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EDITORIAL

EDITOR’S

elcome to January’s MOG and welcome to a New Year. Perhaps 2023 will be a less momentous one than the one we’ve just le , though it did have is enjoyable moments. As I have detailed in my personal review of the year in this edition the year got off to a good start, so perhaps this year the miserable start will lead to happier times. At least the postal strike means that Christmas cheer will still be spread well into January, and goodness knows on what day you are reading this if you are a subscriber. All of which reminds me of a fantastic Christmas party in a large Gloucestershire farmhouse I a ended back in the late 1970s. It was one of those parties that went on all night, with the added excitement of a severe gale blowing outside. Around four in the morning a huge tree came crashing down near to the house. Luckily all our cars and the buildings were unaffected, but fuelled by good cheer all the chaps went outside and cut the tree up to clear the drive. An hour and a half later we had rejoined the ladies back inside. Suddenly one of the local lads exclaimed, “I’m glad I bought all my Easter eggs yesterday, as I’ll never get to the shops this morning now.” Astonished we all told him that it was Christmas Eve, not Easter. “Oh,” he replied, “I thought they were cheap!”

Happy New Year

Nigel Bradford, Editor

SUPER 3 GETS LEISUREWEAR LOOK

Morgan Motor Company has teamed up with resort wear and swimwear brand, Orlebar Brown, to create the ultimate holiday ready Super 3. The one-off Super 3 showcases a range of bespoke design features, celebrating the customisable nature of the model.

Super 3, as with all Morgan vehicles, is coach-built in Malvern, Worcestershire. Unveiled in February 2022, the Super 3 has received praise from media and customers alike, with the first production cars now in showrooms around the world. The company’s flair for creating bespoke special projects has lent itself to the collaboration with Orlebar Brown, which has seen the design teams from both companies work together on the unique specification.

The OB x Morgan Super 3 is finished in a pastel beige paint colour, combined with matching Khaki Sand technical fabric interior. Red accents feature throughout the exterior and interior, matching Orlebar Brown’s unique colourway. Several bespoke adaptations to the interior continue this theme, including a body colour instrument cluster, red cockpit bungee cords and a body colour OB liveried gearshift surround.

The exterior of the Super 3 features yet more bespoke modifications. Custom laser cut, geometric pattern luggage racks with red bungee cords adorn the sideblades, with the luggage rack pattern mimicked in a textured graphic applied to the sideblade. Orlebar Brown branding features subtly on the exterior of the Super

3, including on the body-coloured spotlight covers.

Most strikingly, this unique Super 3 has been adapted by the Morgan special projects team to enable the attachment of a bespoke sunshade canopy, allowing both driver and passenger to seek shade in even the sunniest of locations. The removable canopy, with its body colour frame, is trimmed with the same Khaki Sand technical fabric as the interior of the car and fits to specially adapted mounts on the flyscreens and roll hoops.

The ultimate holiday ready Super 3 will be seen in some of Europe’s most exotic locations over the next 12 months. To launch the collaboration, adventure photographer and visual artist Karl Shakur has taken the OB x

SILVERSTONE

FESTIVAL

IS LAUNCHED, A CLASSIC BY ANY OTHER NAME

purred on by its ever-increasing popularity, ‘Silverstone Festival’ marks a new era for the venue’s much-loved event with a new name and fresh look for 2023, celebrating all that happens both on and off the track.

e Home of British Motorsport has played host to the event – formerly known as ‘ e Classic’ – since 1990 and the new name celebrates the wider experience now enjoyed by festival-goers.

Silverstone Festival (25-27 August) continues to boast an unrivalled line-up of incredible track action as well as recordbreaking displays of classic cars.

All the crowd-pleasing grids will be returning in 2023 along with some landmark automotive anniversaries, an incredible line-up of off-track entertainment, main stage music and family fun.

Last year saw the popular addition of Foodie Fest, extreme stunt shows, three nights of live music and current F1 car displays including a worldexclusive tribute to Lewis Hamilton, and now Silverstone is injecting even more vibrancy into the non-stop, fun-fuelled weekend.

“We’re so excited to mix the very best historic motorsport on track, with even more energy and adventure off track to entertain the whole family,” explained Nick

Wigley, Silverstone Festival Event Director.

Tickets for Silverstone Festival will go on sale within the next few weeks. Sign-up now to receive an alert to take advantage of the best prices when ticket sales launch. e link to register in advance is here.

Full details of the 2023 Silverstone Festival can be found at: www.silverstone.co.uk/events/

Morgan Super 3 on its first road trip, capturing his adventures on and off the roads and beaches in locations around Wales.

Adam Brown, the founder of Orlebar Brown told us that“Beautifully designed cars appear on every mood board as design inspiration for OB collections. I am very excited to be working with Morgan, bringing their history of classic design, iconic cars and dedication to cra smanship. Values that we share. And I cannot wait to drive this extraordinary OB car.”

Since March 2007, British resort wear and lifestyle brand Orlebar Brown has reinvented holiday style for men, with its classic shorts remaining the original and best

‘shorts you can swim in’. Instantly recognisable due to their hallmark side-fasteners, the brand’s classic swim shorts come with a 5-Year Guarantee as a testament to their quality and durability.

Identifying four key holiday categories in beach, sport, resort, and coast, Orlebar Brown creates quality functional, timeless, and tailored garments and accessories to enable their community of customers to holiday be er and

share memorable experiences.

Orlebar Brown has grown into a global brand with stores in more than 25 locations around the world, including London, Paris, Spain, New York, Miami, France, Istanbul, Greece, Australia, Kuwait, and the UAE.

In 2018 Orlebar Brown was acquired by Chanel, with a plan to continue the brand’s growth and development internationally and across channels.

Star Le er

Trawling the internet the other day, as you do when you’ve finished reading MOG, I came across this picture. Initially it caught my eye as it shows two legendary J.W. Automotive Gulf Ford GT40s going through turn 6 at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona. I had just watched Le Mans 66 for the umpteenth time. en I noticed the Morgan!

A li le research revealed to me that this was the legendary “Iron Man” of endurance racing, George Waltman, in his Morgan Plus 4.

Waltman is considered a Daytona legend because he drove the entire 1968 Daytona 24-hour race without benefit of co-driver or pit crew and he managed to finish the race 30th overall. George had to adhere to FIA rules that required a one hour break for every three hours of driving. During that break he serviced his car, grabbed a snack, went to the loo and even took brief naps. By comparison the AIR Corve e entered by actor/ racer James Garner finished just ahead of Waltman in 29th position and they had a compliment of four drivers as well as a fully staffed pit crew. Neither of the Ford GT40s in this photo finished the race.

Not only that, but when the race was over

George apparently drove to Miami for a short break, a er an oil change. Reading that it came as no surprise it me to read that George had driven down to Florida from his home in New York, and when his holiday was over he drove back home!

