The
Morgan Motor Company is a British
motor carAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by
Harry Frederick Stanley MorganHenry Frederick Stanley Morgan known as H.F.S. was an English sports car manufacturer and founder of the Morgan Motor Company and its Chairman from 1937 until his death in 1959....
, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959.
Peter Morgan Peter Henry Geoffrey Morgan was an English sports car manufacturer and Chairman of Morgan Motor Company from 1959 until his death in 2003. Peter inherited the Malvern, Worcestershire-based company from his father H.F.S. Morgan...
, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003. The company is currently run by
Charles MorganCharles Morgan is the Managing Director of the United Kingdom car manufacturer, Morgan Motor Company.He is the grandson of the founder of the company, H.F.S...
, the son of Peter Morgan.
Morgan is based in
Malvern LinkMalvern Link is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England to the north and east of Great Malvern. The centres of Malvern Link and Great Malvern are separated by Malvern Link Common, an area of open land that is statutorily protected by the Malvern Hills Conservators...
, an area of
Malvern, WorcestershireMalvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
and employs 163 people. Morgan produced 640 cars in 2007. All the cars are assembled by hand. The waiting list for a car is approximately one to two years, although it has been as high as ten years in the past.
The visitor centre and museum feature a guided tour of the factory and exhibits about the company's history from Edwardian times until the present day, developments in automobile technology, and a display of automobiles.
Early cars: three-wheelers and 4-4s
The early cars were two-seat or four-seat three-wheelers, and are therefore considered to be
cyclecarCyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
s. Three-wheeled vehicles avoided the British tax on cars by being classified as
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s. Competition from small cars like the
Austin 7The Austin 7 was a car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the "Baby Austin", it was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market, and sold well abroad...
and the original
Morris MinorThis article refers to the motor car manufactured by the Morris Motor Company and its successors from 1928–1933. For the Morris Minor manufactured by the Morris Motor Company from 1948–1971, see Morris Minor....
, with comparable economy and price and better comfort, made cyclecars less attractive.
V-Twin three-wheelers (1911–1939)
H.F.S. Morgan's first car design was a single-seat three-wheeled
runaboutRunabouts were a popular car body style at the beginning of the 20th Century. They were small, inexpensive, open cars. Most runabouts had just a single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers. Many also had a tonneau at the rear to provide optional seating for four or five...
, which was fabricated for his personal use in 1909. Interest in his runabout led him to patent his design and begin production. While he initially showed single-seat and two-seat versions of his runabout at the 1911
OlympiaOlympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
Motor Exhibition, he was convinced at the exhibition that there would be greater demand for a two-seat model. The Morgan Motor Company was registered as a
limited private companyA limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
only in 1912 with "H.F.S." Morgan as managing director and his father, who had invested in his son's business, as its first chairman.
Morgan built his cars' reputation by entering them in competitions. One of his racing cars won the 1913 Cyclecar Grand Prix at
AmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in France. This became the basis for the
Grand Prix model of 1913 to 1926, from which evolved the
Aero,
Super Sports, and
Sports models.
These models used air-cooled or liquid-cooled variations of motorcycle engines. The engine was placed ahead of the axis of the front wheels in a chassis made of steel tubes brazed into cast lugs.
The V-Twin models were not returned to production after World War II.
F-Series three-wheelers (1932–1952)
Beginning in 1932, a new series of Morgan three-wheelers began with the F-4. The F-4, and its later siblings the F-2 and the F-Super, used a pressed-steel chassis and the four-cylinder
Ford Sidevalve engineThe Ford Sidevalve is a side valve from the British arm of the Ford Motor Company. The engine had its origins in the 1930s Ford Model Y, and were made in two sizes, 933cc or "8 HP", and 1172cc or "10 HP". The early engines were very basic and did not have a waterpump as standard relying on...
that was used in the
Model YThe Model Y is the first Ford specifically designed for markets outside the United States of America, replacing the Model A in Europe. The car was powered by a 933 cc, 8 hp Ford Sidevalve engine, and was in production in England from 1932 until September 1937, in France from 1932 to 1934...
