Morgan Motor Company

H.F.S. Morgan quit the Great Western Railway in 1904 and co-founded a motor sales and servicing garage in Malvern Link. In 1909 he designed and built a car for his own use. Previously he developed the first independent front suspension in the engineering shop of Malvern College. In 1990, the company was subject of a critique by Sir John Harvey-Jones for his television programme Troubleshooter. Harvey-Jones recommended modernising production and clearing the order backlog. The company rejected the advice, arguing that traditional techniques were part of the appeal of the company, and that a waiting list helped the company deal with recessions and preserved their exclusivity. Sales increased as a result of the programme and the company prospered. Sir John said he was very pleased to have been proven wrong in Morgan's case. Peter Morgan, son of HFS, ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003. He was replaced as chairman by Alan Garnett, a non-family director, from 2003 to 2006. After Garnett's resignation, a four-man management team was established. Morgan Runabout (15023622404).jpg|Single-seat Morgan Runabout, similar to HFS Morgan's 1909 car Morgan Runabout (15645200332).jpg|Rear view, showing swingarm rear suspension The Aeroplane - 1912-08-15 - page 158 (Morgan).jpg|Advert for Morgan's four-wheel "Adler", from The Aeroplane, 15 August 1912 This team was made up of Charles Morgan (son of Peter), Matthew Parkin, Tim Whitworth and Steve Morris, and in 2010, after Parkin's resignation, Charles Morgan was named managing director. In 2010, the MMC became dormant and all assets were sold to a new company called Morgan Technologies for an unpaid 15 million and which took over all the former assets of the Morgan Motor Company, Aero Racing, the Morgan M3W Company and all other companies bearing the Morgan name. This cured the negative equity that had occurred over the Charles Morgan tenure. UK Company House In January, 2013, Morgan was removed as managing director, replaced by Morris, but continued as strategy director until October 2013 when he was removed both as an employee and member of the board of directors. At the end of 2013, the shareholders appointed Andrew Duncan, a local solicitor and very close friend of the late Peter Morgan, as chairman. In 2016, he resigned as chairman and company director and was replaced as chairman by a new director, Dominic Riley. In January 2016, the company was once again UK government funded by a £6 million grant by the British Government after a series of visits from UK politicians and Royals. In August 2018, the name of Morgan Technologies, was allowed to change its name back to The Morgan Motor Company while the original company, founded by HFS Morgan in 1957, had its name changed to a numbered company and accordingly registered at UK Companies House. For most of its history, the company was owned by the Morgan family. A press release dated 5 March 2019 announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Morgan Motor Company Ltd by the Italian investment group InvestIndustrial. Though it was announced that as a part of InvestIndustrial's investment, management and staff were rewarded with shares in the company, this appears nowhere in the information registered at Companies House. And though it was also announced that the Morgan family retained a minority shareholding and would continue to be involved in the company this does not appear on any statement filed with Companies House. In October 2024, it was announced that Matthew Hole would assume the position of managing director, taking over from former CEO, Massimo Fumarola. Matthew's previous position in the company was as chief technology officer, having joined the company in 2021. In February 2025, the company appointed Stephen Armstrong as its non-executive Chairman, replacing the great-grandson of HFS Morgan, Lawrence Price. == Early cars: three-wheelers and 4/4s ==