I would love to know where this car is now.

Verney Tuck Warwickshire

Dear Verney, so would we. What a remarkable story. He was clearly a character judging by his deerstalker. ere are still Morgan racers that drive to and om the track for the Morgan Challenge, but George Waltman took that to another level entirely!

DEAR MOG

Morgan has the new version of the 3-wheeler featuring the new 3-in-line engine which replaced the V-Twin. But what about this as an idea? ….

Suppose if Morgan used a Suzuki 3-in-line, 657cc twin cam turbo’d engine as fi ed to the Series 2 Cappuccino + the 3-speed automatic gearbox in the 3-wheeler, how would

the car perform?

As the 3-wheeler is about the same dimensions as a Kei-car; and the automatic gearbox means there’s one less pedal in the footwell, the car should appeal to a few more people!

Caterham did that with their 160 model and does it move or what?

Food for thought here…. Chris da Silva, (Perth, Australia)

Hi Chris, food for thought indeed. ough if you read our cover feature this month you’ll be er understand the choice of the Ford engine. We have no doubt that automatic transmission would be an appealing option to many.

A SUPER EVENING WITH JON WELLS

It was a dark and stormy Autumnal evening. Well it was really November the 24th and that day seemed to pass for Autumn this year. We were gathered at Williams Automobile’s showroom for an evening with Morgan Chief Designer, Jon Wells to hear him spill the beans on how the Super 3 came into being.

WORDS Charley and Nigel Bradford PHOTOGRAPHY Williams Automobiles

Over one hundred people were gathered together to hear Jon’s talk, mostly Morgan aficionados with a few other potential customers, but all were keen to hear the fascinating story of the development of the Super 3 from the great man himself.

Jon began by thanking Henry for his kind introduction, stating that it was great to be out and about now; having been locked away for the past couple of years for many reasons - not least of which because he was developing new products. He went on to state that evenings like this are really useful because of the feedback given by audiences who may well come up with ideas that Morgan themselves may not have actually thought of before. To start Jon told of how he joined

MMC in 2009, a very exciting time to join the company as it was just celebrating it’s Centenary. He joined as the second designer, his predecessor having joined two years earlier, who had been quite an “analogue guy”; using pencil and paper whilst Jon’s background was a more digital approach. Photoshop and digital modelling being his stock tools of his trade so he initially used these techniques to create plans and information that would be understood by the craftsmen and engineers at Morgan - and as soon “as the team realised that we could colour in I was set to work designing the brochures and photography, this has eventually resulted in the multimedia team at Morgan that I now head. We enjoy doing the product design, shows and events, and portraying the brand in terms of posters and design.

“That for me summarises what’s best about Morgan, it’s a very inclusive, very holistic business”

Gesturing towards the Super 3, Jon then went on to say that he was by no means fully responsible for that but that it was a team effort. But what had been the reasoning behind it?

“Super 3 was a new challenge, a challenge that originated with a requirement to update the power train of the three-wheeler, it was becoming increasingly difficult - because of legislation - to obtain a replacement engine for the V-twin for the existing M3W. remarkably, the price of the power

train of the old 3W at the end of its production was the same as the Morgan plus 6, so continuing with it was not economically viable. Finding a replacement engine involved a consultation process with “our most charming and intelligent dealers, and Henry” to find out what it was that our customers loved about the M3W. It was this research that made us realise that 3W owners could basically be split into quite distinctive camps. The first group just loved the fact that it was a Morgan, and that our origins were in the building of three wheelers, so this gave us the heritage model. The second camp, were people that just loved the fact that

it was a 3W, and that it was crazy and different; so this second camp gave us a far more contemporary design of car. And the third camp was all about adventure, so the third car was designed around touring and trips.

“But to go back to the requirement for the new power train it seemed obvious to us that we should initially look for a new motorcycle engine, thus maintaining the character of the M3W.”

Jon was then very surprised to discover that this was very difficult to do, he looked at British partners that fitted large motorcycle engines and of course they went to BMW who do large capacity boxer engines

(horizontally opposed) and without exception all these motorcycle engines had an internal gearbox. These were all sequential gearboxes and would be very hard to reengineer, notwithstanding the fact that none of them had a reverse gear either. So having discounted using a motorcycle engine Morgan then went on to look at their other partners and quickly realised that Ford had a three cylinder naturally aspirated engine that perfectly fitted in the car. This engine is incredibly ugly to look at, it’s all plastic because it’s designed to be inside of the car; so that’s where they put it.

Jon’s brief quickly became to create a lower cost 3W in terms of materials, and to place the engine inside of the car. Not only did Jon have to fit the engine inside the car, but he also had to fit in not only a cooling pack (the engine was not air-cooled) and taller people than had previously been comfortably accommodated (Jon quipped that he is much taller than his predecessor.) All these ambitions had to be achieved within two years. Jon then went on to describe the design process

once the engine had been decided upon. “The engine itself needed to be placed just behind the line joining front wheels which is important for the dynamic mass of the 3W as that is the best place for the engine in terms of stability and safety. “Also the aesthetics require that it should look like it’s towed by its front wheels. This aesthetic applies across all Morgan models including the 4 wheelers, the idea is that of a horse and cart; with the business end out front that is very

mechanical, very engineered - and then there’s beautiful coach work behind it. The proportions of all Morgans being that the occupants sit in the back, just behind the midpoint between the front and rear wheels, so the engine mounts sat squarely between the two front wheels, and initially the design team wondered how they should cover them up, but the more they wondered how they should cover them up, the more they realised that they should make them part of the visual design of the car to give it its new character. It has always been the mechanical aesthetic of the 3W that the engineering, as on a motorbike, is visible. And so, this cast aluminium mounting is also used to duct

the outside air into the internal cooling packs, not only that but it also forms the headlight brackets, every single part of the car has to do more than one job, that casting aesthetic is also used on the rear casting where it contains the boot hinge.”

(It’s good to know that despite being Morgan’s first monocoque designed car, that the car still carries with it Peter Morgan’s honesty of design where the function of every part of the car is clear to anyone looking at it.)

“But this design ethos also enabled us to keep the quality good but the cost as low as possible.”

Not only is Super 3 Morgan’s first monocoque, but it is also the first car without any wood! Jon told that

there had been a special meeting called at the Factory to decide “where to put the wood?”!

The meetings conclusion was that there would be not wood. Wood has been used in all other cars before because it serves a purpose, not because of “cliché or tradition”. In the Super 3 it would serve no purpose. Whilst in the “Door Car”, as Jon described the four wheelers, wood serves both as a safe and strong part of its coach built body and to maintain the Company’s sustainability targets, the strength of Super 3 is maintained by the flat aluminium body sides. These sides carry the new and innovative “Side Blades” an innovation that Jon and the team are particularly proud

of as they allow many accessories to be fitted.

