AR 2016 Morgan Plus 4 First drive

There are two rows of louvers 29 hand plucked along Morgan Plus 4's bonnet. You line them to change slightly as aiming twin-barrel anti-aircraft Bofors gun. The sports car designed thirties is made of steel, aluminum, wood and leather take a bar fight with every black over the bumps and ripples. Here's an idea: Why not give this car, with old-fashioned front suspension sliding-pillar, the strength of 46 percent shoe-horning into four pots Cosworth-tuned Ford Duratec 2.0-liter, which is the red line in - wait for it - 8,000 rpm.

It should be Morgan sauciest ever leave the company Pickersleigh Road works. plant in the English town of Malvern, where the color of the evening sun as it sets over the orange building eponymous hill. It rortier even than TOK258, Chris Lawrence 1962 24-hour Le Mans class winner Plus 4, or alcohol-fueled tremendous, J.A.P. engined Aero 3 wheels to the same company famous.

Cosworth is a 58-year engine specialists originally formed by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth deceased and most successful machine makers grand-prix in history. Ford Cosworth DFV won 151 grand prix dominated Formula One for more than 15 years. Ford Cosworth engine has been modified since 1959 and continues to work that day with a wide range of Duratec engine crate YD known in racing circles as a reliable source output ranging 210-280 hp. Morgan applications in two-liter, 225-horsepower form has, as one engineer Morgan put it: ". Pretty much everything inside discarded and replaced"

Forged pistons and connecting rods, with their own packages Cosworth rings and special bearings. Company bespoke cylinder head assembly is loaded with twin overhead camshafts using Level 2 Cosworth race this profile. Water and oil pumps are uprated, there is a dry-sump lubrication, and at the top end, roller-barrel throttle assembly and carbon fiber air box and trumpet. Morgan did not say what was paid, but if you rolled in dealer Cosworth day, you expect to write a check for about $ 14,000.

Plus 4? It's basically a jump-up (and most of them are wider-bodied) version of 4/4, the first four-wheeled Morgan. The 4/4 celebrate the 80th anniversary this year and holds the record for the longest single car in production, although there are a lot of pretenders to the throne of this. Plus 4 model has been produced less frequently, starting in 1950 and then reintroduced in various periods since then. There have been changes, but apart from the drivetrains, they are already small. A great revolution is the galvanizing of steel chassis and Cuprinol-protection against worms ash wood for the frame body. Scoff all you want here, but remember Plus 4 weighs less than 2,200 pounds dry and give the engine and suspension big feet when it comes to running out of almost anything in its path.

This car, ARP4, is a limited run Cosworth 50. screamer drive through the transmission of the Mazda MX-5 into five links located, coil-sprung solid rear axle on a standard car leaf springs. There uprated brakes and brake cooling channels at the front, a special air scoops on the hood, and Spax adjustable dampers all round. It rose above 16-inch wheels with Yokohama Advan tires sticky and has a special 3.9: 1 rear axle for quicker acceleration.

It's not all been smooth, like Morgan director Steve Morris explained. "After 107 years of history you can still get caught out," he said. "Some aspects of the building that is more difficult than we thought they would."

Routing the exhaust is one, and delaying the start of production in the short term this super Morgans. Since Steve had signed the checks for engine and anything with 'Cosworth' on it is never cheap, she was really happy to see the last of a run that finished at the factory now. And good for him (if not us), they were all sold.

Did I mention the LED lights? Terrible is not it? This is an indication of the trials and tribulations that have affected car manufacturers belonging to the ancient family where sometimes people can dictate specific design details. Fortunately this lamp is a delete option at no charge, and there is evidence that the design director Jon Morgan Wells is getting enough influence to prevent such irregularities styling terrible light from ever happening again.

Room? Whaddaya mean you want a room? Nothing in the cockpit, though very no rear parcel shelf that will hold a couple of small, padded bag or, small padded dog. There is even a glove box, heated windscreen and heated, although Morgan is the type of company to brag about something that is ubiquitous as inertia-reel seat belts. You will be in vain looking for anti-lock brakes or air bags.

Did I mention the LED lights? Terrible is not it?

And then there is the convertible top ( "hood" in English). Which is used for simple, one-handed operation of the canvas Mazda Miata should stop reading here. Over-center clips, finger-nail removing fasteners, flaking knurled fasteners screen side, crazy and prone frosted glass side windows that resisted all attempts to slide it open. It is a lot of owners Morgan. With that established, you will get a better view of the submarine.

You climb to the Plus 4 like a limbo dancer rheumatism, but once inside the leather seats are very comfortable and the carpet-weaving box and drilled aluminum panels prove attractive. You are so near to the dashboard and steering wheel that you seem to wear them. I do not like the style illegibly instruments, especially the analog clock without numbers, but it is the red line at 8,000 rpm obvious and tempting.

Early sequences fiddly switches movies conjures growly, angry unemployed from Cosworth / Ford and Mazda became the first slide transmission as surely as the foot to the shoe worn. There is a little shunt transmission and clutch you need to balance caution against the lack of engine flywheel effect; traffic in a small shop just slip away. It's surprisingly tame; Cosworth which gurgles, pops, and bangs around town even though there is enough torque to avoid the line of cars along with the gear lever.

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