. Production of the Ford-engined three-wheelers continued until 1952.
4–4
Morgan's first four-wheeler was the
4–4Morgan 4/4 was the Morgan Motor Company's first car with four wheels. It appeared in 1936. Its model designation "4-4" stood for four wheels and four cylinders. Earlier Morgans had been three-wheelers, only, typically with V-twin engines...
, for four-
cylinderA cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
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 alongside the 4–4 until 1952.
Morgan +4
The Morgan +4 was introduced in 1950 as a larger-engined ("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 (1950–58). Later +4s used Triumph TR2–TR4 engines (1954–1969). +4 production was suspended in 1969 but brought back in 1985 with a Fiat engine (1985–1988) and then a 4 cylinder Rover engine (1988–2000). Production was again suspended and the Plus 4 returned once more in 2004 with a 155 bhp Ford 4 cylinder.
+4+
A version of the +4, designated the +4+, was made from 1964 to 1967 with a contemporary fibreglass 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, and mainstream enthusiasts did not embrace the seemingly archaic +4 chassis. Only 26 +4+ cars were built.
Morgan 4/4
The 4–4 was replaced by the 4/4 in 1955. The 4/4 now uses the +8 chassis and a Ford engine.
Morgan +8
Faced with the decreasing availability of large four-cylinder engines for use in their +4 models, Morgan began to install the recently available
Rover V8 engineThe Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder heads and cylinder block, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom...
in their cars in 1968, giving these cars the model designation "+8".
The engine displacement jumped from the 2.3 L of the Triumph TR4 engine to 3.5 L, then 3.9 L (1990), 4.0 (1998–2004) with an optional 4.6L (1996–2000) all based on the same Land Rover block. However, the V-8 was no longer than the Triumph. These features made the +8 accelerate much more quickly than the early +4 and also improved its road-holding capability.
Horsepower (143–204 bhp), weight and performance varied with emission and structural laws through its history. In its final form, the GEMS Land Rover V8 produced 190 hp. Thus powered, the car could accelerate from 0–60 mph in 5.6 seconds.
Roadster
In 2004, Morgan came out with a traditional styled model to replace the departing Plus 8. The new model, named the "Roadster" is powered by a Ford UK Mondeo V6 producing 212 bhp. In 2007, the Mondeo engine was replaced by a US version of the same engine in the Roadster II.
Morgan Aero 8
In 2000, the Morgan Aero 8 was introduced and, as always, the wooden body substructure was
ashFraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
. (Contrary to popular myth, however, the
chassisA chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
is metal;
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
for the Aero 8). The Aero 8, with a
BMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
in a car weighing less than a
BMW Z4The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German car maker BMW. It follows a line of past BMW roadsters such as the BMW Z1, BMW 507, BMW Z8, and the BMW Z3. The Z4 replaces the Z3. First generation production started in 2002 at BMW USA's Greer, South Carolina plant, with production of both...
and considerably less than a
BMW M3The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
, (though more than traditional Morgans) is even faster than the Plus 8, delivering what
AutoweekAutoWeek is a fortnightly automotive enthusiast publication based in Detroit, Michigan. One of 32 titles published by Crain Communications Inc, its parent company, AutoWeek is unique as the only consumer title among its sister publications....
magazine termed
supercarSupercar is a term used most often to describe an expensive high end car. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car"...
performance. The newest Aero 8 (Ser. IV) puts out 367 hp at 6100 rpm giving it a top speed of over 170 mi/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.
Morgan AeroMax
The Morgan Aeromax is a coupe variation of the Aero 8. Production was limited to 100 cars, each costing £110,000. Customers have included
Richard HammondRichard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
,
Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
and
Paul O'GradyPaul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
.
Morgan Aero SuperSports
The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a
targa-roofedTarga top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
version of the AeroMax, sharing its bonded aluminium chassis and lower bodywork with the coupe. It was launched at the 2009 Pebble Beach car show in California. Already on sale in the UK and Europe, it will go on sale in North America in early 2011.