Last but not least, Jon explained how noise and character were really important for Super 3, as it was never going to compete with the outgoing “punchy, thumpy” V twin on the outgoing M3W with the noise of induction and exhaust that engine makes. But the vehicle is still a motorbike, so it can have a sharp edge on the exhaust that makes the “warble” of the three cylinder engine, “Like half a 911”. A car would never be allowed that exhaust!

The Super 3 is now in full production, so get on down to your dealer and see, hear and drive it for yourself.

TRADING PLACES

Past performance is no guarantee of future returns – as Investment companies are want to say – however, although the retiring, Katy ompson will be a hard act to follow, I think we can have confidence in the latest incumbent. Chris ompson. Chris’ interests in motorsport had led to further education in Automotive Materials Engineering. A career in the industry followed, and he is now a Technical Manager at Bentley Motors.

is allegiance to Morgan came about a er several years watching the Roadster Lightweights in Morgan Challenge, in 2010 the acquisition of a 1978 4/4 became the ‘daily’ whilst at University to the surprise of many peers. In the last 10 years an occasional outing in a Mk1 Capri with CSCC Swinging Sixties has been fuelling the passion”.

I have been following the Morgan Challenge for many years,, photographing, and reporting on the Challenge, and for the last twelve years Katy has been a constant in my life. Trying to take pictures around a circuit, o en well away from the Paddock, and endeavouring to record the thoughts and stories of the

WORDS Bob Bull PHOTOGRAPHY Tripos Media

Careful with that bo le, young man

Jamie presents the prizes

Katy ompson Chris ompson

Catherine Emberson, has something to smile about

Andrew in action, who washes his overalls?

drivers is a full time occupation on a race day, however you could always count on Katy to have a copy of the results to hand, and to have details of what was going on both on and off track. Katy also had the knack of lighting up a Paddock, with her ready smile, and cheerful demeanour even while coping with some of the problems can arise during a race weekend. For the competitors, mechanics and the media there is an offseason, time to look back at the year, and ponder on the next, however not so for the Organiser. ere is always the end of season dinner to arrange, ensuring all the trophies are returned by the last holder, and ready for the next, once that is over there is the calendar of races for the new year, to sort out, and liasing with various clubs and the MSA.

For twelve years Katy has done a superb job on all fronts yet working full time teaching a class of young children as well as finding time to bring up a particularly lively – Jamie. Oh!, let us not forget taking care of Andrew, which I would surmise is not always

John and Catherine, a happy couple

easy, as he too seems to have his hands full organising various ‘things’. I know that life has not always been kind to Katy, especially during the Covid pandemic, so while sorry to see her leave, I pray she will enjoy her ‘retirement’, and spend, at least sometime around the Challenge Paddock in 2023.

Another long serving member of the Challenge hierarchy, Catherine Emberson, has handed in the keys to the safe, and resigned from the Treasurers role for 2023, Catherine is, of course the wife of racer, John, who has graced the Challenge ranks for many season. Taking command of the ledgers will be Michele Jarvis, whom some might know as the ‘Hobbit’, frequently mentioned in Cain’s contributions to MOG.

PRESS RELEASE FROM CHRIS.

The upcoming season brings with it an amendment to the Technical Regulations, with intent to increase the competitiveness of the Class structure. To do this the 5 classes have adopted a mean power-to-weight rather than outright maximum power to help balance the performance differences between 4cylinder, V6 and V8.

The 38th Morgan Challenge will shadow a selection of

Classic Sports Car Club (CSCC) events, with two rounds supporting the Bentley Drivers Club at Silverstone.

EACH MEETING WILL CONSIST OF TWO CHAMPIONSHIP RACES; 26th March Snetterton 300

There will be an opportunity to watch a live stream of the races at Snetterton through CSCC social media. We also plan to increase activity of online updates to make all aware of what’s going on more regularly.

Where other opportunities arise for spectator interaction we will publicise in advance on our website www.morganchallenge.co.uk

FOUR MORGANS AND A RECALL

2022 has been such a momentous year when seen from the Editor’s chair, the driving seat and from the sofa it is hard to let it go without comment, so here’s that comment.

The year started ordinarily enough for me as on New Years Day the VSCC returned to the Oak at Much Marcle in Herefordshire. Once again the Morgan Three Wheeler Club was there in strength with many variants of “Runabout” in evidence. Once again the stewards were very strict in enforcing the “nothing after the war rule”, so once again there were some wonderful classics and four wheeled Mogs parked on the verges and all seemed right with the world. Indeed, with the gradual relaxation of all COVID restrictions it really did seem that the new year would be a wonderful and memorable one. Time would tell a different tale, as we all now know.

Whilst we were all looking forward to regaining our freedoms, it had always been understood that 2022 would be an important one for the Morgan Motor Company as it was the 60th anniversary of the Company’s finest hour

on the track, the win in the the 2 litre GT class at Le Mans. We all knew that there would be some commemorative items produced for the anniversary, and it was a reasonable assumption that there would be a limited edition car among the offerings, but nothing had prepared me for the LM62. MOG was about to go to press when the news was released, but I had to pause from my editorial duties for a while to just take it all in. Sharing the news on MOG’s Facebook page I wrote “You can’t buy TOK, but you can buy one of these.” As soon as had I posted that I picked up the phone and called Henry Williams. With only 62 available I knew I had to be quick. “Would you like manual or auto?” Henry asked. I’d driven both Plus Fours a few months before so I knew the answer straight away. “Automatic, it is quicker isn’t it?”

A couple of days later when I popped down to the dealership to pay the deposit I asked the price! Not only

that but the car was already there! It was love at first sight. Oh well, I had always intend ownership my Plus 8 and Four Seater to be extended test drives, so now those test drives would be over. Not only that but all the memories contained in those two cars would have to go. But no worries, this really was the car I had always wanted.

As things turned out I hadn’t quite got all my finances in place, and the car wasn’t quite ready, so I didn’t actually take ownership until March. On the meantime the world became a nastier place. Putin’s army invaded Ukraine and for a moment the world seemed as dangerous a place as it had during the Cuban Missile Crisis, ironically also 60 years ago. I was only 3 years old at the time, but I do remember being “evacuated” from London with my mum to go and live for a while with my grandparents in Worcester. My dream of new Morgan ownership suddenly seemed doomed, and even though I was placed on the

retired list of officers of the Royal Naval Reserve 12 years ago , I began to wonder if I would be wearing uniform again some time soon.

News from the front was bad, evacuees were arriving in the UK and Morgan conveniently parked a pale blue car next to a yellow one at the Experience centre so I could come up with a Morgan themed Ukrainian flag design.

