M3W Treffen
[It is a bit long but the scenery is unbelievable. Makes you want to be there!! Mark]
07
Jan
Category Archives: Morgan Sports Car Related Posts
Posts specific to information relating to the Morgan Sports Car
27
Dec
Classic car gift makes charity £25,000 (http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/)
[A special holiday. Someone got a car they very much wanted and a worthwhile charity welcomed the proceeds. Well done. Mark.]
A CHRISTMAS gift with a difference has funded a generous donation to York Against Cancer.
A businessman, who has asked not to be named, has sold his classic Morgan V8 sports car to donate £25,000 proceeds plus Gift Aid to the city charity.
The car had been given to him as a Christmas present by the late York farmer and motor rally driver David ‘Piggy’ Thompson to thank him for advice he gave him some 20 years ago.
David Thompson, father of World Touring Cars star and former British Touring Cars champion James Thompson, was a major motor enthusiast and following the advice, David asked the businessman what sort of car he really liked.
He told David that the only car he had ever really wanted was a Morgan V8. “That Christmas Eve, there was a brand new Morgan sitting on my drive!”, he said.
David sadly died in the years after he made his generous gift, and recently the businessman began to think it was time to do something with the Morgan as he no longer used it very much.
“I didn’t want it to just sit in the garage so I rang David’s widow, Barbara and said, ‘Look, I am going to sell it and give the proceeds to York Against Cancer.’ A sentiment she totally supported.”
Another friend was keen to buy the car and agreed to pay the highest price they could find for a similar vehicle on the internet – with York Against Cancer receiving the £25,000 proceeds plus Gift Aid.
The money will launch York Against Cancer’s 30th anniversary appeal to keep its new mobile chemotherapy unit on the road when it comes into service in the summer.
The businessman has long supported York Against Cancer and David’s widow said that David would have been delighted to see the cash support the mobile unit since he had had to travel to Leeds for treatment during his illness.
Steve Leveson, Chairman of York Against Cancer, said the charity was touched by this kind gesture. “The charity is very grateful for this gift, which couldn’t have come at a better time as we are about to launch an appeal to raise money for our mobile chemotherapy unit.”
18
Dec
How to Wire Driving / Fog Lights (www.mossmotors.com)
Driving lights and fog lights came about as car owners navigated the twisting turning by-ways of misty England. Powerful lighting was necessary to illuminate the road ahead for potential hazards to be successfully identified and avoided. In addition, foggy and wet conditions caused by road spray obliterated the edges of poorly crowned roads. There is one more oft-omitted benefit to driving lights and fog lights, simply stated they are “racer cool”; installing these lights, however,on your favorite British sports car takes planning and preparation.
I remember the days when I rummaged about in my “box of wires” and grabbed any gauge wire of sufficient or insufficient length, splicing together a “rat’s nest” of wire connections and crimped ends to connect any number of desired accessories. After a few smoke-filled incidents I am much more careful.
Let’s begin with your lights already mounted to the car, the wires dangling beneath or behind and waiting to receive power from Mr. Lucas. The first order of business is to determine the amperage of your driving/fog lights. My lamps are vintage and each unit reads 35 watts. The formula for amperage is watts divided by volts equals amps, or W/V=A. Since I will be wiring the lights to the relay with one lead, 70W/12V= 5.8A. I will be using 14-gauge wire, which handles up to 11.8A. Amps are a measure of current flow; volts are a measure of the force behind the flow of current. To protect my 14-gauge wiring I will be installing 10-amp inline fuses. The rule of thumb is this: the fuse ought to be rated near 80% of the amperage of the wire. This will ensure that you blow the fuse before you burn the wire. In my case, 80% of 11.8A is 9.44A so a 10-amp inline fuse is perfect.
I will need several colors of 14-gauge wire: black, green, white, and red. The reason is simple, the color identifies the purpose of each wire and if I ever have a problem I can track it down using my wiring diagram. Here is what I need to complete the job:
- Two 10-amp inline fuses (as above)
- Wire in the gauge and colors described
- Relay (with four male spade connectors on back)
- Switch (with three male spade connectors on back)
- Female spade connectors (crimp style)
- Eyelet connectors (crimp style)
- Butt connectors (crimp style)
- Electrical tape
- Lock ties (small black type)
- Crimping tool and cutter for wire
- Electric drill and a 7/64” drill bit
- Sheet metal screws (for connecting ground wires to body)
A tidy wiring diagram is a must.
