Category Archives: Morgan Sports Car Related Posts

Limited edition version of sports car maker’s all-electric EV3 costs £52,500 and aims to promote British craftmanship.

Just 19 of the UK 1909 Edition cars will be made and sold in Selfridges’ flagship Oxford Street store from the end of November. Photograph: Selfridges/PA
The world’s first zero-emissions, all-electric three-wheel car will go on sale in November – in the unlikely setting of a London department store, where it will jostle for shoppers’ attention alongside Louis Vuitton handbags and Tiffany jewellery.

Hand-built by the Morgan Motor Company, the British bespoke sports carmaker, the two-seater will cost £52,500 and is the result of a collaboration with retailer Selfridges that aims to promote craftsmanship within British manufacturing and sustainability.

Just 19 of the UK 1909 Edition cars – a nod to the year both companies were founded – will be built to be sold in Selfridges’ flagship Oxford Street store in central London from the end of November. A replica will be displayed in a purpose-built concession in the revamped ground floor accessories hall while a running prototype will be available to test drive.

Taking four hours to charge, the 1909 will have an expected range of 120-150 miles – with a top speed of about 90mph – and comes in a “luxurious yet understated black” with Selfridges’ bronze detailing, reminiscent of the Oxford Street store’s distinctive sign.

The limited edition car is a bespoke version of Morgan’s all-electric EV3, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this year, and retains the company’s traditional ash frame Power comes from a 20kW lithium battery and a liquid-cooled 46kW motor driving the rear wheel.

Sebastian Manes, Selfridges’ buying and merchandising director, said a flurry of interest had already triggered some pre-orders. “We are thrilled to be able to launch such an extraordinary product, which not only looks amazing but also responds to every criteria of sustainable, responsible manufacturing we adhere to.

The limited edition car is a bespoke version of Morgan’s all-electric EV3. Photograph: Selfridges/PA
“The development of this limited edition of Morgan’s forthcoming all-electric car has been a wonderful experience from start to finish, and we can’t wait to see the further response the car aficionados among our customers will give this unique and exciting collaboration. We have never done anything with cars before and hopefully this is the start of a long-term collaboration.”

Jon Wells, head of design at Morgan, which employs 180 staff at its Malvern factory, where not a single robot is used in the workshops, said: “Selfridges is a big machine and we are a relative minnow. But we got together after taking some senior staff on one of our factory visits and discovered we had a lot in common.

“The whole experience has been a very productive and immersive one combining Morgan’s legendary engineering know-how with Selfridges’ flair for style and sustainability goals. In the online world dominated by quick clicks, and immediacy, this is about promoting and celebrating two iconic British brands which share a history.”

He said 95% of Morgan cars built since the company’s inception were still traceable. The car is being unveiled at Selfridges’ Birmingham store – its nearest to Malvern.

About 95% of all Morgan cars built since the company’s inception in 1909 are still traceable.  [I find this a very interesting comment.  My experience is that you can find the beginning and the end of a car’s lineage, but finding out what has happened to that car in during the interim gets a little murky.  MB]

For shoppers with even more cash to splash, Selfridges has also created a range of upmarket accessories to complement the vehicle. They include a £2,995 trunk from British leathercraft specialist Globe Trotter made to fit the car’s luggage rack, driving goggles by eyewear-maker Linda Farrow, a classic wax belted jacket from Belstaff and an Alexander McQueen scarf.

Morgan is also leading a £6m government-funded consortium to develop new EV and hybrid technologies – promising that more new technology will be introduced across its hand-built sports car range from 2019.

“By 2020 we will be seeing emissions-free driving zones in many cities and town centres. This is a huge step for us,” said Wells.

At the Paris Motor Show in 1936, a British manufacturer exhibited a compact, two seat sport tourer, built as was conventional at the time around a steel chassis, a wood-framed body, semi-elliptic rear suspension, an overhead inlet, side exhaust valve engine and using an unusual sliding pillar front suspension. Unusually for a British sports car of the time, it was painted a bright, Carnation red.