Not only that but Morgan launched the Super 3 on the day of the invasion, the unveiling having an almost religious feeling to it with a Super 3 at the head of the

room under a shroud like an altar and all the proceedings lit in a red glow.. We could only hope that the Russians wouldn’t be launching anything in our direction.

After a few weeks, any threat of Russian “buckets of instant sunshine” raining down on Cheltenham rescinded and the day for picking up the newly named TOK the Younger, or TOKty for short, dawned. I had taken Cossie the Plus 8 for one final visit to Malvern College and now it was time to say goodbye. Henry was taking her in part exchange so I drove her down to the dealership to do the deed, with my good pal Ian Smith in his blue ARP4, Morag, for moral support. Ian had surprised everyone when he had exchanged his Plus 4, Molly for the newer model, so I knew he was the right man for the job.

I felt no pangs of regret as I drove home in my brand new Mog, only excitement. Those early months seemed so carefree as I drive everywhere in TOKty. Not only that but I had no less than six runs up Shelsley Walsh at the Gumball preview and got her up to 120 mph going round Goodwood at the Brands Hatch Morgan track day. Then at the Bromyard Parking Festival, formerly known as the Bromyard Speed Festival, someone came up to me and mentioned that they worked for Morgan and there was something wrong with my brakes. In fact there was something wrong with everyone’s CX car’s brakes, both Plus Sixes and Plus Fours. A couple of days later I drove down to Devon for the day, then Henry called me with the

bad news. I wasn’t to drive the car, at all.

Oh well, someone said recently that a Mog is for life not just the summer, but all of a sudden this summer was looking awfully dull.

“Cheer up”, I thought, “worse things happen at sea”. Then I heard a small voice add “and in Ukraine”. Life didn’t seem so bad, after all in a former life something had gone so badly wrong on my aeroplane we had needed all our skill and experience to keep the thing in the air. Afterwards we were told that the manufacturers had known that this

chain of faults could happen, but the chances of it were so small they hadn’t bothered to tell anyone. Beside, we had coped with it, hadn’t we? At least Morgan were behaving in a much more, professional manner than that.

It didn’t seem so long when a transporter arrived from Williams to take TOKty south, initially for her historic meeting with TOK herself, and then to have the “fix” done.

It was as if she hadn’t been away, what fun we had! Then the world changed again. The country had its second

Prime Minister in a year, then on September the 8th two days after meeting her 15th but the first to share her christian name, it was announced that Her Majesty the Queen was gravely ill. I will never forget the time I heard the news, as I slightly lost concentration driving on the M5 and failed to notice that the speed limit had reduced from 60 to 50 mph. Lesson learned, and with the help of a wonderful online course, I can now consider myself a better motorway driver than ever!

I don’t think the news really sunk in until the new King

Charles III made his television address to the nation. Then a few days later I attended Worcester’s Proclamation of the new King. The mayor coped admirably with the PA failure, right up to the moment he finished with “God save the Queen!” He quickly corrected himself and the crowd have a hearty three cheers. The day before the State Funeral I escorted my mother to the Queen’s memorial service at Worcester Cathedral. Mum drew some startled gazes as she walked across Cathedral Plaza, can’t think why, and after the service Charles Morgan, a Deputy Lieutenant for

Worcestershire asked me if I was in the Merchant or Royal Navy. You see I had put on uniform this year after all! I politely pointed out to Charles that the Merchant Navy don’t wear swords, and left it at that. We then had a good chat about the state of everything, and I was delighted to hear how he had recently enjoyed a Factory Tour to see the new models in build.

Soon after that we had our third Prime Minister, and I’ve lost count of the number of Home Secretaries.

A highlight of the year was my airline reunion at the de Havilland museum where I parked TOKty, my old airline cap on her bonnet, under the nose of a Mosquito, and on the 8th anniversary of my trip to Gheluvelt in Belgium I parked TOKty this time with a replica Worcestershire Regiment cap on her bonnet at the gates to Gheluvelt Park in Worcester.

It’s been such a year though hasn’t it, and as I write this it’s not over.

Have I forgotten anything? Well of course Morgan has a new boss in Massimo Fumarola, who has promised a proper chat soon, Morgan has announced upgrades to the Plus pillar of cars, (what is it about Morgan and Pillars?) and England didn’t win the World Cup.

What will 2023 bring? Who knows? But so long as I can drive my Morgan all year round, I don’t really care, bring it on!

STEERING WHEEL’S TURN

Last month MOG featured Reno’s wonderful hard top and speedster conversions for his beautiful car. is month we continue with his custom, handcra ed steering wheel for MOG 414

My Morgan still had its original steering wheel when I purchased it. It had a black rubber steering cap but when in 1999 it was partly restored by La Riche of Jersey, the wheel ring was covered in blue leathere e. Both my wife and I did not really like it and decided that eventually it had to be replaced with a more classic look.

As an interim improvement, I first decided to replace the horrible centre cap with a polished aluminium one with an engraved classic Morgan 4/4 logo. I prepared the drawing and got the logo laser engraved on a square piece of 2024-T3 aircra alloy. Since I requested deep engraving, more than the usual single pass had to be performed… which obviously increased the cost! Once this was done, I

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY Reno Psaila

carefully cut it to the exact round shape and chamfered the edge. I salvaged the metal clip from the back of the old cap and riveted it to the back of the new cap.

To finish it off I hand polished it to a mirror finish. is improved the standard steering wheel look but the ‘blue’ wheel ring kept bothering me.

I researched online what was being offered and

short-listed 2 manufacturers of classic wood rimmed steering wheels, Moto-Lita and Nardi. Both had beautiful products, but all required that apart from the wheel a new boss and centre cap had to be ordered as well. is would bring the cost up quite a bit, especially if I decided on a Nardi wheel. Also I was considering, that for be er entry into my Morgan, it was best to reduce the overall diameter

and 14.5 inches seemed to be best size for my car. That is an inch smaller than original but enough to ease slipping in the driver’s seat without making it harder to turn at slow speed since the car does not have power steering.

Taking the above into account and keeping in mind that mine was not a ‘dished’ wheel, I decided that I design and fabricate my own custom wheel and fit it on the original standard boss and obviously fit my own new centre cap.

An accurate full scale drawing was plotted on my computer and after printing it on paper, I glued it to the 0.25 inch thick aircraft grade alloy plate. I used this thickness because I wanted to chamfer the spokes’ edges. Normally 3/16 inch is used but edges are kept square. The outer circle was first roughly cut with an angle grinder since I do not have a metal cutting band-saw. After that the spaces between the spokes were hand cut with a hacksaw. Once that was done, all edges were carefully filed down to the design lines. The slits in the centre of the spokes were drilled, cut out and filed as well. Next I hand filed the chamfers on the 3 spokes. The cutting process could have easily be done quicker by taking the CAD drawing and material to a firm that offer laser or water-jet cutting

services but that meant that I would have had to wait a couple of weeks, and I did this on a grey and wet Sunday.