The early cars were two-seat or four-seat three-wheelers, and are therefore considered to be cyclecars. Three-wheeled vehicles avoided the British tax on cars by being classified as motorcycles. Competition from small cars like the Austin 7 and the original Morris Minor, with comparable economy and price and better comfort, made cyclecars less attractive. V-Twin three-wheelers (1911–1939) H. F. S. Morgan's first car design was a single-seat three-wheeled runabout, which was fabricated for his personal use in 1908, with help from William Stephenson-Peach, the father of friends, and the engineering master at Malvern College. Powered by a Peugeot twin-cylinder engine (from an abandoned motorcycle project), the car had a backbone chassis, an idea retained for all following Morgan three-wheelers, and used as little material and labour as Morgan could manage. A single-seat three-wheeler with coil-spring The steering was by tiller, and it had band brakes. Malvern Link. Three single-seater cars were exhibited at the 1910 Motor Show at Olympia in London. In spite of great interest being shown, only a few orders were taken, and Morgan decided a two-seater was needed to meet market demand. This was built in 1911, adding a bonnet, windscreen, wheel steering, and crank starting; it was displayed at the 1911 Motor Cycle Show. Interest in his runabout led him to patent his design and begin production. While he initially showed single-seat and two-seat versions of his runabout at the 1911 Olympia Motor Exhibition, he was convinced at the exhibition that there would be greater demand for a two-seat model. The Morgan Motor Company was registered as a private limited company only in 1912 with H.F.S. Morgan as managing director and his father, who had invested in his son's business, as its first chairman. Morgan himself won the "very tough" ACU Six Days' Trial in 1913, in the sidecar class. These models used air-cooled or liquid-cooled variations of motorcycle engines. The engine was placed ahead of the axis of the front wheels in a chassis made of steel tubes brazed into cast lugs. After the First World War, the company introduced an easily changed rear wheel, which customers had been seeking for several years. The 1921 Popular, powered by an JAP and bodied in poplar, sold for £150. The Popular, powered by a engine, sold for £110, the Aero for £148, and the one-seater £160. Racing Morgans included Harold Beart's Blackburne-engined special, with 3.33:1 top gear and a streamlined body, which covered in a one-hour trial at Brooklands, with a peak speed of over . They would be lower still in 1929: the Standard and Family at £87 10s, the Aero £110, and the Super Sports £145. In 1933, the Family was priced at only £80. provided they remained under 8 cwt. By 1930, however, inexpensive four-wheeled cars were proliferating, led by the £100 Ford Popular. The vee-twin models were not returned to production after World War II. The Morgan Three Wheeler Club was formed in 1945. The F-4 had a new pressed-steel chassis 4/4 Morgan's first four-wheeler, designated by the factory as the 4/4 because it had a four-cylinder engine and four wheels, was released to the public in 1936. Powered by a Coventry Climax engine, and carrying a pair of rear-mounted spare wheels, the new two-seater 4/4 sold for 185 guineas (£194 5s). It proved popular, and a four-place model was added in 1937, joined by a £236 drophead in 1938. Coventry Climax eventually ceased making engines available, so Morgan switched to a tuned Standard Motor Company Ten, producing . In 1938, a 4/4 was entered at Le Mans. This led to production of factory replicas, with fold-down windscreen, cycle fenders (mudguards), smaller-displacement engine, and single spare wheels, with a price of £250. == Post-war cars ==

Morgan +4 The Morgan +4 was introduced in 1950 as a larger-engined ("plus") car than the 4/4. The +4 initially used the Standard Vanguard engine and at introduction sold for £625 (two-seater) or £723 (coupé). TR3 (1956), Morgan 4/4 2019. Production of the 4/4 was halted during World War II but resumed afterwards. Production halted again in 1951 when the Standard engine ceased to be available but resumed in 1955 when a suitable replacement, the side-valve 1,172 cc Ford 100E engine was found. Apart from these breaks the 4/4 was in continuous production from its debut until 2018. Engine capacity increased from the 1,122 cc Coventry Climax engine in 1936 to a 1.8-litre Ford engine in 2004. From 2009 until the model was discontinued in 2018 a 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine was fitted. Power has ranged from over the decades. Morgan +8 Faced with the decreasing availability of large four-cylinder