Morgan Eva GT
Based on the same chassis as the Aero Supersports, the Eva GT will be a 2+2 grand tourer, and as such it is longer in the body. The Eva GT will use
BMW N54The N54 is a direct injection twin-turbocharged straight-6 automobile engine from BMW. It was launched in late 2006 as a high-performance option for the BMW 3-Series, first to be released along with the new 3-series E92 Coupé, to be followed closely by other existing 3-series models, then with...
twin-turbo straight-6 producing 302 bhp, this is Euro-6 emissions compliant. Launched at Pebble Beach 2010 and expected to go on sale in 2013, deposits have been taken since 2010.
2011 Morgan Threewheeler
The Morgan Motor Company announced that they would launch the '3 Wheeler' in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Threewheeler was initially said to have a
Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
Screaming Eagle V-twin engine and a
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
5-speed manual transmission, and was estimated to deliver 100 hp at the rear wheel. However, the prototype that was shown at Geneva had a
S&SS&S Cycle is a motorcycle engine and parts manufacturer that was founded in 1958 by George J. Smith and Stanley Stankos in Blue Island, Illinois. The company started by selling high performance pushrods for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and today they still make parts for American V-Twin bikes...
engine. Production 3 Wheelers will have S&S engines. With a kerb weight estimated to be less than 500 kilograms (1,102 lb), the acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) is estimated by Morgan to occur in 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h). The 3 Wheeler is to be homologated as a motorcycle in the United States. 550 deposits have been taken since the announcement in 2010. Customer deliveries are expected to begin in 2013.
Availability to the United States
For part of the 1950s and 1960s, the USA provided the company with its largest market worldwide, taking up to 85% of all production. This ended with the first wave of US safety and emission regulations in 1971. For many years (1974 to 1992), all Morgans imported into the United States were converted to run on propane as fuel to pass the U.S.
emissions regulationsEmission standards are requirements that set specific limits to the amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment. Many emissions standards focus on regulating pollutants released by automobiles and other powered vehicles but they can also regulate emissions from industry, power...
. However, this conversion, along with bringing the cars into compliance with US vehicle safety leglislation, was carried out by the dealership, and not by the factory, making the cars
grey market vehiclesGrey import vehicles are new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system...
.
However, when the
Rover GroupThe Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
re-certified their V8 engine for use in the
Range RoverThe Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
4x4A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
sold in the U.S., Morgan was able to use the same engine for a fully US compliant stock Morgan from 1992 to 1996, and again from 1998 to 2004.In 2005, the engine was replaced with the US version of another traditionally-shaped model (with a V6) called the Roadster.
In 2002, Morgan centralised its international compliancy development and regulatory interaction in-house. In 2005, its right to import its classic models ceased when supplies of its necessary airbag were exhausted and no replacement was developed. In 2006, a request for an airbag exemption to the U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...
was refused, and the import of classic Morgans ceased.
In 2005, the new Morgan Aero 8 model (versions 2 and 3) received a three year exemption from rear impact non-compliance, along with a separate exemption for compliance with "advanced airbag requirements". The rear-impact exemption lapsed in May 2008 without further application. Morgan has indicated to its US dealers that it plans to re-apply for US certification for some model at as yet an undetermined date in the future.
General characteristics
In spite of their traditional design, Morgans have always had sporting or "sports car" performance, due to their extremely low weight.
Among their enthusiasts, Morgans are affectionately known as "Moggies".
H.F.S. Morgan's 1909 Runabout used sliding pillar suspension, an
independent front suspensionIndependent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
system with each front wheel mounted on a kingpin mounted to slide along a fixed pillar and located by a spring. Morgan used developments of this suspension system throughout its existence and it is still used on Morgan's "classic" line, although not on the Aero 8 or its derivatives.