Before cutting any wire, a good diagram is in order. Draw a diagram on plain white paper with wire gauge noted and colors identified. Each component must be labeled. This wiring diagram will stay with the car so make it neat and easily readable. Pictured is my wiring diagram for installing two fog lights with fuses, a switch, and a relay. If you need assistance drawing a diagram, refer to your car’s factory workshop manual [factory workshop manual??]. You’ll find examples of switches, lights, fuses—it’s helpful to understand and keep a universal language of the components in your drawings.
Relays are an important component in wiring fog or driving lights with a 30-60A draw. Basically, the relay protects the switch from getting hot and creating unwanted resistance. The low current through the switch triggers the relay to make a higher current connection to the heavy load of the fog lights. If you purchased your relay from a reputable source, it will have numbered terminals, which aid greatly in connecting everything correctly.
The fog lights are positioned first, the switch second, and the relay last. Since the switch will be on the dash and the fog lights at the front of the car, the only location decision to be made concerns the relay. I want the relay in a protected place near the front of the car. It needs to be near a 12V power source. I have chosen a position on the inner fender arch away from heat, but protected from road spray.
Use a test light to confirm your power sources for both the relay and the switch. I found a power source for my relay terminal number “30” on the low beam wire of the left headlight. I will splice into this wire so that my fog lights will work only when the low beams are on. I found a hot connection at the fuse block for the switch. Both of these 12V power lines need a 10-amp inline fuse.
Disconnect the battery!
Start with the ground connections for each component. Locate a suitable body connection point and drill a 7/64-inch hole in the body. Crimp an “eyelet” connector on the ground wire and screw a sheet metal screw through the “eyelet” and into the body. This must be done for the switch, the relay and each of the fog-lights. The relay ground terminal is numbered “85”.Now you are ready to run your wires according to the wiring diagram. Keep wires close to an existing wire loom and be careful of loops and sagging wires, which may snag on a moving component of the car. Do not add the crimped ends to any of the wires until all the wires are in place. Cut and leave about 6 inches of extra wire at every terminal point.
Drill the required hole in your dash for the switch; leave the switch free for the moment. I like to start wiring everything together at the switch and work my way toward the relay and the front of the car.
The switch has two remaining terminals. Connect a green wire from the “acc” terminal on the back of the switch to the number “86” terminal on the relay. The last terminal on the switch connects to the power source. This white wire will need a 10 amp inline fuse and is connected to the fuse block.
The relay is wired next. The power source for the relay is drawn from the low beam wire of the left headlight, as noted above. Splice a red wire from the headlight wire to the relay terminal “30.” This line needs a 10-amp inline fuse, so be sure and wire one in. The final terminal on the relay is numbered “87.” This terminal will carry power to the fog lights.
The fog lights each have two wires, one for ground and one for the 12V power. One of these wires from each fog light has already been connected to ground. A three-way connection must be made joining the second wire from each of the fog lights to the red wire going to the relay terminal “87.”
Finally, attach the switch to the dash and the relay to its location. A test is in order before you use the lock ties and button everything up.
Reconnect the battery
Turn on the ignition and hit your switch. Nothing should happen. Now, turn on your headlights to “low beam” and the fog lights will come on. Toggle the switch and see that the lights work properly. Use lock ties to secure all wires.
You are now ready to move about the country! Your lights will penetrate the fog and… they look “racer cool.”
By Ric Glomstad
13
Dec
07
Dec
Local distributor resolves ADR hurdles impeding sales of iconic British sports cars (http://www.motoring.com.au/)
In the On Again, Off Again Battle – Morgans Are Legal Again – In Australia!!
[According to the Australian motoring press Morgans are again in compliance with the ADR and the favorable exchange rate with the UK make them just a bit more affordable. Mark ]
It has not been possible to take delivery of a new Morgan sports car in Australia throughout much of 2016, due to the impact of revised Australian Design Rules.