On this type of steering wheel design where the alloy outer edge is visible, laminated ply is usually used for the wooden ring and attached with solid rivets. Although I opted for this style I wanted to be able to remove the wood rings for re-finishing when the unavoidable scratches become unsightly so I planned to use screws instead.

The alloy wheel was drilled with 16 equally spaced holes around the circumference. Two rings of 5/8inch (16mm) thick marine ply were cut to size and temporarily installed with wood screws. After first filing the ply flush with the alloy frame, the process to round them off was started using rasps, files and sandpaper. On the backside I also added ‘finger grips’ at ten to two o’clock positions for a firmer grip. A couple of trial fits on the car itself were done and once I was happy with the feel, the ply rings were removed and wood stain was applied to match the colour of the Morgan dashboard. This was followed with several layers of clear laminating epoxy. When dry, I rubbed them down with fine grit sandpaper and hand polished them.

First the flat surfaces of the alloy frame were given a brushed look and the chamfers and edges were highly polished. The original boss was cleaned, primed and sprayed in matt black. The holes in the alloy ring were threaded with a 4mm tap. Counter sunk stainless steel 4 mm Allen head screws were used to secure the wood rings to the alloy frame, using alternate nine screws from the front and alternate nine screws from the back. Before assembly I highly polished the head of the screws.

The wheel was finally attached to the standard boss with 5 mm stainless steel counter sunk Allen head screws and stainless steel dome nuts. The centre cap, which I had made previously, was fitted on the new steering wheel.

It was time to take MOG414 out for a spin!

NOTE: All images reproduced are: Copyright © 2021 Reno Psaila

SILVERSTONE CLUB CIRCUIT

e excellent photographs that accompany many of the race reports in MOG are the work of Tripos Media, and Bob Bull gives us a li le insight to the art of ge ing the right picture at the right place.

The Silverstone circuit has a number of configurations ranging from the full Grand Prix layout, down to the Driving School track. e National, or Club Circuit is used by most Clubs organising a meeting at the circuit, however, uniquely Silverstone can accommodate two different events on the same day, as the lower half of the Grand Prix layout is used

for the South Circuit, a fully resourced facility separate from the National version, and when two events are run on the same day, you can hear the sound of racing cars in all directions, which can be confusing.

When working as a photographer at any particular circuit, there are a number of vantage points from which to take your pictures, and most snappers have their own

First corner is Copse, a very fast right hander, cars stay to the le on entry before heading for the apex

WORDS Bob Bull PHOTOGRAPHY Tripos Media

An ideal spot for ‘panning’ to capture the image of speed with the background blurred as the cars accelerate out of the corner

Approach to Beckets keeping le , before turning right onto the Wellington Straight

Taken too fast and there is a gravel bed waiting to welcome the over confident

favourite spots. For instance at Silverstone you will always see a number of photographers clustered around the Complex which incorporates Brooklands, a le hand corner at the end of the Wellington Straight, and Luffield In‘ and ‘Luffield Out’, which allows a variety of shots, as it takes the cars in a sweeping U-Turn, meaning that the

best of the prevailing light can be utilised depending on the time of day. I suspect its proximity to the Paddock Bar might also be a factor. Even the Papparazzi do not have unfe ered access to every part of the circuit, as certain sections are labelled ‘Red Zones’ and deemed too dangerous for photography. is is probably a sensible

A field of Morgans demonstrate the correct (?) line through the turn …

…. and floor the thro le down the long straight

precaution, as it is all too easy to be squinting through a lens, and fail to spot the wildly careering car coming your, way, e first corner, on the Club Circuit is Copse, a fast right hander with plenty of run-off and a deep gravel bed for the over enthusiastic, it is also convenient to the Paddock area, and has easy access to both the inside and

outside of the track, and of course, frequently sees an opening lap kerfuffle. From Copse there is a long run down to Becke s, at the bo om end of the circuit, a favourite spot of my own. I have noticed that it is rarely visited by the majority of photographers on duty, (perhaps because of its distance from the Paddock Bar) while the

Some find there is not enough, and use the grass as well

Flat out before preparing to brake for Brooklands

Drivers stay on the right for the only le hand corner on the circuit, most taking all of the road

e last two corners consist of are Luffield a looping right hander that has two apex with a short sprint in between…

And, it easy to get the second apex wrong, before heading for the ….

… end of the lap, and the finishing line

gap between the edge of the raised banking, and the safety fence is narrow, and stony underfoot which is not an deal base when trying to capture a speeding car, particularly if ‘panning’ Despite the disadvantages, it offers a number of angles to shoot from meaning a nice variety of images, as cars appear from your right, giving frontal, side and rear views, before taking the right hand turn that leads onto the Wellington Straight. A more popular spot is the inside of the corner, as this is easier to reach from the Paddock, and it allows a nice shot of the cars leaving the corner and heading down to Brooklands Corner. Here is where the majority of Photographers can be found, which is unsurprising for the reasons mentioned earlier.

Personally I like the inside of the corner at the end of the straight as you can see the drivers working hard, and the suspension even harder, plus when the sun is in the right place, you can get very good quality pictures, with the BRDC Grandstand, and the marshals in the background, adding atmosphere to the image. A major advantage of this area is the ease of capturing multiple corners during even the shortest of races, as it is a short walk from corner to corner, enabling a wide range of angles, once again giving the variety wanted by picture editors. From the Le Hander at the end of the straight you move to the Right Hand ‘Luffield In’ which allows some excellent frontal shots, especially on the first lap when the cars are still

It is usually worthwhile taking a stroll through the Paddock, as there are always interesting sights to record with the camera

Where the winner is cheered home

Staying on the right side of the marshals is a good idea for the photographer Well! It’s a start

bunched up. In addition there are opportunities to catch cars from the rear, and from the front with only a few steps between, ideal for the more idle snapper. Moving along the banking takes you to Luffield Out, which leads onto to the finishing straight, and the chequered flag. e outside of the final corner is also a good place to shoot from, and is usually well populated with photographers, e infield

of the Complex is one of the Red Zones, a pity, as prior to being banned to photographers, a few years ago, I took a lot of very good actions shots from its many angles.

Photographic opportunities for the spectator are virtually non-existent, due the high catch fencing surrounding the circuit, however, as access to the Paddock is free, it is well worth taking your camera along.

IN THE COCKPIT

Peter Bishop

What are you driving?

It’s an 1800cc Ford Zetec engined Morgan 4/4. I ordered it on my birthday in June and I took delivery of it on my birthday 9 years later in 2000! It would have been ready in March of that year, but I figured that I’d waited the best part of 9 years already so three more months wouldn’t hurt!

