When the cancellation of the Geneva International Motor Show stymied its plans to launch the new Plus Four, Morgan tackled the problem in its own unique fashion. Harking back to the days when cars would be driven to their motorshow debuts, Head of Design, Jon Wells, and Lead Digital Designer, Michael Smith were despatched to drive the car back from Switzerland, revealing it en-route through social media.
This is the 255bhp new Morgan Plus Four
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Their drive would have been a generation ahead of the experience in the outgoing Plus 4 (the switch from the numeral to the word marks the new model) thanks to its bonded aluminium underpinnings shared with the Plus Six. Rigid and lightweight – it weighs just 97kg – the CX-Generation architecture has allowed Morgan to update almost every aspect of the car.
A claimed 97 per cent of the car’s components are new but of course the styling remains unmistakeably Morgan, combining narrow, barrel-shaped body, sweeping front wings, running boards and steeply sloped tail. Morgan has even developed larger 15-inch wire wheels for the car.
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Motive power extends Morgan’s partnership with BMW and introduces forced induction to the Malvern brand for the first time. The 2.0-litre BMW TwinPower produces 258PS and 295lb/ft of torque, enough to propel the 1,009kg Plus Four to 62mph in 4.8 seconds and on to 149mph. That however, is in the eight-speed automatic which will no doubt get purists incensed. They can opt for a six-speed manual but will sacrifice some torque and lose some lightness resulting in four-tenths of a second added to the benchmark sprint. Power and top speed remain the same.
It’s not just the materials and drivetrain which pull the new Plus Four into 2020; LED lighting, ABS, central locking and paddle shifters for the automatic are now standard while options include power steering, puddle lighting and even Bluetooth connectivity. Morgan claims one trillion different combinations are possible. The panels however are still hand formed in aluminium over an ash frame and the interior hand trimmed in leather.
The new Morgan Plus Four is available to order now with prices starting at £62,995 inclusive of VAT.
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