This was the first in a line of Morgan roadsters that continues to this day, still built the same as in 1936. The Morgan is a living dinosaur, the carrier of a proud tradition of car building by hand, with traditional materials and tools, that has long gone extinct otherwise.  Morgan’s unceasing traditions, spiced by new adaptations and evolutionary models, is one of the greatest stories of the automobile’s history.

Actually, several such cars would have been shown – marques like MG, Hillman, Talbot, Riley, BSA, AC and Singer were all producing cars of this format at that time. Most of those marques have gone, but one remains, and so does the car, the Morgan 4/4, a derivative of which is still in manufacture, in the same factory, on the same tooling, and still with a wooden frame and sliding pillar front suspension.

The 1936 Paris Show car is still extant. A natural Car Show Classic, and a great car around which to tell the story of the Morgan Motor Company.

Much has been and still is said about Morgan.

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Selfridges is teaming up with Malvern-based car manufacturer, Morgan, to celebrate the launch of the its first zero emission, all-electric car.

With Morgan about to launch the EV3 and Selfridges motoring ahead with its drive to put sustainability at the core of its business, the historic firms are now set to collaborate.

Selfridges and Morgan are creating a limited edition of the EV3, called UK 1909 Edition, blending Morgan’s legendary engineering know-how and iconic design with Selfridges’ famous flair for fashion.

The result is a collector’s item car that combines beauty, practicality, comfort and speed. The UK 1909 Edition will only ever be made in a limited edition run of 19 – a number that is a nod to the year during which both Selfridges and Morgan were founded.

Selfridges has also enlisted nine British brands, including Alexander McQueen and Belstaff, to produce a driving kit with sustainable accessories for contemporary recreational motorsports fans. The kits will be priced separately but can only be ordered with the car.

The contributing brands have found Britain-based artisans to manufacture their contributing accessory, instead of manufacturing it overseas as they do with their main lines, to ensure all elements of the UK 1909 Edition, from the car to the driving kit, are exclusively handmade in the UK.

The full driving kit also features brands such as Globetrotter, Christopher Raeburn, George Cleverley, Richard James, Linda Farrow, Karl Donoghue and Dents.

The UK 1909 Edition will be officially launched in store at Selfridges Birmingham – near the site of the Morgan factory – on 1 October and in London Oxford Street on 1 November.

The UK 1909 Edition and complementary driving kit will be manufactured from November 2016 and will be delivered to each customer within six months.

V8-powered British retro roadster receives Australian Design Rule certification; will cost $270K 

That’s an indicative retail price, before options and on-road costs.

First Australian deliveries of the Aero 8, which reverts back to its original Aero 8 name and full convertible configuration following several previous iterations including the limited-edition AeroMax, the Aero SuperSports and the Aero Coupe, will commence early next year.

Although it might not look it, the Aero 8 is a cutting-edge ‘modern’ Morgan – as opposed to some of Morgan’s ‘Classic’ models that date back to 1936 – and the most advanced Morgan car ever produced.

Based around a bonded and welded aluminium chassis and weighing just 1180kg dry, it’s powered by a BMW 4.8-litre V8 (matched with both six-speed manual and automatic transmissions) that produces 270kW and 490Nm – enough to propel it to 100km/h in a claimed 4.5 seconds and as fast as 273km/h.

Morgan says the Aero 8’s latest chassis benefits from improved torsional stiffness, a revised front-end, all-new suspension, anti-roll bars and a limited-slip differential, resulting in “a more responsive and better handling sports car whist retaining the previous high standard of comfort”.

The Aero 8 is available with an optional hard-top that transforms the car into a coupe, while new dashboard arrangements, real wood surrounds, textured box-woven carpets and fine leather trim enhance the new interior.

Features such as air-conditioning and, for the first time in a Morgan, satellite-navigation and Bluetooth connectivity are standard, while a dramatic rear opening clamshell boot is used to both tension and hide the new double-lined mohair hood.