But that issue has been sorted, according to the brand’s local distributor. And reinstatement of ADR approval for the Morgan range brings with it lower prices, due to a more favourable exchange rate with the Pound sterling since the BREXIT vote. The range and pricing (in Australian $$) are now as follows:
4/4 – $89,900
Plus 4 – $99,800
Roadster – $139,500
Plus 8 – $220,000
Aero 8 – $275,000
3Wheeler – $93,900
26
Nov
Morgan 3 Wheeler declared road legal, will remain on sale through 2017 and beyond (http://www.caradvice.com.au/)
In a quick about face, the Morgan 3 Wheeler has been re-certified as compliant with the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and will remain on sale.
[The end of M3W imports into Australia was previously reported. It now appears that this report was premature and they have changed their minds. This is great news!! It doesn’t however mention any change to the position that trad bodied Morgans have been stopped as well. As you all know, Morgans and import laws are always at odds. Standby. Mark]
Around two weeks ago Morgan informed its customers and fans that new versions of the 3 Wheeler would no longer be available for registration in Australia from November 2017 due to proposed changes to the ADRs.
As such, anyone who had an interest in the distinctive vehicle would need to place their orders soon in order to ensure delivery before the registration cutoff date.
Now, it seems, anyone dithering about whether they should get a 3 Wheeler can continue to do so without a hard deadline hovering over their heads.
In an update posted to their website, the company’s local arm says that after a submission to the federal Department of Transport it is able “to confirm that the approval for the Morgan 3 Wheeler has been updated and this unique vehicle will now be available for sale into the foreseeable future”.
The Morgan 3 Wheeler is available locally from $93,900 before on-road costs. Launched down under in January 2015, the Australian versions of the car already feature a number of design changes to make it ADR compliant, including a quieter induction system, padded steering wheel and dashboard, repositioned indicators and lights, a collapsable steering column, and a wind deflector.
We’re still waiting to hear back from Morgan about what the proposed ADR changes were and how they were able to convince the department to re-certify the 3 Wheeler.
25
Nov
Morgan Car Company donate statuette and cash to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (http://uk.blastingnews.com/)
Morgan Car Company Donate Statuette
The Morgan Statue Foundation has donated a bronze Morgan memorial statuette to the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire and £22,117 of its remaining funds to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (BMIHT). The statuette, named ‘Handing Over’, portrays the founder of the Morgan Motor Company, H.F.S. Morgan standing beside an iconic 1958 Morgan 4/4, handing the keys to his son, Peter, who is sitting at the wheel of the car. That same year, H.S.F as he was affectionately known, handed over the control of the company to his son. Sadly he passed away the following year, just short of the company’s 50th anniversary.
Early days of The Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company began in 1909 in the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire. For many years it produced the award-winning, record breaking #Morgan three-wheeler. In 1936 it introduced four-wheelers. Their classic Morgan 4/4 range (meaning 4 cylinders and 4 wheels) is the world’s longest running production vehicle, still being manufactured to this day. The iconic shape of today’s Morgans has remained unchanged for more than 60 years. A record that no other car manufacturer in the world can equal.
One of the UK’s top sculptors
The statuette was created by Les Johnson, FRBS, one of the country’s best contemporary figurative sculptors. He is renowned for many bronze statues including ‘Dockers’, featuring 9ft high dock workers that stands outside the ExCel Centre, Docklands, London.
‘Handing Over’ presentation
The presentation ceremony was attended by a number of Morgan Statue Foundation personnel including Chairman, Roger Moran, Vice Chairman, Brigadier Michael Selby and Secretary Brian Iles, as well as H.F.S.Morgan’s grandson, Charles Morgan. In attendance from the British Motor Museum were BMIHT Chairman Robert Dover, Managing Director Julie Tew, and MuseumCurator Stephen Laing.
Mr. Moran said that the Trustees of the Morgan Statue Foundation felt that the BMIHT was the obvious home for the statuette, pointing out that like them, they are a #charity and share objective values to the Morgan Statue Foundation. He added: “It is great that the statuette will be on show to the public and we know our donation will be used wisely.”