I explained that I wanted to pick up the car on my Birthday and Morgan obliged. e colour choices were mine. I used to do rolling-road tuning, and a customer of mine had an old SS Saloon in these colours so I asked him if could copy them. He kindly said yes and asked his painters for the exact colour spec. ey are BMW colours. He advised me to make sure Morgan painted it

the right way round, light body and dark wings. Of course they did.

It certainly has an older classic look about it, older than 20 years. Is it your first Morgan? First and only one!

Have you owned any other sporty cars?

A Hillman Avenger Tiger and a Mark One Ford Escort Mexico, they were both rally cars of that era.

I work for Bengry’s of Leominster, and Bill Bengry was really into rallying back then.

He rallied a Rolls Royce back then didn’t he?

Yes! One of my first jobs as an apprentice, I started there in 1973,

was trying to get the pi ing off its bumpers as it was being rebuilt for rallying. Recently Bill’s son-in-law gave me one of the original Cibie Oscars (spot lights) off the Rolls. He’d fi ed them to his Mini and someone had stolen one of them. I’ve now got it mounted with a picture of the car at home.

So apart from having the car built and then finally getting it on your birthday, what has been your most memorable Morgan moment?

Without doubt that was my visit to Le Mans Classic in 2010. A wonderful time with wonderful weather. I fi ed the flagpole for that trip and its been on the car ever since!

LIVING WITH A PLUS FOUR

Winter finally arrived, but that wasn’t the problem…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY Nigel Bradford

isaster, a puncture! Not what you want to greet you when you go to get your baby out of the garage. The tyre was clearly down, though not completely flat. My previous Mogs had a spare wheel on the back, and once upon a time I had to change a wheel, also after a morning garage discovery, on my Four Seater. Strangely enough that puncture had also been on the offside rear wheel. Of course the LM62 spec just called for a tyre inflation can, the use of which will leave the wheel covered in gunk inside and the tyre incapable of permanent repair. Luckily my nearest tyre supplier is only half a mile away. So I gingerly drove down there, no damage done.

The car was jacked up on a ramp and the wheel removed, after I had shown them the spanner and hammer. (The spanner was provided by Morgan even though I have two-eared nuts.)

Then the good news, it could be repaired for the princely sum of £45, all in. Phew!

I did chuckle when the technicians asked me what the tension on the nut should be when they replaced the wheel. I told them that the official Morgan advice was, “hit it until you think it’s tight enough, then hit it one more time”. (Please check this with your dealer and don’t take my word for it.)

Trawling back rough my various MOG jottings over the years would indicate that Climate Change in the shadow of the Malvern Hills for the past few years has resulted in just two seasons. Warm and cold, driving and not driving. This was one of my excuses, or should I reasons, for buying a hard top Mog. This climate theory was proved when the tv weather folk proudly announced we had started meteorological winter, but I was still using my air conditioning to cool off. Then all of a

sudden someone mentioned a “cold snap” was on its way. There was even talk of another Beast From the East, and they weren’t talking about Putin.

The cold blast arrived on December 3rd, so the Met Folk hadn’t been too wrong, but I was driving the perfect winter Morgan, so I was also driving the perfect winter car, QED! Back in my driving youth I had taught myself all there is to know about snow driving in a front wheel drive car on an empty office car park. Looking back I think I was the only one to get in that morning, that was the Inland Revenue for you, but it was fun! So I was a tad disappointed that Worcestershire didn’t get a good dump of snow.

When I attended the last Meet at Morgan of the year

on December 10th it was a joy to turn up in my Mog for the Winter Wheels themed gathering with my coat still folded up on the parcel shelf. Heated seats are the future, even if you don’t have a hard top. Not only that, but for my first time in a Mog I saw the Ice Caution illuminate. Thankfully this can be cancelled. It was good to be back at the Factory because that weekend marked ten years since I first visited the Factory since I was in school at Malvern. So it was wonderful to catch up again with Martyn Webb who had conducted my tour on that day. Not only that, I was excited to hear that his new book, the second volume on the subject of Morgan and Motoring in Malvern is now at the printers. Now that is something to really look forward to in the New Year.

YELLOW PERIL

This month has been all about getting a Daytona Yellow Plus 8 to feel safe for a new Morganeer! As we all know every Morgan has “her” or the politically correct “its” own character but this one felt

well downright scary; a bit like living with a lady going through menopause! Or should I say just living with M’Lady when the patches run out*.The plan is to finally get the Wolf Cafe Racer into the workshop for the Christmas

shutdown, unless I down tools and go on strike that seems to be a very on trend at this point in time, but I am not sure Management would listen to me even if I did go on strike it would be like talking to oneself.

Toe measuring

Back to the Plus 8, as always it was onto the level tables to identify if the wheels were going in the same direction? and if all the parts working? To give you an idea the camber reading was POSITIVE where in reality it is

best if it is negative, coupled with a shallow camber angle, the newly named “Yellow Peril” lived up to its nickname. Let’s just say this one took both of us to start to beat it into submission.

Now working in the workshop

is great in the summer and not too bad in the autumn especially if I am allowed to turn on the oil filled radiator, but that was just not enough as the snow and ice arrived, we had a good 4 inches of snow and -13°C overnight

Camber Reading

Caster Reading

temperatures. The workshop, even with the radiator on, was bad so I had to retire (I wish) into the Forge to be near the wood stove that always has a kettle on heat for copious quantities of tea, courtesy of M’ Lady.

Watching the weather out of the window was heart-breaking as if the Wolf Café Racer was on the road then I would have been out for a drive on the still covered Country lanes slipping and sliding with a grin from ear to ear and a manic laugh. Mad possible but as a devout Petrol Head, back in the day it would have been a motorbike! I must be getting older!

With this free time, I have spent some of it making my very own Christmas Bacon, which I have found to be surprisingly easy. The most repeated part is the dehydration of the belly pork using salt for a week that requires a daily removal of water. At the end of this process, you simply need to wrap it in muslin and hang it in a cool dry place…. For some finding the perfect dry cool place is hard, not for me it was a no-brainer, they were hung up on some spare metal in the over-flow shed, next to the perfect Petrol Head’s curing flavor of Gulf 102 Race fuel….. it could be safer then then standard shop

bought bacon additives!

After another week it was time to try the bacon and what better to have it with some eggs for breakfast…..perfect. I am just hoping for a thaw to get back out in the workshop to clear the car lift for the next installment of Wolf Café Racer repairs.

