There are many things one might expect to come across on a blustery late winter morning: A 55-year-old Morgan being driven by man in a leather aviator hat is not one of them. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t daydreaming, but once pinched I realized that this was, in fact, a genuine Morgan. This roadster represents the polar opposite of the modern cars and trucks facing it in this picture… but that was also the case in 1964 when it was produced. Being different is nothing new for Morgan.
For those unfamiliar with the species, Morgan Motor Company has produced cars in Malvern, England since 1910. At first, the company specialized in three-wheelers, but joined the rest of the automotive world by adding a four-wheeled car (named the 4/4… 4 cylinders and 4 wheels) in 1935. That car, a roadster with a characteristically 1930s long hood, short deck and ash wood frame, was a relatively contemporary car in the pre-WWII era, though no one could have guessed that Morgan would offer similar products eight decades later (yes, they’re still produced). The 1935 Morgan became the closest thing to a living time capsule that the automotive world has ever known.
Over the decades, Morgan has brought forth drivetrain improvements and new models, but somewhere along the way, the brand’s lack of fundamental change became a selling point. Morgan enthusiasts may debate exactly when that happened, but certainly by 1964, when our featured car was made, they were considered living relics. In that year, Road & Track magazine sardonically noted that the Morgan was:
“…man’s last link with that great and glorious time when people were more interested in sporting qualities than in keeping dry and warm.”
Well, this driver certainly had his priorities grounded in that great and glorious time. Dry and warm he wasn’t, since this was a 38°F drizzly morning… but I’m sure he was having more fun than anyone else on the road at the time.
Morgans didn’t (and don’t) appeal to everyone. Only about 400 were hand-produced annually during the 1960s, about 60% of which were Plus 4 models like this one. There was no rational reason to buy one, other than having an unyielding desire to enjoy Traditional Motoring.
Competition models were built as well. A Morgan Plus 4 completed the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, and finished 1st (out of 2 entries) in the GT 2.0-liter Class. Amusingly, the same owner and driver team who claimed that victory in ’62 were denied a start in the 1961 race because the race’s governing body considered their Morgan too old fashioned to be a legitimate modern racer.
Non-competition Plus 4s came in two configurations – a two-seater (as one would expect a sports car to be), and a four-seater. Our featured car is one of the latter examples; the period shot above shows how the rear seat fits in just forward of the tonneau cover. Lest anyone be affronted that a four-seater sports car is an insult to tradition, rest assured that Morgan introduced this body style in 1937.
While Morgan proudly produced its own bodies like no one else in the car business, the firm purchased drivetrains from elsewhere. In the Plus 4’s case, this was a Triumph-sourced engine; while Ford supplied engines for the 4/4 model.
The Morgan was a living anachronism in the 1960s, and if I had been around at the time, I would have assumed that the company’s days would have been numbered. After all, a rapidly diminishing cohort of drivers recalled the splendid days of open-air motoring – and whom among succeeding generations would care to remember it? Quite a few, apparently. Morgan still makes cars much like they did in the 1960s, and the 1930s. Modern Morgans have received updated mechanicals, safety features and other necessities, but the overall wood-framed feel of the car has remained remarkably consistent. And between 2014 and 2018, Morgan has averaged nearly 750 cars produced annually. This, apparently, is authentic and fun nostalgia that transcends generations.
Sure, Morgan drivers tend to be older, but given the cost of purchase and upkeep, that’s not unexpected. The driver of this car appeared to be in his 60s, meaning that Morgans were considered retro even when he was young. Whatever his age, he seemed to be having fun driving his roadster on a cold weekend morning. That’s what it’s all about – who needs to be dry and warm anyway?
Photographed in March 2019 in Falls Church, Virginia.
Thanks for a truly amazing find; I haven’t seen one of these in motion for years. Morgan didn’t survive the 70s and 80s by much, if I recall correctly: weren’t all of their US imports fueled by propane at one point, or was that just one distributor’s bright idea to get around government regulations? Anyway, great catch, and nice to see someone enjoying their unique car.
Yes, US Morgans in the late ’70s and ’80s were propane-powered to comply with US emissions regulations, until they began using federalized Range Rover engines in the Plus 8. Then about 10 years ago, the government put a stop to all traditional Morgan imports due to changing crash standards, however Morgan dealers do show new inventory, and I think the company found an exemption through rules on replica cars (not 100% sure about this).
Anyway, for folks who are interested in Morgan production numbers, one of the Morgan enthusiast sites has a great chart on total production from 1910 to present, by model:
http://www.morganville.org/production-history
A couple of years ago I was seeing one of the late model 3 wheelers during the morning commute pretty regularly, but that was at least in the summer.
Punctuality is also overrated.
Back in my college days a guy living in my dorm had one, I drew a cartoon at the time to submit to the New Yorker magazine that captured the essence of Morgan drivers
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ralf_k/9541432616/in/album-72157635123205615/
That’s wonderful — and I love the caption as well. Thanks for this!
