Morgan might have a reputation for making plucky vintage sports cars around wooden frames, but the British marque is also rather good at racing. It has a long history of competing at Le Mans and even hosts a Morgan Challenge Series as a one-make championship for its cars. Since its incarnation in 1985 the championship has been open to any four-wheeled Morgans, with the Plus 4 and Roadster having long established themselves as the most common choices for competition.
That the racing cars are so visibly close to Morgan’s road stuff really hammers home the point that the company’s machines are genuine driver’s cars. Some PHers will remember when we pitted the freshest of them all, the new Plus Six, up against Jag’s F-Type P380, for example. It was far from a walkover, as while the Jag is obviously the easier to live with, the more comfortable and generally better-rounded offering, the Plus Six is not as far behind as you might think. And it’s unquestionably the more memorable experience especially in the right scenario, such as on a winding, sun-baked stretch of British tarmac.
Matt put it this way after driving the Mog back-to-back with the Jag: “If an £80k sports car is being saved for high days and holidays, which is hopefully a fair assumption to make, then it should be a special one. For all the flaws and foibles, and despite the Jag's enduring allure, it's the Morgan that ticks the box most convincingly”. He remains convinced that the Plus Six is Morgan’s best blend of modern and vintage. Despite its similar exterior design, the Plus Six’s arrival this year has left the Plus 4 and Roadster looking comparably old school.
That being said, the Roadster – which looks as vintage as they come but was actually only launched in 2004 – ran the Plus Six a close second, with a burly, naturally-aspirated 3.7-litre Ford Cyclone under its bonnet providing 280hp. Since the ash-framed two-seater weighs only 950kg, that gives it 295hp per tonne, exactly the same power-to-weight ratio as the 718 Cayman GT4, to enable a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.5 seconds - and it does that with a six-speed manual gearbox.
It's brisk out of the box, then, but the racers to compete in Morgan's series are quicker still. One of the Malvern company's former factory racers is an example of just that, it being a Roadster ARV6 with three seasons of racing under its belt that uses a 320hp version of the Ford V6. The engine work was done by Morgan's Aero Racing division, which also added the roll bar, carbon bucket seats and surrounding motorsport equipment you can see in the pictures. Even better, this ARV6 is now road legal - and it's for sale.
With only 2,000 miles on its odometer, we suspect it hasn't spent much time away from the race track, with it most likely having been trailered to each event. It's also presumably been repainted as there's not so much as a stone chip visible on its white exterior; either that or the former drivers were remarkably careful. We'd hedge that both in terms of specs and pedigree, this has to be one of the most desirable Roadsters out there - and because it's coming directly from the factory, it ought to be one of the best-kept, too. You'll need £39,995 to bag it for yourself.
SPECIFICATION - MORGAN ROADSTER ARV6
Engine: 3,726cc, V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320hp (race spec)
Torque (lb ft): N/A (260lb ft in standard trim)
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 2,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £39,995
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