TTFN

NOTE: For menopause and PMT (PMS) support from both perspectives please feel free to call or email office@wolfperformance. co.uk or call 01223 789658 to talk to M’Lady or myself as we have a lot of personal experience.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS Fleet

Imentioned last month that I was starting with a cough/cold, but did not realise that it would develop into something quite severe and debilitating. So bad was the illness that I did not leave the house for nearly three weeks and when I did became tired out walking a couple of hundred

yards. It is only in the last two weeks that I have started running again and only slowly and for a maximum of three miles. On the positive side, I did lose almost half a stone in weight, which, no doubt, will go back on over Christmas.

As I was due to be Father Christmas at Kedleston Hall, I felt that I could

not let the children down and decided, as usual, to go in the Morgan. I thought I had better see if she started the day before I was due to go as it had been over three weeks since I had used the Mog. To my relief, she started at the first turn of the key and seemed very eager to go for a trip out on the roads again, resulting in a wide

grin from me as we bowled along the roads. Simple pleasures are more appreciated when they have not been experienced for a while.

During the recent motor show at the NEC, John Gibson was saying that he had fitted indicators to his 1930s Aero Supersport as nobody these days can understand hand

signals. We then both chatted about how these were a requirement in the dim and distant days when we took our driving tests. I can remember being instructed by the examiner to wind down my window and to “proceed until further instruction using only hand signals”. I can still remember them, but have not used

them for many decades. Upon reflection, the only hand signals commonly used by modern drivers are those which would result in a fail on the driving test. Sadly, even the raised hand to say “thank you” has now largely disappeared from regular usage. What has happened to common courtesy on the roads these

days, as I feel that, sadly, it is lacking. What happened to the good old days when a car bearing the RAC badge was greeted by a smart salute from a patrolman. I still have my Grandpa`s RAC badge – probably getting on for its centenary and my key to open the RAC telephone box – but I ramble on needlessly.

One positive aspect to being housebound was that I took the opportunity to sort through some books and documents which had been cluttering up the place. I must have been desperate, but it`s infinitely more interesting than daytime TV most of which involves stupid things being done by “celebrities”; none of whom I recognise, nor want to.

In this pile of paperwork I came across two gems. One was a Highway Code from 1961 (the last year for many millennia that can be turned upside down) and costing the vast sum of 6p. The other was a gem from 1958, “Roadcraft – the training handbook of the Metropolitan

Police Driving School” priced 3/6. Although he never took a driving test, my Dad was proud of, and keen to develop, his driving skills and bought this book to aid him in that quest. It has sections on how to crank start a car, positioning a car on the road and safe overtaking – which was obviously not read by a articulated lorry driver last night which overtook me in a 40mph zone doing about sixty on an icy road and hurtling down the right hand side of two

traffic islands! I hope the pictures from the books may bring back memories for those of you who are of mature years.

It`s very frosty at the moment here – about -4c but hopefully will improve in a couple of days and I`ll be able to take to the highways again in the world`s finest car. Looking forward to 2023 when there are various Mog-related activities to enjoy as well as plotting my revenge on a certain editor – “Pie Philling” indeed!

Read on...

So readers, do you want to know how to acquire a new Morgan for free ?

The breaking news as I write this is that nuclear fusion is going to replace all fossil fuels and light our streets and warm our houses and save the planet from choking to death on soot and smoke. No bad thing I hear you say, or is it? Is there not always a down side to such stories? It may just be that the go green evangelists have overlooked the fact that our dearly cherished loved ones…yes, our wonderful Morgans, run on fossil fuels. Not only that, we do not want to glow in the dark from nuclear radiation as we drive around, nor do we want to convert our Morgans into mini nuclear power stations in order to enjoy a summer Sunday outing to the countryside! However, in reading the news about this so

called “holy grail”, it is unlikely to be available for the next 40-60 years, so perhaps our current readers (in the main) will not be too worried about this news impacting upon their daily routines too much. Worth noting too that it has cost The National Ignition Facility in California to date a total of £2.85billion to create sufficient energy to boil 15-20 kettles…and whilst my maths was never my strongest subject at school, that works out at something like £1million per cup of tea. This huge amount is almost the cost of a rail ticket from any northern city to London, and whilst I love my mug of Yorkshire tea as much as the next reader, even I would baulk at paying that much. On reflection, wouldn’t it have been simpler and somewhat cheaper to plug the kettle into the mains? Perhaps the boffins in California will take note when they

next fancy a cuppa.

Anyway, enough of such pondering, whilst there is still fossil fuel available at most filling stations albeit at double digit inflationary prices, Christine and I motored up to Yorkshire for a pre-Christmas festive family gathering. It was to coincide with the scattering of my mothers’ ashes, a ceremony delayed due to Covid-19. My mother had expressed verbally and within her Last Will and Testament exactly where she wished her ashes to be scattered. It was in a particularly favourite park on the outskirts of Leeds, near to where she and my father lived for many years.

We met with close family members on a December Sunday morning, with mum in a black carry bag with a white tulip decorating each side as supplied by the funeral director, within which was the cardboard tube containing her ashes. With all family

members present, and following refreshments in the park cafe, we set off to find a suitable spot. Not as easy as it sounds however!

With notices strategically posted about the park, the Rules were clearly

displayed, and if you had a spare 30 minutes they would, no doubt, make interesting reading. However, with a quick glance down the biblical list, much to my surprise, Rule 27 states that the “scattering of human remains

is prohibited within the park”. Rule 29 {b iii} refers to the fines that can be imposed on breaking any of these draconian Rules. Heaven forbid. Not only that, but the park police were out in force. Issue a uniform and an

official cap with a peak and they turn into some sort of unreasonable rabid terrier with a bone. I was convinced that they are trained to spot the black funeral service carrier bag from a mile away...so much so that we hurriedly called a family summit under a magnificent beech tree in autumn leaf and unanimously agreed to cancel the plan, despite mothers’ wishes. A rapid dump and run did not seem quite in keeping with the requisite solemnity such an act deserved and warranted.

One thing for sure though….if we had all been apprehended, the park police could no longer ask me the question “Where are you from ?” Despite being from Yorkshire and proud of it the uniformed peaked cap brigade would assume from my address (anything not north of Sheffield is considered to be southern

damaged for life and in need of therapy, albeit smiling all the way to the bank and the Morgan showroom with my flat cap and whippet....is there room for a few racing pigeons too in a Morgan?

Regular readers will know from our recent articles that we purchased a beautiful classic wooden cruiser on the Thames, again unlikely to run on nuclear power in the next few years ! We were staying on our boat in the marina and were notified that the toilets and showers were being updated to comply with modern trends, albeit we thought they were in in good order, but nevertheless welcome. However, so as not to offend persons with varying gender identities, and not recognising themselves as either male or female, the new toilets will be individual pods of neutral gender within which

have reservations about following persons who identify as male into the cubicle as they seem to think that persons who identify as male have a habit of urinating in the shower, the toilet seat, and on the floor. Really? Surely not!

