The
Morgan Motor Company is a family-owned UK motor car maker founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan. Morgan quit the Great Western Railway in 1904 and opened a motor sales and servicing garage in Malvern Link. In 1909 he designed and built a car for his own use but decided to begin producing it a year later. The company prospered. Morgan ran the company until his death in 1959 at the age of 77. Peter Morgan, son of Heny ran the company until 2003. Alan Garnett became the first non-family chair from 2003-2006 and since then it has been run by a four-person management team.
The company employs 177 people. It claims to produce in excess of 1300 cars per year all assembled by hand. The waiting list to buy a car is approximately six months but has on occasion been as long a ten years. The design of many of the vehicles is little changed over the years.
For a century now wood has been used in the construction of the cars. It was used in several early models for the chassis and even in the 21st century is used for the body shell. The company has a visitor center and museum that features the company's history from the beginning until the present with an accompanying display of vehicles. There are also guided tours of the factory.
The company has its
own website where all of its models can be seen.
The present Morgan lineup
At present the company
offers three vehicles but with five different engines. They hope soon to add a fully electric car to their lineup. Although the cars are mostly made by hand, modern manufacturing methods are used where necessary.
The three Morgan models are the classic roadster, a modern two-seater and also a three-wheeler. The classic roadster comes in four different varieties with each looking similar but with different engines. The 4/4 has a Ford Sigma 1.6 liter engine with 110 horsepower. The car weighs only 1,753 pounds. The Plus 4 has a Ford 2.0 liter engine with 154 horsepower with the car weighing 2,044 pounds. The Roadster 3.7 has the powerful Ford 3.7 liter Cyclone/Duratec V6 with 283 horsepower. The car weighs just 2,094 pounds so the car can go from 0 to 62 miles per hour in a mere 5.5 seconds. The top model is the plus 8 sporting a BMW 4.8 liter V8 with 367 horsepower. It can go from 0-62 in just 4.5 seconds.
The aerodynamic Aero 8 is an update of the Morgan design for the new century. It still looks distinctly like a Morgan but has a few modern flourishes. However, it uses the same running gear as the Plus 8. The car's chassis is not entirely wood Mostly it is made of aluminum. However, parts of the sub-frames are still wood. Ash is used both for strength and flexibility. Both the hood and fenders are rolled by hand on traditional machines.
Problems with regulations
Since it builds so few cars each year the company is not subject to the same regulations as large manufacturers. However, even regulations that do apply in some countries such as the US mean the car cannot be sold. It is over a decade since new Morgan cars were sold in the US but the Plus 4 and Roadster may be available soon. There is a vibrant used market even in the US.
However, what you can buy in most countries is the little 3 Wheeler since it is imported under motorcycle regulations. The two-seater trike looks as if it comes from an earlier century. The trike has a 2.0 liter engine built by S&S and has 68 horsepower. It weighs only 1,290 pounds. It can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 6 seconds. The company hopes to have an all electric version available later this year.
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