The History of the Morgan and its Plus Models The Morgan Motor Company was founded in 1910 by Henry Fredrick Stanley Morgan in Malvern, England. Yet in its 115-year existence, Morgan’s design hasn’t changed all that much from the past. Unlike most exotic car makers that use the latest innovations of carbon fibre and titanium, Morgan have forever constructed their cars out of wooden frames and aluminium bonding. Despite evolving safety and stringent emission regulations, Morgan have found a way to keep their various cars charmingly old-school. The company was renowned for building unique and hilarious three-wheeled cycle cars that to this day, they still make in the Morgan Super 3. However, in 1936, they introduced the Morgan 4/4, their first four-wheeled sports car. Read More Jaguar Classic E-Type Commemorative: A 50-Year-Old Tribute to One of the Greatest Cars Ever Made Morgan’s most famous line-up are the Plus variants that began with the +4 in 1950, which was very much a successor to the 4/4 with a larger more powerful engine. Today the Plus 4 is still in existence but with a BMW B48 4cylinder unit. Their most infamous variant was the 1968 Plus 4 fitted with Rover’s iconic V8 under the bonnet before production ceased in 2004. In 2012, the Plus 8 was relaunched with BMW’s 4.8L V8 before being retired in 2018. It was replaced with the Plus 6, which as one would guess, featured BMW’s 3.0l turbo straight six, the same engine used in both the Z4 and Toyota Supra. Today though, after a six-year run, the Plus 6 is dead, and in its place, there is a new car. Actually, scrap that, all these Morgans look as old as each other, let’s say new name. Design, Aerodynamics & Interior It’s called the Supersport and as you’d expect from Morgan, it looks as though it was forgotten about during the 18th century and only recently rediscovered. A car built by chaps in stovepipe hats, who believe the TikTok is the work of the devil, they’re probably right. But look a little closer and you’ll notice little details that have been refined. For starters the body is all new, the wood-framed aluminium bodywork appears largely the same. However Morgan have fitted with larger 8-inch headlights (which Morgan claims are inspired by the Midsummer), a redesigned rear end with a diffuser and LED taillights and a body that the blokes say had reduced drag of 5% and lift by 20%. And this has all been achieved using something called software. In addition, the cabin is now better insulated and more ergonomic. The doors have been redesigned, now bolted to the chassis instead of a wooden frame, ensuring a better seal for reduced road noise. Morgan have fitted bespoke hand-crafted Smiths dials as one would expect and shockingly a new boot. But what’s more shocking is that the Supersport is fitted with anomalies that the gents of the Malvern hills probably choked on their ale from:· A central digital display.· A premium Sennheiser sound system.· Wireless smartphone charging and Bluetooth hands-free calling—both firsts for Morgan.Goodness me! At this rate, Morgan will be pioneers of Social Media by 2030. Construction & Weight In addition, the roof is all new. Buyers can either opt for the soft-top mohair in a variety of colours or a lightweight 19.7kg carbon fibre hardtop, which one of course removes after breaking their fingers. Whoever thought of that is the type of chap who believes a typewriter is too advanced and that a quill and ink are the only tools for composing articles. In addition, the Supersport features Morgan’s supposedly new CXV aluminium platform, an evolution of the CX chassis. The result is 10% more, torsional rigidity (or 20% if you spec the carbon-fibre hardtop), 100% stiffer suspension mounting points and much lighter wheels, for better handling. In fact, Morgan offers a choice of two wheels, the 18-inch ‘Superlite’ rims that weigh just 10.8kg each or the 19-inch ‘Aerolite’ wheels that weigh just 9.7kg. In addition, Morgan now offers something called the Dynamic Handling Pack. This includes Nitron dampers with 24 clicks of adjustment and a limited-slip differential. The result of all this was that the Supersport weighs 1,170kg, a featherweight compared to its modern and vulgar rivals. Expensive but Essentially Second-Hand Speaking of contemporary Morgan opted not to brim their engine out of firestone and hammer it together from stainless steel. In fact, the Supersport uses the same engine found in the Plus 6. BMW’s 3.0l turbocharged 335 horsepower straight six which generates 369 lb-ft of torque that they used in both the Z4 and the fake Toyota Supra. It also features the same 8-speed ZF Automatic gearbox as found in the Plus 6, which means 0-62mph takes 3.9 seconds and the top speed is 166mph. Similar to the Plus 6 and…let’s be honest here guys, Morgan probably couldn’t afford to develop an all-new engine or even buy one out. Not to mention all the new electronics would’ve caused the Malvern gents to have a heart attack. Read More 2025 Alpine A110 R Ultime: Highly Expensive, Limited Edition Swansong to France’s best sports car Essentially the Supersport is pretty much Morgan’s F8 Tributo, 750S, 992.2 GT3 and 12Cilindri, not so much a new car but more so the older one just updated. That being said for a relatively old car, it’s not exactly what you’d call a bargain. Morgan’s accountants may not know how to use a laptop but they certainly know how to upsell their margins. The Supersport starts from $132,000 (we can now say that as Morgan can now export their cars on a steam vessel to somewhere called the United States) but if you want the soft top variant that’s an extra $3000 and the options for both roofs, an extra $6000. Production is limited to around 800 units, which seems rare, but actually consider, given the blokes at Malvern have never heard of a robot, they must be the hardest-working men in Britain. Obviously, Richard Hammond will ‘potentially’ buy one after unveiling it When it comes to the world of motoring few names have quite the respect earned than Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, the original presenters of Top Gear and The Grand Tour. These three are to the motoring world what Gordon Ramsay is to cooking, their opinions are what we consider gospel in the automotive landscape. That being said there are certain manufacturers they have a soft spot for. Jeremy will always defend Alfa Romeo despite their many flaws and Richard will always tell you why Morgan is in fact the greatest car maker in the world. Little Hammond has owned three Morgans and all three times they’ve ended in disaster. His Roadster often took him 2 days to reach work, his AeroMax was involved in a four-way collision and his poor little Plus 6 got flooded after a year of ownership. Yet still, his loyalty towards Morgan remains unwavering. So it was only right that on March 11th he be the first choice to join the stove pipe blokes to unveil the Supersport. The big question remaining, will he bite the bullet and buy one? Or is his love for Morgan merely a curse that it’s best to avoid? One doesn’t know quite yet, but considering his colleague Jeremy Clarkson hasn’t purchased an Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio despite loving it and it being in production for six years, maybe Richard will decide to follow his colleagues footsteps and buy something more contemporary and superior. The Best Morgan, probably? There’s no denying the Morgan Supersport is flawed. It’s expensive, not really all that advanced, barely faster than its predecessor and will only be bought by a small little ex-car presenter. Still, it has a charm that no other car quite has, and it's somewhat modern, by Morgan’s standards. Really if you’re the type of gentleman in tweed who believes steam engines were the peak of rail travel, but don’t want the hassle of fettling your fingers bar the roof, the Supersport is perfect for you. F1rstMotors Facts and FiguresManufacturerMorgan Motor CompanyModelSupersportYear of Release2025Engine3.0l turbocharged straight six V12Horsepower335hpTorque369 lb–ft0–62mph (100km/h)3.9 secondsTop Speed166mph (267 km/h)Weight1,170g (1.2 tonnes)Power to Weight286 hp per tonneGearbox8–speed ZF AutomaticDriven WheelsRear Wheel DrivePrice$132,000RivalsAlpine A110, Lotus Emira, Porsche Cayman S Source: Morgan Motor Company
