Morgan, First and Last of the Great Sports Cars!
Peter Morgan & his dog, Jade MORGAN CARS H.F.S. Morgan produced his first car in 1909, in the form of a three wheeler with a 8hp twin cylinder engine, tiller steering, and a single seat. This was the beginning of the Morgan trikes which would continue to be built until the early 1950s. It was also the beginning of the Morgan Motor Company of Malvern Link, which still produces cars in that English village today. Motorcycle engines such as: J.A.P. (J. A. Preswitch) & Matchless, were used on these early cars - sitting exposed in front of the bodywork. Later, water-cooled Ford engines would sit behind a radiator, underneath a bonnet or hood. The "sliding pillar" independent front suspension used on the first car (patented in 1910) was advanced for its time, and is almost identical to that which is used on the Morgans built today! The three wheelers were popular due to their victories in competition, modest price, great fuel economy, & taxation benefits (they were taxed in Britain at the same rate as a motorcycle with a sidecar). Early racing victories brought fame to the cars. In 1912, HFS Morgan broke the 1100cc One-hour Record at Brooklands, traveling a fraction short of 60 mph. Besides victories at hill climbs & other events, a Morgan won the Cyclecar Club's "Fuel Consumption Trial" with an average consumption of 69.4 miles per gallon. During the First World War only a small number of cars were made, as the works manufactured munitions & machinery for the war effort. After the war, demand for inexpensive transportation was great and a new factory was built on Pickersleigh Road (still the current factory) to enable production to reach 50 cars a week. This made Morgan one of the largest British car makers at the time. Although a four wheel prototype was created during the First World War, the production of 4 wheelers first occurred in 1936, when tax changes & public opinion favoured the addition of "an extra wheel". The cars are hand-built using construction methods & equipment dating back to another age. The leather bonnet strap on many of the cars reminds one of a bygone era. The body is still constructed of hand beaten steel or aluminum attached to a frame of Belgian ash wood. This provides a vehicle that is light, strong, and with craftsmanship from the classic era of coach building. The frame is steel but wood is used for the floors, rear wheel wells, door frames, dash, & other areas. Morgan has used various British components through the years, such as: Lucas electrics & Girling brakes. Since 1960, all Morgans have had front disc brakes as standard equipment. HFS Morgan's son, Peter Morgan, has been running the company since the early 1960s. With the exception of a car built for his wife, all Morgans have had manual gearboxes. Engines & gearboxes have come from various makers over the years: Coventry Climax, Standard, Vanguard, English Ford, Triumph, Rover - even Fiat. Today, the power comes from Ford & Rover, including the 3.5 litre V8 used in the Plus 8 model, introduced in 1968. Some of the current models have had a longer production run than any other car - including the Ford Model "T". The original 4/4 (which stands for "four wheels & four cylinders) dates back to 1936. This car serves as Morgan's base car, or lowest priced car. The Plus 4 (which dates from 1950) also having a 4 cylinder engine, is a more upscale model offering slightly greater performance. Then there's the Plus 8, with its V8 engine. Both the 4/4 & the +4 are available in two seat or four seater styles, while the +8 is only available as a two-seater sports car. You never have to worry about Morgans being out of date, as the last major styling change occurred in 1954! That's when the "cowled radiator models" replaced the "flat rad" models. The modern Morgans have a grill in front of the radiator , as well as headlamps that are built into the fenders. The "flat rads" have an exposed radiator & independent headlamps that sit out front, like the classic cars of old. Morgans have traditionally been open roadsters, with a couple of exceptions. In the early 1960s, Morgan built the +4+ fibreglass coupe. This "modern" hardtop car didn't appeal to the traditional buyer and only 26 were produced by the time the model was discontinued in 1967. There were also three SLR streamlined aluminum racing coupes made for competition. In 1998, "Big Blue" the factory's racing coupe competed in America at Sebring & Leguna Seca. Some may think that Morgan is too antiquated to compete. Think again! In 1962, Chris Lawrence won his class at Le Mans in a Supersports model! There have been other models that are no longer made. The Drop Head Coupe, introduced in 1938, was one of these. Unlike the roadsters, The DHC had a folding convertible top & high doors with glass sections (rather than the detachable side screens). There was even a 4 seat variant of the DHC (which became known as the "SNOBMOG") of which 29 were made over the years. There were also the "Competition Model" Morgans, and the "Lawrence-Tuned" Supersports. The Morgan Company is the longest continuously operating, family-owned automaker in the world. They've survived two world wars (again making components for the war effort during the Second World War), the great depression, & numerous recessions. They've avoided assembly line methods, mergers, buyouts, & modernization, but have also avoided the demise & failure that has closed so many British car plants. The average production rate is about nine cars a week (400-500 a year), which is the same rate as that from decades ago. There is a waiting list of about five years in Britain. There are plans to increase production in the future, so that the waiting list is reduced to two years. A state-of-the-art paint booth is now used & airbags have been recently added to the Plus 8. Cars & parts are sold through a world-wide network of dealers. The factory makes replacement parts for even the earliest models, as the philosophy is that no car should be off the road due to the unavailability of spare parts. So, no Morgan need be scrapped, as everyone is rebuildable! Truly, they are "the first & the last of the great sports cars". For more background & history on the Morgan cars & Company, CLICK HERE!