Statuette now on display
The ‘Handing Over’ statuette will now be on display for visitors to enjoy in the motorsport area of the British Motor Museum. Curator, Stephen Laing said: “We are delighted to receive this unique statuette in memory of Morgan’s Founder and for their generous donation which will help continue the valuable #Work of BMIHT.”
A museum for all the family
The award-winningBritish Motor Museum and Collection Centre is home to the largest collection of #historic British cars in the world. It also has an archive that contains more than one million items from technical records and publicity material to photographs and film.
It’s a fascinating inter active museum hosting exhibitions and events, workshops and family activities. This bronze statuette depicting one of the iconic men behind the British motor industry will now be enjoyed by the tens of thousands of men, women and children who visit every year.
18
Nov
Classic Morgan production for Australia currently suspended.
Classic Morgan production for Australia currently suspended.
[The end of M3W imports into Australia was previously reported. This indicates trad bodied Morgans have been stopped as well. It appears that the more modern Aero style chassis is acceptable. We’ll see how this plays out. Mark]
These same changes in the Australia Design Rules (ADRs) became effective a year earlier. That is to say from 1 November 2016 – for the 4 wheel vehicles. As a result we were forced to stop taking orders for the Classic Morgans – 4/4, Plus 4 and Roadster – since early 2016. (The Plus 8 is not affected by these changes.)
After some extended discussions the Morgan Motor Company in the UK has committed to undertaking further tests on the Classic models for Australia, and, if accepted by Canberra, the Classic models will hopefully be available again for sale in limited volumes in 2017.
The outcome of the test and submission to Canberra will hopefully be known by end December 2016 or early in 2017. Again as on the 3 Wheeler, the Classics will not be eligible for direct importation even via the revised legislation under consideration in Canberra, as UK specification vehicles do not meet Australian safety and emission standards. All our vehicles are based on European Type Approved vehicles, which are subjected to higher Approval Standards than in the UK, with ADR requirements added on top.
New Aero 8 approved for Australia
Some silver lining to the dark ADR clouds is that the stylish new Aero 8 has now been approved by Canberra for sale in Australia. The first vehicle for Australia will be going into production shortly with arrival in early 2017.
18
Nov
Looking for something to do one day…
Looking for something to do one day… John Schieffelin
Before I was lucky enough to have custody of a vintage Bentley, Morgans were a nice, affordable alternative. The Plus 4s were quicker than an MG TC, but certainly gave you a vintage ride. Then, as now, they looked the part, even if people would often ask what model of MG it was. As we enthusiasts are wont to do, I had accumulated much Morgan literature to go along with the Plus 4 four-seater I was driving in the late ’60s. So 1 read about H.F.S. Morgan and the three-wheelers he had been producing since the founding of his eponymous company in 1910. By 1936, Mr. Morgan determined that four-wheeled cars were not a passing fad, and began making sports cars with a wheel at each corner of a rectangular frame, in addition to the three-wheelers.
One day, I was perusing Hemmings, and there was a mid-’30s Morgan three-wheeler powered by a J.A.P. water-cooled twin advertised for sale. I called, and it turned out the car(?) was in running condition and located near Brattleboro, Vermont, just north of Massachusetts. I was then living in central Massachusetts, so it was not too far away. I bought it, and the question became how to fetch it. Not a good idea to try and drive it home, given my lack of experience conducting such a contraption. I was racing a Formula Vee in SCCA at the time and had a simple open trailer with no floor, just a couple of metal rails to roll the car onto. See the problem? No middle rail, which the Morgan would need, due to its triangular wheelbase. One of my friends transported his Vee on the back of one of those VW pickups with the van front end. Ideal. So with a chase car full of other SCCA buddies, we headed for Vermont one evening. My friend had only two rails to load his Vee, but with all the muscle in the chase car, we had no problem getting the little Morgan on and off the truck.
