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I have just finished Morgan: 1991 - 2009, the Ultimate Portfolio, and found it to be a wealth of 45 informative articles gleaned from the automotive magazines of the period. It enables one to peruse an honest opinion of the Morgan at the time the particular model was new.
The book has 188 pages and well over 300 pictures, almost all of which are in color. It retails for $39.95 US.
It covers the Plus 8 with 3.9L and 4.6L engines, the 4/4 and 4 seater, the V6 Roadster introduction, the Lightweight, the GTN, the Aero 8 introduction and tests, the AeroMax and Aero America, along with the futuristic LIFECar. This is a fantastic spectrum in one book!
Interestingly, the first 4 road tests of the 1991 Plus 8 are done with the same car and different magazines, so you can get a feel for the different techniques involved. While we may have read some of the magazines before, this book provides a concise compilation of all the articles which I was never able to access before.
All in all, I think this is a very worthwhile purchase, and look forward to the earlier books in the series.
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This just announced by MMC.
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Morgan will introduce a special model of Roadster for 2009 – the Roadster 100 – designed for the UK market and hence only available in RHD.
Production is to be limited to just 100 of these special numbered models and the specification will be:
Metallic Amazon Green (a Mercedes colour of dark green that looks superb on Morgan's)
Leather interior – either black piped green or else biscuit
Reclining sports seats
Elasticated door pockets
Walnut dashboard
Moto-lita steering wheel
‘Centenary’ stainless steel cross members
Stainless steel wire wheels
2-eared spinners
Green Mohair hood and sidescreens
Mesh grille
Old style bonnet louvres
Numbered plaques on bulkhead
Roadster 100 badges
Round door mirrors
Over-riders
Door handles
The price for this car will be £41,950 including VAT. To normally order a Roadster with this amount of specification would cost around £45,750 – so Morgan have put together an attractive package for this limited edition car.
If required, other optional extras normally available on ‘standard’ Morgans can be added at extra cost (prices as per current Morgan price list).
Morgan will be holding a Roadster 100 ‘open day’ in early June in their new visitor centre at the Morgan Factory – more details of this event to be announced in the next couple of weeks.
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Morgan take the lead
Congratulations to the double race winning AutoGT team, sponsored by Banque Barings Sturdza for emphatic wins in the new Morgan Aero SuperSports at both rounds of the International FIA GT3 Championship at Silverstone on the weekend.
The new Morgan Aero SuperSports was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d’Este just last week, and so the double win at Silverstone so soon after is a dream start for the new Morgan.
Charles Morgan said “it was just incredible to see the new car dominating the field. The competition is extraordinary out there, with works supported teams from all of the major manufacturers. For me, one of the most exciting things is that the two races were won by different Morgans, and this bodes extremely well for the rest of the season”
The next 2 rounds are at Oschersleben in Germany on 27/28th June, and the team are now working hard for a repeat performance.
More information about the championship is available by visiting www.fiagt3.com , and more details of the new Morgan Aero SuperSports can be found on www.morgan-motor.co.uk
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Aero SuperSports
As part of the Centenary celebrations Morgan announces a truly special model.
Designed and engineered in house, the Morgan Aero SuperSports is a lightweight aluminium sports car with a luxurious specification. The interior features a comfortable combination of polished hardwoods, hand stitched leather and electronic technology to create a driving environment that is efficient, ergonomic and sumptuous. In spite of all this opulence the overall weight of the car is still minimal so the car is responsive to driver inputs and economical to run. The unique way Morgan can achieve this is down to our use of aircraft style superformed aluminium outer panels and the skills of our craftsmen to hand finish the assembly of each car.
This technology debuted in the 100 AeroMax coupes built by the factory in 2008 and 2009.
Such was demand for this model, that Morgan have taken the decision to produce the Morgan Aero SuperSports. A limited edition, the car makes use of two aluminium detachable roof panels. These can either turn the car effectively in to a coupe or when detached bring fresh air and the aromas of the seasons to the driving experience without undue wind disturbance to spoil the journey. The panels can be stored conveniently in the boot.
The car of course benefits from the lightweight aluminium Aero chassis which is adhesively bonded for class leading rigidity. Exceeding global crash protection standards, this is also the platform used by the Morgan Aero Eight GT3 currently competing successfully in the 2009 International FIA GT3 Championship. This chassis combined with the aluminium 4.8 litre BMW V8 engine and a choice of 6 speed automatic or manual gearboxes offers an unrivalled driving experience. No other automatic car offers such dynamic power transmission.
