Tuesday 18th October 2011

Driven: Morgan 4/4 Sport Hornsleth

A Morgan and a conceptual artist collide and the result is... messy

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It takes some brass ones to drive round in a Morgan with 'Product Of Love' written down the side. But even without the comedy paint job a Morgan makes a curious statement. A classic car is a celebration of a glorious past. But a Morgan is a deliberate rejection of the present, of progress, of innovation. Which, for some owners, is exactly the point.

Picking that stereotype up and running with it you might expect a certain fuddyduddyness among Morganites at the sight of a 4/4 Sport daubed in the distinctive style of Danish artist Kristian von Hornsleth. Far from it, as it turns out. To be honest Morgan got off lightly - his back catalogue includes a Ducati emblazoned with 'Kill Me Fast' and a conceptual project in which African villagers were given livestock in return for changing their name to Hornsleth.

Why do it though? Well, as the 3 Wheeler demonstrates, Morgan isn't shy of having a bit of fun and this eccentricity and openness - Superdry special editions anyone? - seem core brand values.

Brand values that survive being daubed in splatters of luminous paint. Kids of all ages love the Hornsleth car especially. Morgan owning American retirees holidaying in London stop and chat. And in Kensington a random Barbour-clad posh bloke claiming to be married to a relative of the Morgan family leans out of his knackered old Golf at some traffic lights to ask what the hell is going on. "I'm not sure what Charles [Morgan] will make of it. What? It's one of his? Well I never. Tell him I said hello."

But what of the car? Accepting Caterham levels of practical compromise - doors that waggle at speed, a leaky roof that takes an age to erect, few nods to safety, security or other trivialities - it's actually rather a hoot. The 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine is the same as you'll get in a Caterham Roadsport, albeit turning out a more modest 110hp, and the back to (absolute) basics style is actually rather endearing. How basic? Even external door handles are on the options list!

You can get faster Morgans but, to be honest, going much quicker than this seems a curious goal. It's brisk enough to be entertaining but not so quick as to make the retro dynamics anything more than a bit of a giggle.

The view down the long bonnet, peppered with louvres and the splashes of Hornsleth's paint, sets the scene and the front wheels seem a long way away, both physically and in terms of their influence. The wheel, a thick-rimmed and ugly item apparently inherited from a mid-80s Yugo, requires a fair amount of heft to be persuaded into action and you don't fling the Morgan into a turn so much as politely encourage it. All the while your proximity to the rear axle, whose leaf springs appear to have more of a part to play than the dampers, means a fair amount of jiggling about through the seat of your pants. At the speeds the 4/4 Sport is capable of this is no more than harmless fun, the retro looking tyres audibly communicating their impending loss of grip loudly and clearly, at least in the dry.

The workmanlike engine and gearbox combo (a bit more noise would be nice) inspire confidence in the Morgan's toughness and simplicity, all this with 143g/km and a readily achievable 40mpg+ too.

Attention seekers can make Morgan an offer for the Hornsleth car but £30K will secure you a bare bones 4/4 Sport. Strong money for a retro plaything but way more fun than you might expect and, this side of a V8-powered Aero 8 derivative, all the Morgan you'd ever possibly need.

[Mr P and R]

All for artistic projects, see BMW's historic efforts, but this makes me weep tears of convention. I need to see a British Racing Green example to offset the shock.

[UltimaCH]

Sorry, no artistic thread in this object and a disgrace to the car wearing that "war paint"

[ktm301p]

IMO It does not suit the morgan, not one bit.

[The Danimal]

I love it. It makes one appear a totally unhinged, inheritance-heavy toff. Good work Morgan - I might make them an offer...

[muppet42]

It's certainly different that's for sure but I just wonder sometimes if it'd be better just to buy a car yourself, get a couple of tins of paint from your local DIY retailer and let some kids run riot on the car to achieve a similar effect

Oh and juvenile as it is, this is one of the few cases I'd actually get a personal plate as the last three letters would amuse some here over the border ... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fud

[FWDRacer]

Your twsiting my melons man
Sorry... But No.

[Davel]

Mr P and R said:

All for artistic projects, see BMW's historic efforts, but this makes me weep tears of convention. I need to see a British Racing Green example to offset the shock.

Would you settle for Le Mans Green?

[Harry Flashman]

I've never understood how they can charge so much for these cars! They are more fun than they should be, though.

[Lightningman]

It would have made a lot more sense to me had they chosen a British artist; especially one without a dubious history like Hornsleth. That said, I assume someone like Paul Smith would have charged too much and therefore was ruled out by default. It doesn't work for me because it adds nothing to the character of the car and instead takes a lot away.

[ultrastapler]

i like it. needs a proper wood rimmed steering wheel mind, but other than that it's great.

morgan know how to successfully do pr and promotion and i think this fits the bill perfectly. you have to be a bit of a show off to drive a morgan these days anyway, so why not go the whole hog on a one-off car to draw attention to the core range and attract some potential new customers

[vzh7gk]

Perhaps getting one of Banksy's murals would have made it more sellable??

Graham

[Al 450]

If you absolutely have to do an art car then this would have looked far better...



Prefer them in BRG though.

[Hugo a Gogo]

"FUD" numberplate

I'm sure the people of Scotland would agree if they saw you driving that

[Dimski]

Daft coloured Morgans.

How uncouth to desecrate such a British icon. Barbaric indeed!


Morgans are such an event to drive. Not fast, but when any Clio/Ford Ka has enough grip to exceed the speed limit, and compliance in the suspension to allow you to ignore the bumpy tarmac, the driving experience cars like Morgans offer is... unique. Flawed dynamics is the new speed!

[Miura Anjin]

FUD...
Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. That neatly sums up the feeling you get when you hit a bump mid-corner in a 4/4.

[Oelholm]

I sort of like it. It's very 60's, IMO

[Dodgey_Rog]

Jesus, Hornsleth?? Really?? I saw some of his work in a bar in Copenhagen, do a google images search for his art work. I have a pic on my phone but it will get removed from here fairly quickly i imagine.

[Lightningman]

Dodgey_Rog said:

Jesus, Hornsleth?? Really?? I saw some of his work in a bar in Copenhagen, do a google images search for his art work. I have a pic on my phone but it will get removed from here fairly quickly i imagine.

The most offensive was his African village art project.

I know what he thought he was doing/'saying' but imho it just showed him as another self obsessed modern 'artist', who believe that all they have to say is deep and meaningful but is no more valuable than the average persons bowl movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsleth_Village_Pro...

As I said above, the fact that Morgan tied up with him made no sense to me.

[Andrew[MG]]

£30k and they stick 50 year old headlights on it? I'm all for Morgan making retro style cars but not everything needs to be old.

[crostonian]

Reminds me of when you see a historic building covered in graffiti, sorry but I don't get it.