engines for use in their +4 models, Morgan began to install the recently available Rover V8 engine in their cars in 1968, giving these cars the model designation "+8". The engine displacement jumped from the 2.1 litres of the Triumph TR4 engine to 3.5, then 3.9 (1990), 4.0 (1998–2004), and with an optional 4.6-litre engine (1996–2000) all based on the same Land Rover block. However, this V8 was no heavier than the Triumph engine. These features made the +8 accelerate much more quickly than the early +4 and also improved its road-holding capability. Horsepower (143–204 bhp), weight and performance varied with emission and structural laws through its history. Thus powered, the car could accelerate from 0–60 mph in 5.6 seconds. In its final form, the GEMS Land Rover V8 produced . Roadster In 2004, Morgan came out with a traditional styled model to replace the departing Plus 8. The Mk I Roadsters with the Ford UK Mondeo V6 produced 223 bhp (166 kW, 226 PS) at 6150 rev/min. It had a Getrag gearbox with direct drive in 5th with a 3.08 axle ratio. Later Marks had a Ford gearbox with direct drive in 4th with a 3.73 axle ratio. The overall gearing is virtually the same. The later Roadsters were powered by a Ford UK Mondeo V6 producing . In 2007, the Mondeo engine was replaced by a US-specification version of the same engine in the Roadster II. In 2011–12, the engine was replaced by the 3.7 Duratec Cyclone engine and output increased to . The company calls this latest model the Roadster 3.7. Morgan Aero 8 (Series I-V) In 2000, the Morgan Aero 8 was introduced and, as always, the wooden body substructure was ash. (Contrary to popular myth, however, the chassis is metal; aluminium for the Aero 8.) The Aero 8, with a BMW V8 engine in a car weighing less than a BMW Z4 and considerably less than a BMW M3, (though more than traditional Morgans) is even faster than the Plus 8, delivering what Autoweek magazine termed supercar performance. The newest Aero 8 (series V), presented in March 2015, puts out at 6100 rpm with the company suggesting a top speed of over . Due to the Aero 8's light weight it can do 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds. During its customer production lifetime (2002–2009), the Aero was configured in five official versions, (I, II, III, IV, the Aero America and V) with mild variations in styling, engines, transmissions, braking and suspension. The company cancelled the model in 2009 but relaunched it in 2015 for 2016 deliveries. The year of highest production for any Aero variation was 2002. Morgan AeroMax The Aero was followed by the Aeromax, a limited edition of 100 units produced between 2008 and early 2010. The Aeromax was a coupé variation of the Aero 8. Customers have included Richard Hammond, Rowan Atkinson and Paul O'Grady. Morgan Aero SuperSports The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a targa-roofed version of the AeroMax, sharing its bonded aluminium chassis and lower bodywork with the coupe. It was launched at the 2009 Pebble Beach car show in California. Its cancellation was announced in March 2015. Morgan Aero Coupé The Morgan Aero Coupé is a hard top version of the Aero SuperSports, sharing its bonded aluminium chassis, bodywork, suspension and engine. It was launched at the end of 2011. It is not available in the United States. Its cancellation was announced in March 2015. Morgan Plus 8 The new Morgan Plus 8 is a classic body version of the Aero SuperSports and Aero Coupé, sharing their bonded aluminium chassis, bodywork, suspension and engine. It was launched at the end of 2011. It is not available in the United States. In 2019, Morgan announced its cancellation. Morgan Plus E The Morgan Plus E is an electric version of a classical Morgan, a joint project of Morgan with Zytek and Radshape (Radshape Sheet Metal Ltd.), funded by the UK government. It was displayed at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It has never been produced and the project was abandoned. Morgan Eva GT Based on the same chassis as the Aero Supersports, the Eva GT would have been a 2+2 grand tourer, and as such it would be longer in the body. The Eva GT would use BMW N54 twin-turbo straight-6 producing 302 bhp, Euro-6 emissions compliant. Shown at Pebble Beach in clay in 2010 and expected to go on sale in 2012, deposits have