Description
Compiled by R.M.Clarke, Hardbound , ISBN: 9781855208421, This Special Edition limited to 600 Copies only -
Brooklands Books has been publishing 'road test' books on a wide range of makes and models for over 50 years. This 800 page compendium is our tribute to the Morgan Motor Company to celebrate their first hundred years. Compiling it has been an enjoyable and nostalgic journey as the first car I owned, whilst serving in the R.A.F. in 1952, was a 1931 Morgan three-wheeler Family Four. Over the following two years it accompanied me in England, Wales and Scotland plus Northern and Southern Ireland. Also, my first careful steps into publishing, in the mid-fifties, was an 'owners handbook' for this car.
The Morgan company has been one of the true survivors of the British motor industry. Its fortunes have been judiciously guided through two world wars and numerous booms and busts by four generations of the Morgan family and is now in the sure hands of Charles Morgan. Their latest road cars are a testament to his drive and energy and the creativity of those on his team.
The purpose of this book is to trace Morgan's history through the pages of contemporary magazine articles for the 100 years from 1909. Some of the pages are not of the quality we would have liked and for that we apologise. Some have, it must be remembered, been taken from up to 99 year-old magazines, mostly printed on newsprint quality paper, and some, from necessity, are copies of copies. It is however the information that we believe to be of interest, which is our reason for their inclusion.
A work of this nature relies on the help and co-operation of many people and organisations. First and foremost our thanks goes to Charles Morgan who generously loaned us 35 wonderful scrapbooks, initially started by his great grandfather the Rev. H.G. Morgan and then continued by his grandfather, `H.F.S.', the first managing director of the company. Over a hundred pages of this book were sourced from this unique collection. He was also kind enough to write a splendid overview, which follows, to the century and introductions to parts 3 & 4, covering the years after the introduction of the Plus 8. The staff at Malvern all played their part - Matthew Parkin, Beverley Moore, Jayne Dobson and many others all helped in their own way to make this a memorable work of reference. Our thanks also go to members of the The Morgan Three-Wheeler Club and especially Graham Joseph for his photographs and also to Dr. John Alderson, the well-known author of a number of books on Morgans, who kindly wrote the informative introductions for Parts 1 & 2 that cover the earlier years up to 1967.
None of our 'road test' books could or would exist if it were not for the understanding and generosity of the publishers of the world's leading motoring and motorcycling journals who, for over 50 years, have allowed us to include their invaluable copyright stories. We are sure that Morgan owners and historians will wish to join with us in thanking the managements of the following magazines for their ongoing support: Australian Motor Sport, Auto International, Autocar, Automobile, Autosport, Car, Car and Driver, Car South Africa, Cars & Car Conversions, Classic & Sports Car, Classic Cars, Drive, Evo, Fast Car, Fast Lane, Light Car, Mechanix Illustrated, Modern Motor, Morgan Motor Co., Motor, Motor Cycling, Motor Rally, Motor Sport, Motor Trend, NZ Classic Car, Octane, Performance Car, Practical Classics, Road & Track, Road & Track Specials, Road Test, Small Car, Speed Age, Sporting Cars, Sporting Motorist, Sports Car Graphic, Sports Car International, Sports Car Mechanics, Sports Car World, Sports Cars Illustrated, The Cyclecar, The Light Car, The Light Car and Cyclecar, The Motor Cycle, The Motor Cycle & Cycle Trader, The Motor Cyclist Review, Three Wheelers for 1932, Top Gear, What Car? and the World Car Guide.
R.M. Clarke
Morgan - An Overview of the First 100 Years
by Charles Morgan
Interestingly enough each Morgan design reaches the end of its life cycle after about 30 years, except in the case of the Morgan Plus Eight, which reached the ripe old age of 40! Of course there are minor improvements to each design made every few years or so but the basic concept of a Morgan design remains much the same.
The first Morgan era was of course the age of the Threewheeler. EIFS Morgan designed a fun car, the Morgan Runabout, for people with little money but a sense of adventure. He had a huge business success and in the 1920s the Morgan factory in Malvern was making 2500-3000 cars a year with a smaller number being built in France under the Darmont Morgan brand. Nevertheless each year production was always sold out in advance as customers were desperate for small cars. The Morgan was popular because it was one of the best and most reliable light cars you could buy. Stripped down a Morgan Threcwheeler also made a successful racing car. In 1913 a Morgan won the French Cyclecar Grand Prix and at Brook lands in the 1920s the JAP V twin engined Morgans were as fast as a Blower Bentley, completing a lap of the banked circuit at an average speed of over 100mph. Numerous records were broken in Morgan Threcwheelers, notably by Gwcnda Stewart at Brooldands and Monthlery. In spite of this success on the racetracks, during the 1930s Morgan Threewheeler sales fell off a cliff.