Peter Morgan & his dog, Jade
MORGAN CARS
H.F.S. Morgan produced his first car in 1909, in the form of a three wheeler with a 8hp twin cylinder engine, tiller steering, and a single seat. This was the beginning of the Morgan trikes which would continue to be built until the early 1950s. It was also the beginning of the Morgan Motor Company of Malvern Link, which still produces cars in that English village today. Motorcycle engines such as: J.A.P. (J. A. Preswitch) & Matchless, were used on these early cars - sitting exposed in front of the bodywork. Later, water-cooled Ford engines would sit behind a radiator, underneath a bonnet or hood. The "sliding pillar" independent front suspension used on the first car (patented in 1910) was advanced for its time, and is almost identical to that which is used on the Morgans built today!
The three wheelers were popular due to their victories in competition, modest price, great fuel economy, & taxation benefits (they were taxed in Britain at the same rate as a motorcycle with a sidecar). Early racing victories brought fame to the cars. In 1912, HFS Morgan broke the 1100cc One-hour Record at Brooklands, traveling a fraction short of 60 mph. Besides victories at hill climbs & other events, a Morgan won the Cyclecar Club's "Fuel Consumption Trial" with an average consumption of 69.4 miles per gallon. During the First World War only a small number of cars were made, as the works manufactured munitions & machinery for the war effort. After the war, demand for inexpensive transportation was great and a new factory was built on Pickersleigh Road (still the current factory) to enable production to reach 50 cars a week. This made Morgan one of the largest British car makers at the time.
Although a four wheel prototype was created during the First World War, the production of 4 wheelers first occurred in 1936, when tax changes & public opinion favoured the addition of "an extra wheel". The cars are hand-built using construction methods & equipment dating back to another age. The leather bonnet strap on many of the cars reminds one of a bygone era. The body is still constructed of hand beaten steel or aluminum attached to a frame of Belgian ash wood. This provides a vehicle that is light, strong, and with craftsmanship from the classic era of coach building. The frame is steel but wood is used for the floors, rear wheel wells, door frames, dash, & other areas. Morgan has used various British components through the years, such as: Lucas electrics & Girling brakes. Since 1960, all Morgans have had front disc brakes as standard equipment. HFS Morgan's son, Peter Morgan, has been running the company since the early 1960s. With the exception of a car built for his wife, all Morgans have had manual gearboxes. Engines & gearboxes have come from various makers over the years: Coventry Climax, Standard, Vanguard, English Ford, Triumph, Rover - even Fiat. Today, the power comes from Ford & Rover, including the 3.5 litre V8 used in the Plus 8 model, introduced in 1968.
Some of the current models have had a longer production run than any other car - including the Ford Model "T". The original 4/4 (which stands for "four wheels & four cylinders) dates back to 1936. This car serves as Morgan's base car, or lowest priced car. The Plus 4 (which dates from 1950) also having a 4 cylinder engine, is a more upscale model offering slightly greater performance. Then there's the Plus 8, with its V8 engine. Both the 4/4 & the +4 are available in two seat or four seater styles, while the +8 is only available as a two-seater sports car. You never have to worry about Morgans being out of date, as the last major styling change occurred in 1954! That's when the "cowled radiator models" replaced the "flat rad" models. The modern Morgans have a grill in front of the radiator , as well as headlamps that are built into the fenders. The "flat rads" have an exposed radiator & independent headlamps that sit out front, like the classic cars of old.
Morgans have traditionally been open roadsters, with a couple of exceptions. In the early 1960s, Morgan built the +4+ fibreglass coupe. This "modern" hardtop car didn't appeal to the traditional buyer and only 26 were produced by the time the model was discontinued in 1967. There were also three SLR streamlined aluminum racing coupes made for competition. In 1998, "Big Blue" the factory's racing coupe competed in America at Sebring & Leguna Seca. Some may think that Morgan is too antiquated to compete. Think again! In 1962, Chris Lawrence won his class at Le Mans in a Supersports model!
There have been other models that are no longer made. The Drop Head Coupe, introduced in 1938, was one of these. Unlike the roadsters, The DHC had a folding convertible top & high doors with glass sections (rather than the detachable side screens). There was even a 4 seat variant of the DHC (which became known as the "SNOBMOG") of which 29 were made over the years. There were also the "Competition Model" Morgans, and the "Lawrence-Tuned" Supersports.
The Morgan Company is the longest continuously operating, family-owned automaker in the world. They've survived two world wars (again making components for the war effort during the Second World War), the great depression, & numerous recessions. They've avoided assembly line methods, mergers, buyouts, & modernization, but have also avoided the demise & failure that has closed so many British car plants. The average production rate is about nine cars a week (400-500 a year), which is the same rate as that from decades ago. There is a waiting list of about five years in Britain. There are plans to increase production in the future, so that the waiting list is reduced to two years. A state-of-the-art paint booth is now used & airbags have been recently added to the Plus 8. Cars & parts are sold through a world-wide network of dealers. The factory makes replacement parts for even the earliest models, as the philosophy is that no car should be off the road due to the unavailability of spare parts. So, no Morgan need be scrapped, as everyone is rebuildable! Truly, they are "the first & the last of the great sports cars".
For more background & history on the Morgan cars & Company, CLICK HERE!