Drawn by Matthew Humphries, and engineered for production by the experienced “Morgan Design” team, the new Aero Super Sports is due to enter production in early 2010. A deposit of £25,000 is required to ensure the supply of one of these exciting new models. It is anticipated to cost around £127,000 including VAT.
Charles Morgan, Grandson of the founder said “ The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a luxurious flamboyant sports car which also remains true to Morgan’s philosophy of lightweight minimalist simplicity. It is a celebration of our love of cars and the romance of travel and is a fitting model to announce during Morgan’s Centenary year.”
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Sports cars rank among the most environmentally friendly under a new system that tries to provide a comprehensive measurement of a vehicle’s environmental impact.
The Clifford-Thames/Cardiff University Environmental Rating for Vehicles, or ERV, takes into account not only the obvious environmental impacts, such as emissions, but broader demand on resources from the manufacturing and ongoing use of the car. A key element is a vehicle’s physical “footprint,” obtained by multiplying the length by the width by the weight. Although it seems simple, the ERV’s creators say it’s a good indicator of resource consumption. A car’s physical footprint, they say, “is a very important consideration, because even a near-zero emissions car has an environmental and indeed sustainability burden. This burden includes the resource consumption required from raw materials; transport and processing of raw materials (with associated environmental and social costs); paint emissions and other manufacturing impacts; contribution to congestion and other road space requirements (parking, for example); the degree of damage caused to people and property in an accident, etc.”
Because of their smaller size, sports cars tend to do pretty well in the index. “One reason is that in order to optimize their performance, many sports cars are designed and built on the principle of weight reduction. This is not normally the case for saloons, however sporting they may be. Indeed, sports cars in general are far more built to purpose than typical hatchbacks or saloons that, as a result, are generalist vehicles that are competent in many areas but excel in none. It is even possible nowadays to engineer a large 4x4 car that performs like a sporty car, at least in some respects, but such performance comes with excessive environmental cost,” the authors say. In fact, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo comes in next-to-last in the rankings.
Morgan, for one, is promoting the greenness of its current products. Under the ERV index, its 4/4 1800 roadster was neck-and-neck with the Toyota Prius hybrid, in spite of the fact that the Prius gets greatly superior fuel economy and puts out far fewer emissions. Highest ranked among new cars is the Smart ForTwo, which pegged the scale at 60 points. The Smart is also the only vehicle available in the U.S. that made the top 10. The worst? You’ll be shocked, shocked, to learn that the Bentley Arnage RL, Range Rover 4.2 Super Charged, Cadillac Escalade and Bentley Continental Flying Spur tied at a measly 2 points.
You can read the thinking behind the rankings on the Clifford Thames Web site. Be sure to check out the interactive tool, which allows you to compare two late-model cars.
- By David LaChance
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| posted by Ted Laturnus on Monday October 20 2008 @ 09:55PM EDT |
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MORGAN LIFE CAR
Morgan shows off its high-tech capability
TED LATURNUS
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
* E-mail
October 16, 2008
When we think of Morgan automobiles, we don't usually associate them with alternative-fuel, low-emission technology.
Morgan is the oldest privately owned automobile manufacturer in the world and has been pumping out full-fendered, minimalist sports cars for almost 100 years. Even today, most Morgans utilize an ash-wood body tub and front suspension designed in 1910 and, for many non-cognoscenti, today's breed of 4/4 or Plus-4 is indistinguishable from the ones that came out of the plant 50 years ago.
But there are changes in the wind. Morgan recently launched its alternative-fuel Life Car, and it couldn't be more different from the traditional models that come out of the company's plant in Malvern Hills in Britain. In almost every respect, it has absolutely nothing in common with its tweedy stable mates.
"We have been trying to demonstrate that as a business we have a very high technical capability," explains Morgan's public relations manager, Matthew Parkin. "This has been hard when we continue to make traditional cars, as there are such strong associations with this car not changing. The Life Car project seemed a good opportunity to help to reposition the business as modern and capable, using a mixture of high-tech materials and craftsmanship."
