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<lastBuildDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:17:08 GMT</lastBuildDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Morgan goes green]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Car Enthusiast - British sports car company Morgan has come up with a zero-emissions concept model for the Geneva show. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:17:08 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Morgan Roadster : AFTER EIGHT]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Car And Driving - Morgan's Plus Eight Is A Hard Act To Follow. Andy Enright Runs The Rule Over The Malvern Company's Successor, The RoadsterIt's tough replacing a legend. Many manufacturers have attempted to move forward with new models and it hasn't always worked. Balancing the need for a newsworthy and progressive new model against the sheer brand equity built up in a well-established name is always a tricky judgement call. Morgan hope they've got it right. In ceasing production of the charismatic Plus Eight model and instead introducing the rather more generic sounding Roadster, have they managed to pension off the goose that laid the golden egg?It's almost an irrelevance whether the Roadster is a materially better car than the Plus Eight. There will still be a long queue of buyers looking to get behind the wheel of this classically styled open top and Morgan will still pour long man hours into lovingly crafting each car to the customer's requirements. The Roadster does bring a number of innovations to the company. Rather than use the rather antiquated V8 engine that powered the Plus Eight, the Roadster instead opts for a 3.0-litre 24-valve V6 sourced from Ford. Before you start groaning, bear this in mind. A turbocharged version of this engine does a sterling job in Noble's M12GTO and two bolted together form the yowling heart of Aston Martin's Vanquish, owner of probably the finest engine note of any current production car. Though it can also be found in humbler Mondeos and Jaguar X-TYPEs, this powerplant has some serious breeding to fall back on. The last Plus Eight rolled off the Morgan production lines in May after a 35 year production run. If the Roadster can emulate anything like this sort of success, Morgan should be proud. The pace of change now is quicker than at any time before and Morgan as a company have been forced to adapt. The key drivers behind these changes are not only customer demand but also legislation changes. Their latest Aero8 has been uprated to feature the latest BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8 and now complies with all European and Federal approval requirements, opening it up to a bigger audience. Morgan is better placed to capitalise on a fatter order book too. The days when you had to wait until you were grey and decrepit before you received the Morgan you ordered in your thirties are well over. Place an order for a Roadster today and the car could well be in your garage within 12 months."The Roadster's V6 powerplant has some serious breeding to fall back on"Many of you may well remember the `Troubleshooter' series when Sir John Harvey Jones visited Morgan and was frankly appalled at what he saw. From a business process point of view, the company was operating in the dark ages with many procedures that could be automated or computerised being undertaken by hand. Since then Morgan have undoubtedly modernised but have, if anything, outsmarted the renowned management consultant. Identifying the parts of the business that needed to retain the personal touch, Morgan have streamlined many of the secondary processes. This means that orders can be fulfilled quicker without compromising the core bespoke quality of the end product. It's impossible to drive a Morgan without realising just what it was that encouraged the early pioneers to build their sportscars in the first place. Behind the wheel, you're open to the elements - and not only the sun or the rain; each pothole is an adventure. Every ripple, bump and groove in the roadway is fed back through the leather-trimmed steering wheel. One advantage of the compactness of the Roadster's V6 powerplant is that the engine can be tucked back behind the line of the rear axle. Modern chassis engineers would refer to the car as `front mid-engined' and this has a number of benefits. With the weight more centralised, there's less inertia at the front end. This means that the car will turn into a corner that much more crisply. One of the key markets that Morgan are targeting with the Roadster is that of the occasional track day attendee and the Roadster, with its sports suspension, agile responses and lusty V6 powerplant, looks like an interesting alternative to the usual throngs of Lotus Elises and BMW M3s. Demand should be strong. Morgan Chairman Peter Morgan certainly hopes so and quotes his father, the company's founder, who maintained