“Whilst all of these attributes and features are available in many luxury sports cars, the Aero 8 offers the perfect marriage of fine craftsmanship and personalization not common in today’s increasingly autonomous world,” says Morgan.

Each Aero 8 takes six weeks to handcraft to order at the Morgan factory in Worcestershire, England, and the company says infinite combinations of paint, leather and equipment choices make every example a one-off.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This 80th anniversary special edition Morgan is a nostalgic reprise of a classic car.

The famous Morgan 4/4 is 80 years old this year. A special celebratory model is in order, and this is it: the imaginatively titled 4/4 80th Anniversary. The car hasn’t changed much over the decades, which is where its charm lays – or possibly not, depending on how you look at it.

For fans, the limited-production Morgan will be a picture of delight, with its classic two-tone paint – in green, dark red or saxe blue – and a rather complicated-to-operate mohair drop-top. Details such as bonnet straps, brass grille and solid wheels held by brass centre locks are faithful to the roadster’s heritage and further enhance its charm.

The old-school feel continues through to the 4/4’s drive. The suspension is stiff, as are the solid-feeling brakes, and the steering is less than communicative. It all starts to come together as the speed increases, though. The Ford 1.6-litre Sigma engine and Mazda six-speed manual gearbox work well together, and the popping and banging side-exit exhaust sounds suitably characterful.

The light, 795kg kerb (1753 lbs) weight enables good performance, although things start unraveling if you push too hard. To get the best from the chassis, your driving habits need to be as relaxed and olde worlde as the car itself.  Meanwhile, the cabin has a suitably classic feel, with Smiths dials, a lacquered walnut dashboard, woven carpet and leather trim for the rather upright seats.

The 4/4 is hugely appealing to those who love classic engineering and motoring, and there’s enough of them to keep the British company thriving. That around all but 15 of the 80 models from this special run have been sold already is proof of that.

Morgan’s first electric 3-wheeler looks kind of like a happy tarantula.

Remember when plucky old-school Morgan blew our hair back by revealing an all-electric 3-Wheeler concept at the Geneva Motor Show? The British motor company has rolled out the very first production versions of the world’s quirkiest new electric car, and it is exactly as charming as the concept.

Dubbed the UK 1909 Edition, the first run of EV3s is built as a lifestyle collaboration with British department store Selfridges. Limited to just 19 examples, the special edition celebrates a number of British lifestyle, fashion and luxury brands, and comes with driving shoes, gloves, jacket, scarf, waterproof overalls, and more in the included Driver’s Kit.

In the transition from concept to production, the EV3 kept a lot of its quirky charms, but it sprouted a fourth headlight. The resulting “face” of the two inboard headlights above the brass battery cooling fins gives it a look not unlike a pleased tarantula. The solid disc knockoff wheels and huge “magneto switch” direction selector on the dash complete the retrofuturistic look.

Morgan says the all-electric 3-Wheeler has a range of up to 150 miles and a top speed of 90 mph. If you want a Morgan EV3 UK 1909 Edition, you have to A) live in England, and B) contact Selfridges there.

LEGENDARY car marque Morgan is combining with another famous brand Selfridges to launch the Malvern motor manufacturer’s first zero emission, all-electric car.

Both companies were born in England in 1909 and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to collaborate. Steve Morris, Morgan managing director, explained: “To make this collaboration truly unique, Selfridges and Morgan are creating a limited edition of the EV3, called UK 1909 Edition, blending Morgan’s legendary engineering know-how and iconic design with Selfridges’ famous flair for fashion. The result is a car that is a collector’s item as desirable and beautiful as a piece of art and as practical, comfortable and fast as a 21st century car with carbon neutral credentials should be. A triumph of style and function that honours Morgan’s celebrated craftsmanship, the UK 1909 Edition will only ever be made in a limited edition run of 19 – a number that is a nod to the year during which both Selfridges and Morgan were founded.”