Morgan Life Car
Enlarge Image
With a body shell and frame made from recycled aluminum and laminated ash-wood seats, the Life Car will tip the scales at about 650 kilograms. (MORGAN)
The Globe and Mail
And when you think about it, utilizing sports-car technology in the pursuit of environmentally friendly, emission-free mode of transport isn't that over the top. After all, sports cars are all about weight reduction, performance engineering and getting the most out of the least.
And few car makers can top Morgan when it comes to delivering maximum bang for the buck. They may look ancient and creaky, but, over the years, Morgans have consistently outperformed their larger, heavier and more powerful competitors.
In a study conducted by Cardiff University, Morgans also held their own in overall environmental impact. Measuring things like carbon dioxide output, toxic emissions and the consumption of raw energy and resources during production, the Environmental Rating for Vehicles (ERV) ranked Morgan automobiles near the top of the heap, surpassed only by the Smart car.
On a scale of two to 60, the Morgan 4/4 was given 24 points — the same as a Toyota Prius. By way of comparison, a Porsche 911 Carrera garnered eight points and a Bentley Arnage two. The average rating for most production automobiles is 15 or 16.
With a body shell and frame made from recycled aluminum and laminated ash-wood seats, the Life Car will tip the scales at about 650 kilograms. That's considerably less than the company's regular production models, which typically weigh in at around 800 kg, and about half the weight of most conventional, similarly sized cars.
Unsurprisingly, the prototype features a hand-welded body shell, with wood patterns used throughout during the forming process. As sleek as something out of Star Wars, the Life Car also retains vestiges of the classic Morgan body profile, with flowing fenders, oversized wheels and the unmistakable "tombstone" front grille.
So far, the company has designed the Life Car around a fastback body style, but that could change. Either way, the company assures us that the "Morgan DNA is clearly visible."
Propelling the Life Car are four electric motors — one at each wheel — with small gearboxes incorporated to maintain power. Interestingly, this type of technology is also found in the massive off-road dump trucks used by mining and construction companies.
Morgan says that the Life Car will go from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in about seven seconds, with a top speed of some 130 km/h. It will travel 240 kilometres for every gallon of fuel consumed, with a range of approximately 400 kilometres.
And that fuel will be liquid hydrogen, which is stored in a carbon fibre-wrapped tank at the back of the car. It feeds a four-stack fuel cell that produces some 22 kilowatts of electrical energy, which is in turn directed to the electric motors through a set of electronic controls developed by Cranfield University. There are no emissions whatsoever.
The electric motors are said to be "95-per-cent efficient." Each motor will also have a regenerative braking feature to capture kinetic energy during deceleration, and Morgan engineers are claiming that their system is up to five times more efficient than that found on today's hybrid vehicles. There will also be conventional hydraulic brakes at each corner.
Unlike many alternative-fuel vehicles, the Life Car does not have a battery pack, instead employing heavy-duty capacitors, which can "shuffle" 1,000 amps of power throughout the vehicle. This helps keep the weight down, as battery technology continues to be the weakest link in alternate fuel technology.
The Life Car was on display at last spring's Geneva Auto Show and Morgan has been quietly putting it through the endless bench, track and road testing necessary to get the bugs out of a vehicle this sophisticated.
It's also interesting to note that the finished product is almost identical in appearance to the computer-generated image that was proposed at the beginning of the project.
It's far too early to think about marketing, production numbers or pricing, or whether the Life Car will even make its way across the pond to North America. "We still have much work to do before we can give an on-sale date," Matthew Parkin adds.
But one thing's for sure, the Life Car is now officially the best-looking alternative-fuelled vehicle in the world, and things will never be the same at the Morgan plant.
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| posted by Spider on Monday October 20 2008 @ 09:20PM EDT |
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Ya know,
I think it comes down to thinking carefully what all it is you want from a Morgan.
In the Discourses by Epictetus (a Greek slave of Romans), he notes that the most important question in life is "What is it you want" followed closely by "How is it you intend to get it?" Epictetus of course does not assume goodness or badness of the person asking these question merely that they are to be asked and are of primary importance regardless of the ethical qualities of your intent.