that you should always, "let demand run just a bit ahead of supply." People want nothing more than something they can't have, so the wait, the build-up, the anticipation, becomes part of the appeal. Like all Morgans, the Roadster features an ash frame and hand built coachwork. Look closely and you'll see the concessions to aerodynamics and crashworthiness but it's undoubtedly a Morgan. The engine cranks out a healthy 223bhp at 6150rpm and the car will scuttle to 60mph in just 4.9 seconds. The top speed is a faintly academic 134mph but some idea of the engine's muscularity can be gained from the fact that it'll surge from 50-70mph in fourth gear in just 6.1 seconds. This is no peaky screamer. Of course, the key to this performance, and indeed the car's agility, is the all-up weight of just 940kg. Suddenly the £34,991 asking price doesn't seem exorbitant. It's often forgotten that Porsche introduced the 928 back in the seventies with the intention of getting rid of the 911, a car they saw as becoming embarrassingly anachronistic. As history has shown, they failed dismally at that attempt. In burying a legend, one suspects Morgan may well have more success. There's never been a more relevant car to roll out of Malvern Link than the Roadster.Facts At A Glance CAR: Morgan Roadster PRICES: £34,991 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 16 [est] PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 4.9s / Max Speed 134mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: tba WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4010/1720/1220mm]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Morgan 4/4 : FOUR TO THE FLOOR]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Car And Driving - BY ANDY ENRIGHTThink Morgan and you'll probably recall the Plus Eight, the archetypal British gentleman's car, or alternatively the radical Aero8 supercar. The 4/4 model line rarely gets a great deal of attention, having been soldiering on as the entry-level Morgan for many, many years. Despite its low key appeal, sales of the 4/4 are in rude health and the Range is now wider than ever before.Originally titled to denote a four-cylinder, four-wheeled sports car, the name should give some clue as to its long a rich history. In 1936, after a prototype had been tested in trials and on the track, a four-wheeler was exhibited at the London and Paris Exhibitions. The new model was called the Morgan Four Four to differentiate it from the three-wheeler, indicating four cylinders and four wheels. The car had a Z section full width steel chassis with boxed cross members and the body was an ash frame panelled in aluminium. The combination provided the durability of a coachbuilt car with the lightness required for a sports car. The car was an immediate success. Prior to the Four Four first appearing, Morgan was more famous for producing three wheeled vehicles and the car offered a touch of elegance to the Range. The early Forties saw further developments to the 4/4. A Ford 22 horsepower V8 Pilot engine was fitted to the Morgan chassis, which gave a most vivid performance. Due to a taxation increase from 15 shillings to 25 shillings per horsepower, this project was abandoned at the prototype stage. This second experiment was to fit a car with an Anott supercharger. This vehicle, although only 1000 cc, was capable of over 80mph. The Second World War interrupted production for a while, with P.H.G Morgan being called to arms, but shortly thereafter, the family business was back turning out cars, the Four Four then being fitted with a 1267 cc. Special Standard engine. The Morgan Plus Four was introduced in 1952 and this model became the focus for the company's competition aspirations, leaving the 4/4 to appeal to those with more modest budgets. In 1954, the Morgan Four Four was reintroduced as the Series Two. This was a car of similar design to the Plus Four but fitted with a Ford engine and integral gearbox, the object being to provide a sports car of first-class performance and appearance for the enthusiast with moderate means. It wasn't until 1968 that the Plus Eight was introduced at the Earl's Court Motor Show, and this really divided the Morgan brand into two distinct lines. The Seventies and Eighties saw the 4/4 soldiering on with only minor modifications, on its way to becoming the world's most enduring car model. 