The Morgan 4/4 is a car that has been around longer than a lot of us have been alive. Unless you lived through the second World War, there’s a good chance that you still weren’t around when the 4/4 was first introduced back in 1936. 75 years later, Morgan is rolling out a special edition model of the 4/4, appropriately called the "75th Anniversary Edition."
With an overall weight of just 920 kg/2028 lbs, the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition is as light as a feather, which bodes well for it considering that it’s powertrain is a relatively subdued 2.0-liter Ford Duratec engine that only produces 145 horsepower. It doesn’t sound like a record-setter, but when you combine the output with its lightweight, then you have a car that can hit 0-62 mph in just 7.2 seconds and boasts a top speed of 118 mph.
Aesthetically, the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition comes in a choice of three color options - Black Sport, Sport Red, and Old Español White - with a matte black longitudinal stripe and a "4/4 75th" inscribed on it. Other unique details of the 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition include chrome mirrors, a set of black 15" spoke wheels, black leather seats, and wood details on the steering wheel and the dashboard courtesy of Moto Lita.
Ownership of the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition will cost you £38,750, which is around $60,000 based on current exchange rates. For a car that’s clearly long in the tooth, special edition models come few and far in between. That’s what has made the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition such a compelling model for numerous generations.
When you first look at Morgan’s new luxury car, the Morgan EvaGT, you would never expect it to be large enough to fit a family of four. However, this is exactly what Morgan says the vehicle is capable of. According to Morgan, "the car can seat four adults and has a large boot (reference the current Morgan Aero SuperSport, but it is considerably deeper on the EvaGT with a full hatch style entry)." The vehicle was built with practicality in mind and offers a comfortable ride for a family’s everyday traveling needs.
Inspired by UK’s early 1950s sport saloons, the Eva GT is based on the Aero SuperSports platform currently used in production for the Morgan Aero SuperSports GT3 race cars. Back in 2010, Morgan announced details on their latest creation which was already available for order. A deposit of £5000 was needed to reserve your EvaGT and the first 100 cars are planned for production to begin in mid 2012.
The Eva GT is powered by a BMW Twin Turbo straight six engine that develops a total of 306 HP and 400 NM of torque and is mated to a 6 speed manual or automatic gearbox. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 170 mph.
UPDATE 12/16/2011: The Worcestershire-based car builder has announced that customers will have to wait another two years to finally see the EvaGT put into production. Originally scheduled for a Geneva Motor Show debut in 2012, the Morgan Eva GT will actually be making its appearance at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show due to the fact that the company wants to integrate magnesium alloy technology - which is currently under development - into the vehicle.
During the past few months, Morgan has spent more than £1.4 million for this revolutionary material which will be used for the car’s chassis. The company hopes that by using magnesium it will make the car less dense and will improve both weight and structural performance.
Press release after the jump.
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The return of classic auto brand Morgan is coming with the rebirth of some of its classic vehicles. We’ve already touched on reincarnated versions for some of their old model line-up, including the highly-anticipated Three-Wheeler.
Fast forward to today and we just got word that another old-school Morgan will be making a comeback at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, after a brief hiatus in the retirement block. Discontinued in 2004 after being born in 1968, the Plus 8 has an enduring appeal that very few cars can boast of, further emphasizing the car’s stature as one of Morgan’s all-time classics.
Details behind the reincarnated Plus 8 are still being kept under wraps, but a few details about the car have already leaked out, including the addition of modern components to go with the retro-futuristic styling and a choice of eight exterior finishes as well as an interior that will carry a multitude of wood-finished options. But the most important piece of news surrounding the new Plus 8 is the expected price tag its going to carry. In this case, the facelifted Plus 8 will cost £71,000, which is around $112,000 based on current exchange rates.
It’s not exactly the most affordable option out on the market, but if the new Plus 8 is being touted as a modern-day version of the classic machine, then the price may very well be justified.
Morgan hasn’t been back in the game for a year and they’re already coming out with a special edition model for their reincarnated 3-Wheeler. We’re guessing these guys are going full steam ahead with their comeback.
The new special edition 3-Wheeler comes courtesy of a tie-up between the famed automaker and English clothing brand, Superdry. The whole package comes with a unique leather jacket and a 3-Wheeler model that comes with a custom shifter, a new fuel filter cap, an orange stripe on the tires, a matte silver paint with custom graphics, a Superdry leather interior, and plaques of recognition of the special edition series.
Together with all these new goodies, the 3-Wheeler also comes with an impressive 2.0-liter twin SS engine that produces 115 horsepower and a weight of just 500 kg (about 1102 lbs) with a 0-62 mph time of just 4.5 seconds.
The car will only run on a limited number - only 200 models are being built - with the price tag still being kept under wraps. Since the standard model costs £46,000 - $75,500 - you can expect the 3-Wheeler Superdry Edition to fetch more than that.
As if we haven’t been inundated with all these companies releasing EV sports cars recently, Morgan - yep, the very same brand that brought back the Three Wheeler - is laying the groundwork for its own electric sports car concept.
Together with British companies Zytek and Radshape, Morgan is in the development stages of building a prototype model that’s based on the Supersports chassis. If everything goes according to plan, two electric concepts being built under the Morgan +E program will be featured next year carrying a new high power-density electric powertrain courtesy of Zytek. This powertrain is being prepared as a new derivative of the company’s 70kW, 300 Nm electric powertrain that is already being used on some cars in the US.
For their part, Morgan is looking into exploring different avenues to further enhance their brand ever since its recent revival from obscurity. “This is an exciting investigation into the potential for a zero-emissions Morgan with near supercar performance,” says Morgan’s Operations Director, Steve Morris.
“By working closely with Zytek and Radshape, who already have considerable expertise in this field, we aim to make this a realistic concept that could lead to further developments if demand and other factors prove favorable.”
While this smells like an attempt by Morgan to keep abreast of the times by introducing an electric sports car concept, we’d be very surprised if this whole project makes it past the prototype phase. Not that we don’t want to see one on the road; it’s just that it speaks more about it being a feasibility study than it is about actually producing the car.