So I know that with The Great White Hope, what I want is the driving experience of a Morgan in the late 1950's - which because of its inherent design harkens back to driving experiences of earlier times - in its entirety - not just the car but the entire environment through which I drive it. I even live in a place that seem similar to the country byways in old(e) England. My commute is up past lakes and on country roads that are arch-overhung with trees. I see cows and horses, occasionally a noisy John Deere. Sometimes there are more than 4 cars on the road with me. I try to be almost never on highways (except those built during the WPA and on which trucks and busses are forbidden). It's a time machine; in the force of my will I can rock the universe back on its fulcrum to a warmer, more pleasant day, and for a short while I feel the sweet taste of that universe in harmony. From a driver's perspective, it is the world as described in that first-ever driver's handbook, The Lure of Speed by Sir Henry O'Neal Dehane Segrave, delightful in its innocence, like a fire just lit or field grass in early spring, not of this time and fleeting at very best.
Who, in their right mind, would ever want to change the description in the preceding paragraph by "improving it". I work hard to not improve the Hope. Oh, OK, sometimes I'll replace a part with one that promises to not fail quite so often, but even some of the failures harken back to that time. It is a time when, presented with some failure (starter, points, regulator, tyre, etc.), it was expected that you would take an hour or two to repair it and (only then) continue on your way with any tardiness forgiven. Why would I want to sacrifice that ease and grace to convenience? Truthfully, I'm not into convenience....it has become, in my estimation, the enemy of a civilized life in that it creates expectations of human behavior that are in and of themselves inhuman.
The 57 four seater is exactly and wonderfully an embodiment of that deliciously polite and peaceful time; every line in that car holds with no compromise to it's original intent; no need for better performance, or better braking, or better acceleration, or more appeal to popular sentiment and commercial viability; or better weather protection, or -dare I say again- convenience is evidenced.
I know I blaspheme but, if it were a better car I wanted, I already have that. My everyday car is a BMW Z4 (snow or shine) and I wouldn't trade it for a more modern Morgan. When I want to drive a vintage car, the Hope comes out under my loving hands.
Nor, in any of the above to I mean disrespect to those of you who see it differently, whose love of touring in a Morgan the way I might tour regularly in the Z, whose interest in high performance, or whose love of more modern technology is evidenced in their Morgan choice. I merely needed to put down how I , personally, see it (all) in Morgans.
Crustaceously,
Spider
3585
(high bodies, wide boards, and long grilles forever)
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Welcome to the world-wide Morgan membership database. I'm trying to get a list of all Morgan owners and information about their cars. Hopefully this will help someone to find a particular car or fellow Morgan-lover that they may not know about. This database contains the following information about each car: Year, Type, Serial Number, Color, Owner, City, State, Country, and Email.
Submit your search request on any of these fields above. For example, to bring back all 1971 Morgans, simply type "1971" in the search entry box. For a complete listing of the database, simply leave your search request blank.
We also welcome any additions you may have to the list! If you wish to be added to the registry, please fill out this form. Thanks!
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| We don't have a history item for today. Do you know one? Email ldmcjr@morganville.org with your historical fact!
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Morgan Production History |
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| Here is a Morgan gallery of pictures, gleaned from various sources. In addition to the pictures, I've tried to include information on color, year, car type, and a short description. Enjoy browsing these pictures!
Submit your search request below. (For example, for color, year, car type, or keyword) To bring back all of the photos in the gallery for browsing, just leave the search box blank!
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| Random Trivia:
What was the price of the 1912 Morgan?
Welcome to Morgan Trivia! This is a fun site that everyone can participate in! It is a trivia question-and-answer format that all Morganites will enjoy.
Search the entire trivia collection, or just browse! To pull back all listings, or all listings in a particular category, simply leave the search box blank.
To add your own trivia to the collection, fill out this form! There are some general categories, but don't let that limit you. Anything pertaining to Morgans is fair game. Add as many as you want and be as picky as you want, to give everyone a chance to really scratch their heads! If you have any new information, or corrections to these answers, be sure to email me!
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| This is a listing of all the Morgan references that I have collected. The database contains the following information about each reference: Title, Author, Type, Edition, Date, Description, Pictures, and Pages.
Submit your search request on any of those fields below. To view the entire list, simply leave your search field blank.
If anyone has any additions, please email me at ldmcjr@morganville.org and I will add it to the list.
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Pull up a stool, order your favorite brew and join the fun! The menu today lists all things Morgan. Visit http://www.emog.com/ to join the gang at the eMog discussion group!
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