been taken since 2010. At the end of 2011, Morgan announced that it would use new magnesium technology for the body and therefore it would not be represented until 2014 with deliveries after that. In 2013 dealers confirmed that the EvaGT had been cancelled. Morgan 3-Wheeler The Morgan Motor Company announced that they would launch the "3 Wheeler" in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. and was estimated to deliver The kerb weight was originally estimated to be less than , Morgan Plus Six The Morgan Plus Six was announced in March 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show. Instead of the traditional Morgan ladder frame and sliding-pillar suspension, it has a new bonded aluminium chassis and all-independent suspension design, with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link system for the rear. The Plus Six is powered by a BMW B58 turbocharged in-line six-cylinder petrol engine, producing 335 bhp, coupled to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Morgan Plus Four The Morgan Plus Four was revealed online in March 2020. Like the Plus Six, it uses a "CX-Generation" bonded aluminium chassis and all-independent suspension design. The Plus Four is powered by a BMW B48 turbocharged in-line four-cylinder petrol engine producing 255 bhp, with either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic transmission. Morgan Super 3 The Morgan Super 3 is a three-wheeled roadster released as a successor to the Morgan 3-Wheeler that was discontinued a year earlier. It uses the same platform as Morgan's Plus Four and Plus Six models, but notably lacks wood panels. Morgan Midsummer The Morgan Midsummer was a limited-release barchetta released in 2024. The Midsummer was a collaborative effort between Morgan and Italian design firm Pininfarina. Only fifty units were manufactured, all of which sold before the price was announced. Morgan Supersport The Morgan Supersport was revealed in March 2025 at a launch event held at the company's Pickersleigh Road factory. The launch event was broadcast live online and was hosted by Richard Hammond. The Supersport features a new CXV aluminium platform. The company describes it as a "contemporary" redesign of its timeless design, aiming to target a "wider" demographic. == Availability in the United States ==

For part of the 1950s and 1960s, the United States provided the company with its largest market worldwide, taking up to 85% of all production. This ended with the first wave of US safety and emission regulations in 1971. For many years (1974 to 1992), all Morgans imported into the United States were converted to run on propane as fuel to pass the US emissions regulations. However, this conversion, along with bringing the cars into compliance with US vehicle safety legislation, was carried out by the dealership, and not by the factory, making the cars grey market vehicles. However, when the Rover Group re-certified their V8 engine for use in the Range Rover 4x4 sold in the US, Morgan was able to use the same engine for a fully US-compliant stock Morgan from 1992 to 1996, and again from 1998 to 2004. In 2005, the engine was replaced with the US-version of another traditionally shaped model (with a V6), called the Roadster. In 2002, Morgan centralised its international compliancy development and regulatory interaction in-house. In 2005, its right to import its classic models ceased when supplies of its necessary airbag were exhausted and no replacement was developed. In 2006, a request for an airbag exemption to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was refused, and the import of classic Morgans ceased. In 2005, the new Morgan Aero 8 model (versions 2 and 3) received a three-year exemption from rear impact non-compliance, along with a separate exemption for compliance with "advanced airbag requirements". The rear-impact exemption lapsed in May 2008 without further application. Morgan has indicated to its US dealers that it plans to re-apply for US certification for some model at as yet an undetermined date in the future. In April 2012, the new Morgan 3-Wheeler was showcased at the New York International Auto Show, at the Jacob Javits Center, by Bobby Singh and Gideon Lang-Laddie of Manhattan Motorsports. This was the first time in 10 years that Morgan had had a presence at the