Morgan Motor Company Limited is a British motor car manufacturer owned by Italian investment group Investindustrial. It was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan. Morgan is based in Malvern Link, an area of Malvern, and employs approximately 220 people. Morgan produce 850 cars per year, all assembled by hand. The waiting list for a car is approximately six months, but it has sometimes been as long as ten years.
Morgan cars are unusual in that wood has been used in their construction for a century, and is still used in the 21st century for framing the body shell. A visitor centre and museum have exhibits about the company's history from Edwardian times until the present day, developments in automobile technology, and a display of automobiles. There are also guided tours of the factory.
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. He began production a year later and the company prospered. Production of three-wheelers approached 1000 by World War I and quickly resumed with both racing and touring models. Morgan's first four-wheeler came in 1935 with three-wheelers phased out in 1952. Morgan continued to run it until he died at age 77 in 1959.
In 1990, the company was subject of a critique by Sir John Harvey-Jones for his television program "Troubleshooter". Harvey-Jones recommended modernizing 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 program and the company prospered. Sir John said he was very pleased to have been proven wrong in Morgan's case.
The Morgan +4 was introduced in 1950 as a larger-engined ("plus") car than the 4/4. The +4 initially used the 2,088 cc Standard Vanguard engine and at introduction sold for 625 (two-seater) or 723 (coup).The +4 used Triumph TR2 (in 1953), TR3 (1956), or TR4A engines (until 1969). Plus 4 production was suspended in 1969 but brought back in 1985 with a Fiat engine (19851988) and then a 4-cylinder Rover engine (19882000). Production was again suspended and the Plus 4 returned once more in 2004 with a 155 bhp Ford 4-cylinder.
From October 1965 to April 1967 Morgan produced the two-seat +4 Competition, of which only 42 were built, about 11 of which survive. A limited edition Plus 4 was re-introduced in 2014 as the Plus 4 Super Sports. Only 60 cars were made available, all right-hand-drive.
This Charming +4 is in excellent running and driving condition and has been under the care of a vintage race driver for the past several years. He reports to have had to do very little to the car other that having the radiator recored and adding an electric cooling fan for slow parade duty on hot days. The car is a spirited performer featuring the rugged TR3 Drivetrain. Accompanied by a tonneau cover, top, Morgan Production records, disc wheels, and a file of service records, the car is just a joy to drive. The interior is in excellent condition, the paint is very good overall with only some minor crazing noted on the right front fender (pictured). According to the letter from Morgan, this car was updated at some point in its life with the shorter grill used on earlier cars to give it a more vintage look.