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.