By 1935 there were only 300 orders for the cars. The reason for this was the arrival of mass produced cars from Ford. Morris and Austin costing a similar price but offering more features for the money.
So 1-IFS Morgan had to come up with something new. He did this in 1936 and announced the Morgan Four Four, a light sports car with four wheels and a four cylinder Coventry Climax engine. HFS had established the Morgan design philosophy with his Threewheeler and subsequently for the next 100 years all Morgans have had a high power to weight ratio and lots of torque. So Morgans have always been fun to drive and capable of winning races in their class. Right from the start the Morgan Four Four was making its name in competition and finished well at Le Mans in 1938 and 1939.
With the interruption of War the second Morgan era did not really start until 1940 but it lasted until 1970. These were Morgan's "Heritage Years", when the company established its reputation as a successful sports car manufacturer. The slogan was, "Race on Sunday, sell
on Monday" and the Morgan was successful in Rallies and Races in more or less standard form. The Morgan was typical of a breed of cars built for motoring enthusiasts who wanted to combine a car to get to work in with a bit of motor racing at the weekend. In the right amateurhands the Morgan could take on International competition and notably achieved a class win against the works teams at Le Mans in 1962. The car also achieved great success in the USA where success, in sports car racing led to many sales of the Morgan Plus Four.
The end of this period saw the birth of the Morgan Plus Eight, a light car fitted with a small block aluminium V8. The Plus Eight was the perfect example of a "wolf in sheep's clothing" with its long bonnet and elegant flowing wings but rumbling exhaust. The car became a best seller in Germany.
Although the Morgan Plus Eight was to become an enduring design, only ending production in 2004, the third Morgan era really began in the 1970s when the increasing importance of making vehicles safer, more efficient and more economical forced Morgan to make many changes to thc design of its chassis and drivetrain. Between 1970 and 2000 the company met demanding new standards on a modest budget with the help of a talented and flexible workforce and the support of loyal suppliers. During this time most of the low volume car manufacturers failed to meet this challenge and slowly disappeared.
A further challenge for Morgan during this period was to. improve quality and the efficiency of its manufacturing processes. The Japanese car makers in the 1970s and 1980s were proving that quality and efficiency were synonymous and car makers that failed to learn this lesson had a hard time surviving. Only a few of the 50 British independent motor manufacturers that were in business after the war have survived and of course Morgan is one of them.
The end of this era saw the birth of the Morgan Aero Eight. Testing and development had led the company into many new technologies such as electronic engine management, superformed body panels and an adhesively bonded aluminium chassis. The Aero Eight was the first car to use Alcan's Aluminium Intensive Vehicle technology that has subsequently been adopted by most of the luxury sports car industry to create a stiff but lightweight structure.
The Aero Eight also marked the start of a successful collaboration with BMW giving Morgan access to some of the most advanced powertrain technology in the world. In spite of the cost of developing a new car the company kept some of its "gung ho" spirit alive and the Aero Eight production car was originally developed on the race track. The Morgan Aero Eight has competed at Le Mans in 2002 and 2004 and a three car team is now competing in the International HA GT3 Series, frequently coming in the top ten finishers.
In 2009, during the Centenary year, a new era for Morgan begins. Environmental responsibility is the key message. Morgan has a head start with some existing green credentials. The modest weight of all Morgan sports cars make them economical and low polluting. The current Morgan Four Four emits only 139 gms CO2/kin which already puts it under the imposed limit for car manufacturers of 140 gms CO2/km in 2012. Simple and efficient design using the latest Computer Aided Design software, the use of recyclable raw materials and water based paint all give Morgan a very low carbon footprint.
Morgan also uses the latest electronic technology and fits efficient engines and gearboxes from Ford and BMW to give the lowest pollution levels. The AeroMax is the lightest V8 coupe in the world and emits just 260 gms CO2/km in spite of accelerating to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and reaching a maximum of 170mph. With the L1FECar Morgan is proposing a potential design revolution, a zero emission high performance sports car.
Morgan is now a vibrant exciting company with a great history behind it. The company can definitely learn from this history and I hope the reader of these transcripts gets a powerful glimpse of some of that history. In the last 100 years Morgans have created much passion and the company has had its supporters and its detractors. But all would agree that although a very small company Morgan has made a big contribution to the history of the sports car and the company intends to continue to do this in the future by being innovative, independent and exciting, just as it has been in the past.
Charles Morgan
