the looks were changed twice, first to provide a sloping, though flat, radiator style, then to provide the more familiar cowled style – a style that has remained a hallmark of Morgan to this day.

At the rear, one of the two spare wheels was discontinued, and the remaining spare was sloped forward, and partially recessed into the tail panels. In the course of this change the headlamps were partially recessed into the panel between bonnet and wings.

In 1955 Morgan re-introduce the 4/4, this time using the same wheel base frame as the Plus 4, but being fitted with the Ford 1172cc side-valve four cylinder engine, and its own three-speed gearbox.

And it was this gearbox that made the new 4/4 particularly important, for it was the first Morgan “Four Wheeler” to have a gearbox integral with the engine. As Ford changed their models, the Morgan 4/4 in-turn inherited their new motors, and thus in 1960 the 4/4 featured a new overhead valve 997cc engine.

A Giant Leap Backwards

1963 is a year best forgotten by Morgan fans. That year the company introduced their least successful car of all time, the rather extraordinary-looking “Plus Four Plus”. This new model was a closed two-seater coupe, the body being all-enveloping and built of fibreglass.

Most Morgan fans considered this a giant leap backwards, and in four years they were only able to sell 26. Many however consider this to be an important watershed in the evolution of the marque, claiming it as the point where the company abandoned any idea of rapid modernization – so obviously adhered to.

The design of the plus 4 stagnated somewhat during the 1960’s after the introduction of front wheel disc brakes and the new 2138cc Triumph TR4 engine. There were a handful of special “Lawrencetune” 116bhp engines offered, and the 4/4 gradually matured with the 997cc engine being dropped in favour of a 1340cc unit, then a 1499cc unit to Cortina GT tune, and finally in 1968 a 1599cc engine with the latest bowl-in-piston Ford 'Kent' engine – for the first time making the 4/4 a genuine 100mph car.

The Plus 8

From 1968 the 4/4 was somewhat overshadowed by the release of the Plus 8. This latter model was released after Triumph discontinued the manufacture of the TR4 engine, Morgan this time opting to utilize the silky smooth Rover 3528cc light-weight V8. Accommodating this larger engine necessitated the wheelbase be lengthened by ten inches, while the body was widened to allow more under-bonnet space.

At first the Plus 8 retained the separate Moss gearbox, but from the spring of 1972 this was dropped, and the cars were built with the Rover 3500S type of four speed all-synchro gearbox in unit with the 151bhp engine.

From the beginning of 1977 this box was in-turn replaced by the new five-speed transmission as fitted to the big Rover 3500 hatchback, and at the same time the latest 155bhp engine was fitted.

In that form, the Plus 8 was a very fast car indeed, with a top speed of 123mph, and very rapid 0-60mph acceleration capability of around 6.5 seconds. But what became of the 4/4?

This car was to again emerge from the beginning of 1982, when the old 'Kent' engine was dropped, and a choice of engines was offered – the purchaser could choose from a 1.6-liter single-overhead-cam Escort XR3 engine or a 1.6 litre twin-overhead-cam Fiat twin-cam model, each featuring their own appropriate integral gearboxes, and for 1985 there was also the possibility of a 2.0 1itre Fiat twin-cam also being fitted.

The Plus 8 however remained the favourite of Australians, with the car continuing to evolve, not the least of which was the introduction of rack-and-pinion steering. Like the Trabant, there has always been a long waiting list for Morgan’s, however in the case of the latter marque this has been for all the right reasons.

Morgan Aero 8

In 2000, 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 weighing less than a BMW Z4 and considerably less than a BMW M3, (though more than traditional Morgans) is even faster than the Plus 8, delivering what Autoweek magazine termed supercar performance. The newest Aero 8 (Ser. IV) puts out 367 hp (274 kW) at 6100 rpm giving it a top speed of over 170 mph (270 km/h). Due to the Aero 8's light weight it can do 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds.

During its customer production lifetime (2002–2009), the Aero was configured in five official versions, (I,II, III, IV and the Aero America) with variations in styling, engines, transmissions, braking and suspension. The Company canceled its production in 2009. It was followed by the Aeromax, a limited coupe edition of 100 units produced between 2008 and early 2010. The year of highest production was 2002.

Also see:
Morgan Car Reviews
Morgan - Hand Built Masterpieces Even If There Was One Wheel Missing (USA Site)