After I figured out how to drive the thing with some degree of proficiency (hand throttle on the steering wheel that went to a different place when you turned the wheel was just one of its myriad idiosyncrasies), I used it around town to do various errands, including delivering our second son to kindergarten. I always felt a bit nervous, since even though drivers over 45 years ago did not have the distractions they have now, they would gawk at this strange little vehicle with which they were sharing the road, paying scant attention to their direction of travel.
And then came winter. Looking for something to do one day, I decided to take the somewhat tatty Morgan apart to “restore” it. Simple little thing. How hard could it be? You know the story. The boxes of Morgan parts sat, and then
followed me through the (amicable) separation from the wonderful mother of my first three children, moving to western Massachusetts, meeting the woman to whom I have now been married for 43 years, having two more children, joining a trail riding friend to start a motorcycle business and ending up living near Northampton, Massachusetts. Whew! And the chunks of Morgan were still in their boxes.
One of the customers who came to the motorcycle shop had a Brough Superior motorcycle that he was restoring (some people actually do make progress on these things). When he heard about the Morgan, he thought it would make a great next project. Well, since I was always just about to get to it (Ha!), he pestered me for a couple of years, until one day he walked into the shop and having sort of come to my senses, I said, “Make me an offer.” He did, and the boxes of Morgan became his. I retained the right of first refusal should he decide to sell it. Sure enough, a few years later I got a call from Tennessee, where he had moved, saying he had done a bit of work on it, it was not finished, but would I like it back? Nope. So he ended up selling it to a man I knew who was the guru of the Vintage BMW motorcycle fraternity. He, too, pecked away it, but passed it on before it was finished.
Some years later, I was giving a presentation on the VSCCA at the Lars Anderson Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts, and afterwards the manager said he wanted to show me a strange vehicle he had just gotten. Turned out to be the Morgan, still not quite finished, but almost. Finally, a few years ago, one of my VSCCA Morgan friends called and said, “Your old Morgan is on eBay.” I looked and there it was, almost done, advertised as having once belonged to an officer of the VSCCA. Whether that helped or hindered a potential sale, I will never know. Where is it now? I may find out one of these years. I just hope it is finally finished.
Hemmings.com • HEMMINGS SPORTS & EXOTIC CAR 65
17
Nov
Plans to build ‘world class’ Morgan statue in Malvern are scrapped (malvernobserver.co.uk)
[FYI. We knew of this as MOGSouth had contributed. We did receive our contribution back. This must have been the ‘official’ or public dissolution of the organisation. Mark]
Organisers hoped the creation would allow Morgan enthusiasts and visitors to be photographed sitting alongside the Morgan founder and his son – becoming part of the statue themselves.
They also hoped it would create a focal point in the centre of Malvern and a major attraction for visitors.
But the Observer understands the charity received around £140,000 – approximately half the figure required in donations.
In a statement, Morgan Statue Foundation chairman Roger Moran said: “After much voluntary hard work over more than eleven years by the Trustees, the Foundation was unfortunately unable to raise the funds necessary for the statue.
“Consequently, the Trustees reluctantly decided to halt fund-raising and dissolve the Foundation.
“The Trustees sincerely thank everyone who assisted the Foundation, physically or financially, to try and make the statue become a reality.”
Harriett Baldwin MP for West Worcestershire said Morgan’s legacy in Malvern will still play a vital role moving forward:
“Attempts to formally recognise Morgan cars with a local statue have been going on for many years and I understand it has been a struggle to raise funds for the venture,” she said.
“Nevertheless, you see people driving the iconic cars around Malvern almost every day, and Morgans are sold all over the world, so I am confident the car and the family are not at risk of slipping out of our minds.”
The statue did receive planning permission from Malvern Hills District Council and bosses from the authority have also expressed their disappointment.
Simon Smith, economic development manager for the district council, said: “We’re sorry to hear that this campaign has run into difficulties. We felt this was a really good project to commemorate the founder of the Morgan Motor Company, and it would have been a great addition to the town.
“We are always happy to discuss any other plans or ideas they may have in the future.”
A spokesman from the Morgan Motor Company said the firm did not wish to comment.
The Morgan Statue Foundation, whose patrons include Formula One racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, has repaid all identifiable contributors who donated and decided to donate a proportion of the net remaining funds to the Malvern Museum.