The retro-futuristic three-wheeled electric vehicle, with an expected autonomy of between 120-150 miles depending on drive cycle and a top speed of around 90 miles an hour, has a beautiful bullet-bodied, face and exposed wheel design style, which takes inspiration from 1930’s aero engine race cars, classic motorcycles and 1950’s fantasy automatons.

Brass conductive cooling fins encase the batteries and four large round headlights add to the overall boldness of the design which for the UK 1909 Edition limited edition comes in a luxurious yet understated black with Selfridges bronze detailing, reminiscent of the Oxford Street store’s famous bronze name plaque.

The tail lift last seen in the late 1920’s on Morgan 3 Wheeler race cars, has been re-introduced, subsequently creating a visually forward stance with a seductive heritage look. This is enhanced with low slung running lights that carry through the cylindrical form of the side pods. An entirely new dashboard arrangement features a classic magneto switch for drive selection, a digital screen, and uses wood and treated aluminium throughout.

As part of the unique collaboration, Selfridges has enlisted nine British brands to produce a driving kit with sustainable accessories for the contemporary recreational motorsports man and woman. The kit is priced separately but can only be ordered with the car.

Some brands such as Alexander McQueen and Belstaff have found Britain-based artisans to manufacture their contributing accessory, instead of manufacturing it overseas as they do with their main lines, to ensure all elements of the UK 1909 Edition, from the car to the driving kit, are exclusively handmade in the UK.

The full driving kit includes an exclusive Globetrotter case made to exactly fit the luggage rack on the UK 1909 edition, a bespoke Christopher Raeburn driving overall in waterproof materials, a George Cleverley pair of leather driving shoes made in the same leather and stitching as the car seats and leather detailing and Linda Farrow driving goggles in leather and bronze, plus other items by Dents, Belstaff, Alexander McQueen and Richard James.

The UK 1909 Edition will be officially launched in store in Selfridges Birmingham on October 1 and in London Oxford Street on November 1. Together with the complementary driving kit, the car will retail at £49,999. It will be manufactured from November this year and be delivered to each customer within six months.

DELTA MOTORSPORT AND POTENZA LEND A HAND

If you would have told us 10 years ago that both the mclaren-p1 and the porsche-918-spyder would be hybrids, we would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier. Now we hear the Morgan Motor Co. is building its wooden cars with hybrid powertrains in mind and all it gets is a “Hmm.”

This week, the charming British company that builds charming wooden cars said it received a 6 million pound infusion of cash (that’s $8.5 million) for new electric motor development, in collaboration with Delta Motorsport and Potenza Technology.

“With funding from the U.K.’s Advanced Propulsion Centre, the consortium will develop hybrid and electric powertrain systems which will significantly reduce vehicle CO2 emissions and deliver best-in-class fuel economy,” Morgan says in its release.

Morgan will introduce these new powertrains progressively from 2019 on; all models will offer hybrid propulsion by the end of the decade. Morgan says it expects this to increase demand, and therefore increase the workforce at its Malvern factory in the U.K.

Looking back, this isn’t a complete departure for Morgan, which developed the LifeCar (Lightweight Fuel Efficient Car) almost 10 years ago. The LifeCar was a fuel-cell hybrid Morgan Aero 8 that was built with the help of several universities in England.  It was meant to have a 1,000-mile range, weigh less than 1,800 pounds and get 15 miles of all-electric driving.

The Morgan factory in Malvern, England. PHOTO BY MORGAN

“We have been involved in the research and development of new propulsion technology since the inception of the LifeCar project almost 10 years ago,” said Steve Morris, managing director. “We are now ready to develop the best hybrid and electric drivetrain solutions for production implementation before the end of the decade. We expect the project to deliver growth and employment benefits here at Morgan and in our partner companies, but equally it will broaden the appeal of the Morgan brand and attract new customers in our key markets.”

We’re not sure how many new customers a hybrid Morgan would grab in the United States, especially since the 3 Wheeler we tested a while back was everything right with the retro brand. Still, there seems to be room for a little bit of everything in the market, considering 2015 was a record-breaking year for car sales.