Models
- 1909 Runabout
- 1911–1939 V-Twin 3 wheeler
- 1932–1952 F-Series 3 wheeler
- since 1936 4/4 Two Seater and Four Seater
Morgan 4/4 was the Morgan Motor Company's first car with four wheels. It appeared in 1936. Its model designation "4-4" stood for four wheels and four cylinders. Earlier Morgans had been three-wheelers, only, typically with V-twin engines...
- 1950–1969 Plus 4
The Morgan Plus 4 is a larger and more powerful version of the Morgan Motor Company's 4/4 model and was made between 1950 and 1969. The model was revived in 1985 and filled the gap between the 4/4 and the Plus 8 until 2000; it was again revived in 2005.After World War II Morgan had re-introduced...
- 1964–1967 Plus 4 Plus
The Morgan Plus 4 Plus or +4+ was an attempt by the Morgan Motor Company to modernize the bodywork, somewhat similar to the Aero 8. Only 26 were built, due to poor sales, in spite of its performance....
- 1968–2004 Plus 8
The Morgan Plus 8 is a sports car built by British car makers Morgan between 1968 and 2004. Its instant and enduring popularity has been credited with saving the company and keeping the company famous during the 36 years of its manufacture...
- 1985–2000 Plus 4
The Morgan Plus 4 is a larger and more powerful version of the Morgan Motor Company's 4/4 model and was made between 1950 and 1969. The model was revived in 1985 and filled the gap between the 4/4 and the Plus 8 until 2000; it was again revived in 2005.After World War II Morgan had re-introduced...
- 2001–2009 Aero 8
The Morgan Aero 8 is a sports car designed and built by Morgan Motor Company at its factory in Malvern Link, England .Notable owners have included Richard Hammond of BBC's Top Gear....
- since 2004 V6 Roadster
The Morgan Roadster is the latest model produced by the Morgan Motor Company. It was introduced in 2004 replacing the Morgan Plus 8. The car is identical to its predecessor except for new modern Ford V6 mechanicals...
- since 2005 Plus 4
The Morgan Plus 4 is a larger and more powerful version of the Morgan Motor Company's 4/4 model and was made between 1950 and 1969. The model was revived in 1985 and filled the gap between the 4/4 and the Plus 8 until 2000; it was again revived in 2005.After World War II Morgan had re-introduced...
- 2008–2011 Morgan AeroMax
- 2010–2011 Morgan Aero SuperSports
- 2011-Present Morgan Eva GT
Motorsports
Morgan cars can be found in many areas of motorsport, from club and historic racing to more prominent examples, including the Le Mans 24hr race and the Morgan Aero 8 GT3 car. Another notable Morgan racecar was the Aero 8 GT car that campaigned in 2008 Britcar races and the 2008 Britcar 24hrs at Silverstone, prepared and run by Mark Bailey Racing.
Media appearances
- In the 1968 film The Party
The Party is a 1968 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, starring Peter Sellers and Claudine Longet. The film has a very loose structure, and essentially serves as a series of set pieces for Sellers's improvisational comedy talents...
, Peter Sellers' character drives a Morgan Sports Model.
- Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (portrayed by David McCallum
David Keith McCallum, Jr. is a Scottish actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Illya Kuryakin, a Russian-born secret agent, in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as interdimensional operative Steel in Sapphire & Steel, and Dr...
) drives a silver Morgan on the CBS show NCISNCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
.
- Nina Montoya (portrayed by Maria Grimm) drives a green Morgan in the episode 'A Matter of Honor' of the TV show Columbo.
- In the 1989 film War of the Roses
The War of the Roses is a 1989 American comedy film based upon the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler. It is a black comedy about a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and...
, Michael Douglas's character drives a 1960 Morgan Roadster.
- Sir John Harvey Jones famously visited the firm in the 1980s BBC documentary series Troubleshooter
Troubleshooter was a British reality television series, produced and shown by the BBC, focusing on experienced business leaders visiting and advising small and often struggling UK businesses....
in which he advised the firm to modernize. The company rejected the advice but made other changes to its processes and has gone on to prosper.
- GoMoG's Morgans at the Movies
External links