1992 saw the rather tired Ford engine updated with 16 valve Zetec technology but it wasn't until 2000 that the 4/4 model received a punchier 1.8-litre Ford Zetec powerplant. The 4/4 line was further diversified in 2003 when the budget 4/4 Runabout model was introduced. With a simpler specification, it once again offered keen value to the enthusiast without a bulging bank account."Don't let all the nostalgia divert you from the fact that the Morgan 4/4 is still a cracking car to drive"As ever, the 4/4 Range offers a choice between the sleek two seat shape or the rather bulkier four seat version. Prices start at £21,772 for the two seat-only 4/4 Runabout with the regular 4/4 two seater - which adds greater colour choices, a leather interior and custom carpeting amongst other things - retailing at £24,193. There's also a `Lowline' no cost option for the more extrovert customer which comprises low profile wheels and tyres as well as wider wings. At the top of the 4/4 Range is the four seat model which is priced at £28,864. Despite claiming that Sir John Harvey-Jones' findings upon his initial visit to the Malvern factory were poppycock, Morgan has done much to modernise its operation. All cars are now Type Approved and waiting lists have come down to around one year. The application process is still charmingly quaint. £250 will get your name onto the waiting list, despite the fact that you don't need to name what model you want until later. You then undertake to pay the list price when your car is delivered without knowing in advance quite what that list price may be. This may seem to be a huge investment of faith, but this is Morgan we're dealing with here - a company that likes to do things differently. Rustproofing, for example, is a £323 optional extra! Their allocation process whereby cars are allotted to dealers has always been scrupulously fair. Celebrity owners have famously tried to jump the queue but Morgan has always stuck to its guns. Morgan Chairman Peter Morgan maintains that this is all part of the fascination, quoting his father, the company's founder, who maintained that you should always, "let demand run just a bit ahead of supply." People want nothing more than something they can't have, so the wait, the build-up, the anticipation, becomes part of the appeal. They spend years choosing between 35,000 different paint schemes before getting to the front of the queue and deciding that they'll have British Racing Green with a tan leather interior like everyone else. Some order the car in their early fifties so that delivery will coincide with retirement; others simply buy out someone else further up the queue than they are. Don't let all the nostalgia divert you from the fact that the Morgan 4/4 is still a cracking car to drive. If you're used to climate controlled air conditioning, satellite navigation, multiple cup holders and hoods that concertina themselves into the boot at the touch of a button, things might seem a little primeval, but the car has character and the ability to paint a huge smile across an owner's face in seconds. The 114bhp engine only has to propel 880kg of car up the road which gives the 4/4 a power to weight ratio of 131bhp per tonne - superior to an Audi TT180 Roadster. An allied benefit of the lightweight and modest power is respectable fuel economy. Returning an average of over 34mpg, the Morgan 4/4's admirable parsimony and hefty residual values must make it one of the cheapest cars to run it's possible to buy. Saving money is usually pretty dull. Not here.Facts At A Glance CAR: Morgan 4/4 Range PRICES: £21,772 - £28,864 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 13 PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9s / Max Speed 106mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 24.8 (extra urban) 44.9 (combined) 34.5mpg WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height (mm) 3890/1500/1290]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2003 14:53:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Morgan Aero 8 : BLAST FROM THE PAST]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Car And Driving - The 160mph Aero 8 Takes Morgan Into The Supercar League. Jonathan Crouch reportsBritain's most traditional sportscar maker is starting to flex its muscles. A 160mph supercar, the Aero 8, now heads its line-up, bringing the Malvern maker well and truly into the 21st Century.This £55,500 flagship model is still of course a Morgan through and through. Which means it's hand built to order, although the wood is now only for show rather than being a structural element. Under the bonnet however, lies a far more potent engine than anything the British company has offered in the past. The 286bhp 32-valve 4.4-litre V8 is borrowed from BMW's 540i sports saloon and in this form, takes the Aero 8 from rest to sixty in just 4.9 seconds on the way to around 160mph. Unlike the Bavarian super saloon, however, there are no sophisticated stability systems to keep all that power in check. A six-speed manual Getrag gearbox sends drive to the rear wheels, so drivers will need to have their wits about them if conditions are damp. Not that Morgan have been blind to advances in technology: a satellite navigation system is listed amongst the options. Called Aero 8 as a homage to the three-wheeled racing model introduced in 1919, the car is based around an advanced bonded and riveted aluminium chassis. The aerodynamic bodywork's aluminium too, honed apparently in a wind tunnel for a 40% reduction in drag over the existing Plus 8 (which continues). Other aerodynamic benefits include a flat undertray to improve the airflow beneath the car and a venturi to reduce potential lift at the rear."More potent than anything the British company has ever offered beforeā¦"The Aero 8 development programme was the largest ever undertaken by the Worcestershire manufacturer in more than 90 years of sportscar manufacture. The four year project was set in motion following the development of the works GT2 racer, which competed in the 1997 FIA GT Championship. Many of the engineering and design principles behind the Aero 8's chassis and suspension were both conceived and proven on the world's race circuits by the GT2 car. That GT2 car was the brainchild of Morgan Managing Director Charles Morgan and was brought to life through the engineering expertise of Morgan's 1962 Le Mans class winner Chris Lawrence. The bodyshell comprised mostly standard Plus Eight panels but was based on an aluminium chassis. Though competitive in performance terms, the GT2 lacked the aerodynamic shape to achieve real success in racing. All of which set the small but dedicated Malvern development team thinking. In 1998, they built the first Aero 8 prototype, even sleeker than the GT2 racecar but this time intended for the road. "The objective of the development programme was to recreate the position we held in 1968 when we first launched the Plus Eight," says Charles Morgan. "At that time, it was the car with just about the most flexible performance you could buy, due to the combination of its light weight and large capacity engine. We believe we have achieved this again with the Aero 8 through our dedication to weight saving and its development as an aluminium intensive vehicle." Aero 8 prototypes have completed thousands of miles of extensive testing, both at BMW's advanced facility in the South of France and at other locations throughout Europe where hot weather testing was conducted at temperatures in excess of 40 degrees C. At every stage, Morgan claim that the Aero 8's performance, ride, handling, cabin noise levels and passenger comfort were benchmarked against the competition. High performance features include the Aero 8's 18" cast magnesium alloy wheels made by OZ Racing and currently the lightest five-spoke alloys available for a production car. Front and rear cast iron ventilated disc brakes are designed and manufactured by AP Racing to Morgan's own specification and the suspension system includes springs from F1 supplier Eibach and shock absorbers from Koni. This car is also amongst the first to boast foam fill run flat tyre technology, provided by Dunlop SP Sport tyres and combined with an internal warning system to alert the driver should any tyre fall below 20psi. Inside, the Aero 8 is claimed to be the most luxurious Morgan ever - as you'd expect for £55,000, around £20,000 more than the Plus Eight. All the glass areas (front and rear, Plus electrically operated side windows) are heated using invisible heating elements to give clear vision and rapid all-round demisting and defrosting. Air conditioning is available (unbelievably, you have to pay extra for this and your choice of stereo). Still, at least the interior makes you feel rich. There's extensive use of hand-stitched Connolly leather and bare aluminium - and you can even see the hardwood ash frame in certain exposed areas. A removable Mulberry leather case (large enough to carry a laptop computer) figures in place of a conventional glovebox. Behind the driver, there's a lockable luggage area with remote release big enough to take a standard set of golf clubs thanks to the fact that the run-flat tyres negate the need for a spare. The double-skinned hood meanwhile, has been completely redesigned so that two easily-managed latches operate it: customers of lesser Morgan models will hope that this soon replaces the fiddly system currently fitted across the rest of the Range. Morgan say that the aerodynamics of the car remain virtually unchanged whether the hood is raised or lowered, so there's very little wind buffeting when travelling with the top down. The company is only expecting to build around 200 Aero 8s a year, with customers already on their waiting lists given preference in what will undoubtedly be a long queue. If you want one then, you'll need to be patient - and forgiving. Don't expect this to be a TVR or a Porsche: like everything Morgan makes, the Aero 8 is very different from its rivals, a difference you'll either like or you won't. Very quickly.Facts At A Glance CAR: Morgan Aero 8 PRICE: £55,500 - on the road CO2 EMISSIONS: 295g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 4.9s / Max Speed 160mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: Who cares? (15mpg approx) WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4089/1753/1092mm]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2003 12:11:00 GMT</pubDate>
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