Signature styling started with the 4/4 in 1936
Flagship roadster will be replaced with an all-new sports car late next year
Morgan will end production of its Plus Six, the higher-powered, six-cylinder version of its two-tier ‘Plus’ range, early next year and replace it with a new flagship that ushers in a fresh design language for the British brand.
The Plus Six’s departure will be marked by the Plus Six Pinnacle, which will be limited to just 30 examples and adopts design cues from the striking Pininfarina-styled Midsummer that was unveiled earlier this year.
Morgan will also use the £96,995, 3.0-litre straight-six-powered Pinnacle to demonstrate its expanding bespoke programme, which will offer what Morgan calls “almost limitless” options.
The replacement for the Plus Six, insiders have revealed to Autocar, will arrive late next year as a two-seat sports car that will not use the traditional ‘wing silhouette’ of today’s four-wheeled Morgans.
The best-selling four-cylinder Plus Four – which has recently been outselling the Plus Six by roughly two to one – will be left to continue the brand’s traditional vintage styling, which started with the 4/4 back in 1936.
The company has previously signalled its interest in producing a model that advances its vintage look into what design chief Jonathan Wells calls “the jet age”.
For the new flagship, it seems more likely that Morgan will use lessons from the limited-edition Midsummer to produce a considerably more exclusive and upmarket model, clearly differentiated from the Plus Four, that will justify higher prices and more interest in the firm’s bespoke programme.
Some people inside Morgan have been calling for this move for some time as rivals take similar approaches, Autocar understands.
The new model is expected to continue to use the Plus models’ CX extruded-aluminium chassis, plus a version of the outgoing Six’s 3.0-litre BMW-derived turbocharged inline six, which currently makes 335bhp but is thought to be reliably capable of considerably higher outputs.
Even at its current power rating, a Plus Six can hit 60mph from rest in 4.2sec and exceed 160mph. Extra power, perhaps as much as 380bhp, could easily lift performance further towards supercar levels.
Q&A: Matthew Hole, Morgan’s new managing director
How would you describe Morgan’s priorities?
“We need to continue broadly in the direction we’re travelling. But we have recently seen the success of Midsummer, our limited-edition project with Pininfarina, and I’d say we definitely need more of that. I have also had three years working with Jon Wells and his amazing design team, and I reckon they need to be unleashed a bit more on things you might not have expected.”
Does that mean different-looking Morgans in future?
“There’s definitely space out there for new models that don’t look the same as the Morgans of old – as long as we also meet the expectations of our traditional customers: that’s one reason we’re keen to maintain and expand our coachbuilding skills. Our cars’ underpinnings have come a long way, but there’s catching up to do with some of the exterior. Coachbuilding allows you a lot of flexibility.
Do we need more high-tech Morgans?
“We’re in no hurry to dump a lot of forward-facing technology into the cars, especially if it doesn’t add to the analogue driving experience. We’ve been doing mostly subtle mechanical stuff, like enhanced ride and handling. We’ll probably continue on that line.”
Source: Autocar