largest of the American car shows and was the first US specification Morgan 3-Wheeler in the United States. The Morgan 3 Wheeler was voted one of the "Hottest Cars Of The Show" by G4TV. In May 2012, Manhattan Motorsports took delivery of Charles Morgan's Superdry edition Morgan 3-Wheeler and prepared it for its first major American trial. This vehicle was driven across the States, from New York to Los Angeles by Charles Morgan and his wife, covering 3000 miles, in the Gumball 3000. At the end of the seven-day drive, the Morgan 3 Wheeler was awarded the "Spirit of Gumball" prize. The Morgan 3 Wheeler sold successfully in the United States until it ceased production in 2019. The 3 Wheeler's predecessor, Super 3, was made available in the United States in 2023 — following its U.K. and European launch in 2022. Homologated as a motor tricycle, the Super 3 does not come under the same homologation requirements as conventional automobiles. In 2025, Morgan made the Plus Four available for the United States market after a five-year effort to homologize the car. The Plus Four is compliant with the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, which allows for low-volume manufacturers (less than five thousand per year) to sell replicas of vehicles sold at least 25 years prior to sale. The exemption allows the car to avoid certain safety regulations (provided no more than 325 vehicles per year are sold) while requiring compliance with modern emissions and lighting regulations. The only transmission available for the US market is the automatic. == General characteristics ==

In spite of their traditional design, Morgans have always had sporting or "sports car" performance, due to their extremely low weight. Among their Australian enthusiasts, Morgans are affectionately known as "Moggies". Suspension H.F.S. Morgan's 1909 runabout used sliding pillar suspension, an independent front suspension system with each front wheel mounted on a stub axle able to slide up and down a fixed pillar that also acts as the kingpin and supported by a spring and external shock absorber (damper). One advantage is reduced unsprung weight, theoretically allowing the tyre and wheel to better respond to road surface irregularities. The Morgan system is described as an 'inverted' sliding pillar, as the pillar is fixed and the hub carrier slides over it. Earlier systems had the wheel carried on the pillar, sliding through a bush on the axle. Morgan used developments of this suspension system throughout its existence, and it is still used on Morgan's "classic" line, although not on the Aero 8 or its derivatives. It has been cancelled, along with all the Morgan Classic line, in 2019. However, some "classics", shipped in parts to avoid the need for normal compliancy, will be shipped to the US, and assembled there for an indefinite period. == Models ==

• 1909 Runabout • 1911–1939 V-Twin 3-wheeler • 1932–1952 F-Series 3-wheeler • 1936–2018 4/4 Two-Seater and Four-Seater • 1950–1969 Plus 4 • 1964–1967 Plus 4 Plus • 1965-1967 Morgan +4 Competition two seater • 1968–2004 (and 2012–19) Plus 8 • 1985–2000 Plus 4 • 2001–2009 Aero 8 • 2004–2012 V6 Roadster • 2005–2020 Plus 4 • 2006 Morgan LIFEcar • 2008–2009 AeroMax • 2009–2018 Morgan 4/4 Sport • 2010–2015 Aero SuperSports • 2010–cancelled Morgan Eva GT • 2011–cancelled Morgan Plus E • 2011–2012 Morgan Plus 4 Supersports • 2006–2008 Morgan Anniversary 4/4 • 2012–2015 Aero Coupe • 2012–2021 Morgan 3-Wheeler • 2012–2019 Morgan Aero 8 • 2012–present Roadster 3.7 • 2015–2019 Morgan Aero 8 • 2018 Morgan EV3 • 2019–2025 Morgan Plus Six • 2020–present Morgan Plus Four • 2021 Morgan Plus Four CX-T • 2021 Morgan Plus 8 GTR • 2022–present Morgan Super 3 • 2024–present Morgan Midsummer • 2025–present Morgan Supersport == Motorsports ==

Morgan cars can be found in many areas of motorsport, from club and historic racing to more prominent examples, including the Le Mans 24hr race. A notable Morgan racecar was the Aero 8 GT car that campaigned in 2008 Britcar races and the 2008 Britcar 24hrs at Silverstone, prepared and run by Mark Bailey Racing. Pescarolo Sport rebranded its Le Mans Prototype as a Morgan for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, partly to mark the 50th anniversary of a class victory for a Morgan Plus Four Super Sports at Le Mans. ==See also==