Yesterday

Morgan marks 75 glorious years of Plus Four 

First seen at the Earls Court show in 1950, there's a very special year ahead for the iconic Plus Four

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A few cars easily spring to mind when thinking of long-lived automotive nameplates: 911, Corvette, Golf, that sort of thing. But don’t forget Morgan in that list either; the Plus 4 may have become the Plus Four in the great CX-underpinned rebirth of 2020, but the name itself celebrates 75 years in production this week. And it’s not every day that sort of anniversary comes around. 

Morgan suggests that the big birthday ‘marks 75 years of timeless design, joyful driving and coachbuilding excellence.’ In that time, there has been motorsport success (the Le Mans class victory in 1962, most notably), as well as innumerable four-wheeled adventures with legions of Morgan customers; hopefully plenty more are to follow as well. To celebrate, there’ll be a whole year of activities; most notably is the opportunity for 75 customers to configure special edition Plus Fours.

At a price of £75,000 (of course), buyers will be able to choose ‘any exterior paint colour, any interior leather, any carpet or hood and any wing beading’, as well as a badge on the back. Which sounds like a pretty good deal, given we all know how quickly personalisation can add up on a low-volume sports car - and the fact that £75k undercuts the UK OTR price of £76,141.49. All 75 should be delivered in time for next summer. 

Morgan’s MD Matthew Hole said Matthew Hole, Managing Director, Morgan Motor Company – “At seventy-five years young, Plus Four proves that enduring sports car character never ages. It remains as fresh, agile and rewarding as the day it was first introduced… Plus Four captures everything a great sports car should: a spirit of adventure, the purity of analogue driving and a vehicle that feels alive as if it were a companion. Above all, enjoying a Plus Four is about time well spent.” Couldn’t have put it better ourselves. And if next summer is too soon to wait for a Plus Four in a funky colour, the classifieds are on hand…

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[Iamnotkloot]

Long may it continue!

[Parsley100]

I visited the Morgan factory last week and drove the Plus 4. Great to see the production process and the car has been sensibly brought up to date with an aluminium monocoque chassis. Would love to spec my own 75th anniversary model but unfortunately the price is outside the budget. Wish the business all the best for the next 75 years.

[Gad-Westy]

Parsley100 said:

I visited the Morgan factory last week and drove the Plus 4. Great to see the production process and the car has been sensibly brought up to date with an aluminium monocoque chassis. Would love to spec my own 75th anniversary model but unfortunately the price is outside the budget. Wish the business all the best for the next 75 years.

I did the same a few weeks ago. In fact if the plus 4 you drove was a manual, we probably drove the same car. What a bloody fantastic day out. I genuinely could not recommend this enough to people. The factory tour is a fascinating blend of tradition and modern methods. There cannot be anywhere else like it anywhere. And having the plus 4 with my pal for the afternoon was the icing on the cake. Suspiciously good value too especially if you share the car. I think Morgan know that they probably have a very good conversion rate when it comes to visitors vs sales and price the tours and car hire accordingly. It's very hard not to be a bit a spell bound by it all and you come away wanting a slice of it.

[ferret50]

I remember my factory visit on 1st of March 1982 when I collected my new 4/4!

[louiebaby]

I rented one from these lovely folks in Cornwall for my wedding 15 years ago:

https://www.perranwell.co.uk/

I still want my own, and finally have a garage to keep it in. Maybe within the next 5 years...

[Foss62]

Interesting that even in terms of size, the early 4/4 in the picture looks similar to the latest one.

The other 'icons' mentioned - 911, Corvette, Golf and some others (Mini etc.) either look like grossly inflated parodies of the originals or not even recognisable in their recent forms.

[edoverheels]

Gad-Westy said:

Parsley100 said:

I visited the Morgan factory last week and drove the Plus 4. Great to see the production process and the car has been sensibly brought up to date with an aluminium monocoque chassis. Would love to spec my own 75th anniversary model but unfortunately the price is outside the budget. Wish the business all the best for the next 75 years.

I did the same a few weeks ago. In fact if the plus 4 you drove was a manual, we probably drove the same car. What a bloody fantastic day out. I genuinely could not recommend this enough to people. The factory tour is a fascinating blend of tradition and modern methods. There cannot be anywhere else like it anywhere. And having the plus 4 with my pal for the afternoon was the icing on the cake. Suspiciously good value too especially if you share the car. I think Morgan know that they probably have a very good conversion rate when it comes to visitors vs sales and price the tours and car hire accordingly. It's very hard not to be a bit a spell bound by it all and you come away wanting a slice of it.

I suspect that you are right on the conversion rate. I went to the factory, hired a three wheeler (the old V Twin one) and came home and bought one.

Those Plus 4s look great and if you can still get a manual then why not? (If you have £75,000 of course)

[Lester H]

Foss62 said:

Interesting that even in terms of size, the early 4/4 in the picture looks similar to the latest one.

The other 'icons' mentioned - 911, Corvette, Golf and some others (Mini etc.) either look like grossly inflated parodies of the originals or not even recognisable in their recent forms.

The MINI is the worst victim of obesity. Fiat 500 and Panda apart from very new, appear to have escaped this.

[Gad-Westy]

edoverheels said:

Gad-Westy said:

Parsley100 said:

I visited the Morgan factory last week and drove the Plus 4. Great to see the production process and the car has been sensibly brought up to date with an aluminium monocoque chassis. Would love to spec my own 75th anniversary model but unfortunately the price is outside the budget. Wish the business all the best for the next 75 years.

I did the same a few weeks ago. In fact if the plus 4 you drove was a manual, we probably drove the same car. What a bloody fantastic day out. I genuinely could not recommend this enough to people. The factory tour is a fascinating blend of tradition and modern methods. There cannot be anywhere else like it anywhere. And having the plus 4 with my pal for the afternoon was the icing on the cake. Suspiciously good value too especially if you share the car. I think Morgan know that they probably have a very good conversion rate when it comes to visitors vs sales and price the tours and car hire accordingly. It's very hard not to be a bit a spell bound by it all and you come away wanting a slice of it.

I suspect that you are right on the conversion rate. I went to the factory, hired a three wheeler (the old V Twin one) and came home and bought one.

Those Plus 4s look great and if you can still get a manual then why not? (If you have £75,000 of course)

Ha. QED! Bet that thing is fun

[nismo48]

Great open top motoring with a very enthusiastic following I reckon.