Why the hell not? In my biking days, I would ride to work in the winter, as long as it wasn’t pouring rain or icy. Hey, he has a windshield, what more does a guy need?
Awesome car. One of these rolled into my detail shop a couple of years ago. Owned by a 60-ish year old woman who daily drove it half the year. Very protective of her car and wanted to insure I would take good care or her baby. Didn’t want “some kid” touching it.
Gotta respect someone who runs one of these on a regular basis. It would be cool to somehow rent one of these for a day just for the experience.
a roadster with a characteristically 1930s long hood, short deck and ash wood frame,
but the overall wood-framed feel of the car has remained remarkably consistent.
Lest any readers get the impression from these words that the Morgan’s chassis frame was wood, rest assured, it was not. It was made of steel.
Certain body panels employ the traditional technique of “wood framing” where the external sheet metal is affixed to a frame of wood, as was used essentially universally until starting in the 1930s or so, when all-steel body construction became possible due to larger presses. It was well suited to very low volume body builders like Morgan, as it did not require the huge investment that body stamping presses entailed.
I am not a fan of seeing the Morgan described as having “an ash wood frame”, as it tends to perpetuate the commonly-held myth that these cars had an actual wood chassis frame. You’d be surprised at how many people think that, having seen the Morgan described as such over the decades. I guess that description has become as traditional as the Morgan itself.
Britons never call the main structure of a vehicle “the frame” unless it’s a bicycle or motorcycle.
In the UK, cars, trucks, buses have a “chassis”, hence Morgan enthusiasts can describe their cars as having a “wood frame” without fear of confusing anyone. Anyone nearby anyway.
I understand. Some 90% of our readers are in North America. Hence my comment.
Ja. So what you’re saying is, 90% of your readers are likely to use “frame” interchangeably with “chassis”, and therefore my comment might clarify something for them, because you decided to leave this key fact out of yours for some reason.
Happy to help.
No; Americans aren’t likely to use “frame” interchangeably with “chassis”. In referring to the “frame” they pretty much always just use that. Over here, “chassis” tends to be used to describe the whole undercarriage assemblage, meaning suspension, brakes, etc.. Therefore it’s also used for unibody cars too. That’s the key distinction.
It’s actually clearer here: the frame is just the frame; the chassis is essentially everything under the body.
Two countries divided by a common language, as ever!
There was an article about the latest Morgan in Octane a couple of months ago. I’m not really surprised about the enduring appeal of these rudimentary roadsters. Anyone who has been a dedicated motorcycle rider is quite familiar with uncomfortable motoring. I think that any car has got to be much more comfortable than an unfaired motorcycle.
These always remind me of “War of the Roses”
Great find Eric! There is a viral video at YT from a couple years ago, of a Morgan pulling out in front of a Peugeot and getting aptly rear-ended.
I love Morgans…the later Plus 8 always looked too wide to me, but the 4/4 and the Plus 4 were just right. It will be interesting to see what happens to Morgan over the next 10 years now that they’ve been bought out by other interests…I hope they mostly leave the cars alone. The new Plus 6 is pretty neat.
YouTube has several videos showing how the wooden body frame is made. Just search for “How It’s Made Morgan”.
I think that might have been Nigel Shiftright driving…
…with his tweed cap and leather stringback gloves.
For a few weeks in 1977 my commute was taking me through Hollywood in Los Angeles. Every day at about the same point in the commute, I’d see a 4-wheel Morgan coming the other way. But not just any Morgan—a flat-radiator Morgan, which I think made it MY 1952 or earlier. Around this time I also saw a 3-wheel Morgan at an exotic used-car lot.
Ca. 1990 I saw a Morgan on the freeway on a fairly cold night. I was driving a Peugeot 504, and I was not envious! If I’d wanted a Morgan I would have bought one.
Wow, I don’t believe I have ever seen one. I have read about the mythical wood-frame Morgan for years and only recently been set straight that the only wood framing was in the body. But any Morgan was no more real in my life than a leprechaun.
Last year Mrs DougD and I were going on an evening walk around the block and there was a Morgan in someone’s driveway.
I said “Now what is this thing doing here outdoors??” It was there for a couple of days then I’ve never seen it since. Must have been visiting but a pretty surprising find on my block.
The Costin Amigo actually did have a wood chassis:
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-1972/40/frank-costin-and-his-amigo
http://www.mossmotoring.com/amigo/
A day after this post, this 1961 +4 drove by me in Cincinnati’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The driver was dry but not particularly warm with temps in the 40s.
P.S. I spent a few decades believing the wood frame/chassis myth.
That’s great! I’ve never seen a Morgan used as a parade vehicle. Not quite as spacious as the Russian ZIL featured here yesterday, but much more festive looking.