Anyway it was off to the Morgan factory in Pickersleigh Road, Malvern. Whilst wondering around the showroom, perhaps in my fantasy a naïve salesperson will ask me where I am from during the exchange of pleasantries whilst I admire and dream about the fabulous models on show....and wham slam dunk ! Yes, an out of court settlement for damages and I have enough at last to buy the dream! Simple. A new Plus Six is mine at las!

...so, as promised, how to obtain a new Morgan Plus Six for free ! Wishing all our readers a Happy

Rumblings From The Shed

Following on from last month….it is time to install.

Step 12

On this Morgan we are using the original clutch reservoir bracket mounting hole as one of the mounting holes for the new Brake/ Clutch reservoir mounting bracket fixings. We enlarged the existing hole to take a Riv-nut (Riveted nut, anchored nut) always check for Hidden wires behind carpets etc before you drill!

Step 13

Installation of the first Riv-nut. The hole is 250mm from the top of the bulkhead

Note. You can use a normal nut and bolt this will require help form an inside assistant.

Step 14

Trial fit the mount and mark the other hole position, then remove the mounting plate.

Step 15

Drill the 2nd hole at the marked location.

Note. Always check for Hidden wires behind carpets etc before you drill!

Step 16

Install the second Riv-nut

Step 17

Mount the new Brake/ Clutch Reservoir onto the new mounting bracket

Step 12

Step 13 - Riv-nut tool

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

Step 17

Step 18

Step 18

Final fit the mounting bracket and Brake/ Clutch reservoir on the bulkhead

Step 19

Install the new feed pipes onto the Master Cylinders Brake & Clutch we did the clutch unit first. DO NOT CUT the pipes before as you need to check out the pipe routes first.

Step 20

Fit the jubilee clips on the Brake/ Clutch pipes and clamp the pipes to the master cylinder units.

Step 21

Now feed the pipes up to the Brake/Clutch reservoir, checking

Step 20

for kinks or rubbing, then when you are positive …… all is well cut the pipes over length. WHY! This will allow you to check you have not cut the pipes too short, now trim them down for the perfect fit.

Note

The brake pipes fit onto the two lower reservoir outlets.

The clutch pipe is the one single outlet on the side of the reservoir.

Step 22

Tighten up the jubilee clips on the other ends of the pipes.

With all that done, it is now time to bleed the brakes and test it is all working and not leaking.

Step 21 - tool

Step 21

Note

Opposite is a photo of an alternative reservoir location dependant on you engine bay layout.

Photo

MOG FRIENDS BREAKFAST

Allon Whites Christmas breakfast club meets the newly appointed omas Kiesele Chief Commercial Officer Morgan Motor Company.

Chief Officer Motor Company.

WORDS Rob Davies & Chris Benin PHOTOGRAPHY Mike Smith & Rob Davies

espite the cold and damp conditions at the December Allon White breakfast meet there must have been a turnout approaching seventy people this included MogFriends members most were dressed in overcoats and woolly ear warmers, there was a good collection of Morgans arrive in the car park for the breakfast.

Very welcoming bacon butties, hot off the grill, were being dispensed with gusto and inside the showroom were equally warming mugs of tea and coffee washed down with mince pies and chocolate treats.

An indoor race competition was played on the Scalextric track, a well set out and accessible circuit, for some this was for the first time in years. Some brought their own race cars and a wide selection was seen on track including a Morgan Aero with front and rear lights and was a worthy competitor to the Silk Cut Jaguars.

There was an interesting and varied display of second hand Morgans in the showroom to suite a wide range of pocket depths. From the asking prices, it was clearly apparent that a well looked after Trad will at least hold its value - if not appreciate over time.

There were interesting talks by Morgan Motor Companies Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Kiesele and Mark Ledington who is said “knows everything about Morgans”. The challenges faced by small manufacturers were explained, including the economies of scale that large manufacturers can lever from suppliers of component parts. This partly explains why the CX chassis cars are very much more expensive than the steel traditional chassis cars they have replaced. This of course is reflected in the new car prices. Unfortunately for this reason a CX 4/4 would not be significantly cheaper than a CX Plus Four. The build quality of the new Morgan

cars was rated as exceptionally high and this was quoted by MMC as a unique selling point. It was noted that all 2023 Plus Fours from June onwards shall be left hand drive automatic and bound for the USA and thus all those wanting one in the UK should put their order in now or may be disappointed.

Thomas Kiesele described the latest refinements on the Plus range and invited a question and answer session afterwards. The Plus range now features a Sennheiser sound system that uses invisible speakers as part of the revolutionary new sound experience, while the dashboard is now super formed aluminium with improved dials.

A contemporary new style to the upholstery with fabric panels added to the seating, there is an overall more attention to detail on the finish and detail in the cars. The handling and feel of the car is much more planted due to the electronic stability control and AP braking system, it is reported to be the best driving experience yet.

Thomas has joined Morgan with a notable 30 years previous experience from other prestigious and luxury marques such as time spent with Ferrari, Bentley etc.

This was a very worthwhile breakfast meeting at Allon Whites and gave an insight into how MMC are looking to develop the Morgan brand. There was an air

of optimism that MCC believe they have turned a corner with the 2023 range of cars with many new refinements and improvements in the new ‘Plus’ range.

Some were given guided tours of the refurbished, updated and improved Allon Whites dealership, the relocation of the workshops to a new bespoke facility adjacent to the car park has released more showroom space and a good selection of cars in the showroom was a pleasure to view. The workshops have four post lifts fitted which have a lifting capacity if needed to future proof them to lift the heavier cars that may hold batteries. The relocated upholstery and trim workshop has more space and is also inside this new workshop facility.

Allon White was formed in 1919 when Allon White

was demobbed after the 1st World War and returned home to Cranfield, this Morgan dealership began in 1966 and after being put up for sale was acquired by the current owner John Bellenger in 2003.

From my personal experience I have always found Allon Whites to be very supportive and involved in the Morgan community, they are very fortunate to have dedicated and knowledgable staff and they deserve a mention.

Phil the sales manager champions the Morgan knowledge, Phil is the author of many Morgan books and publications, his advice on buying and maintaining any Morgan is very worthwhile.

Shaun and George the coach trimmers are very

experienced on obtaining that perfect finish to your trim, upholstery or hood etc, there is always a good selection of leather hides available. Refinements such as elasticated door pockets, neck rolls etc easily made to match your car.

Julie is usually the first to answer your phone call or greet you with a coffee in the reception area or Morgan showroom and always gives a warm welcome.

John, the owner of the business is available to talk and offer advice and guidance, at the breakfast club he has been seen serving the bacon butties.

And to round things off, a quick mention of Allon White Sports Cars’ Breakfast Clubs. These are held on the 1st Saturday of the month. Everyone is welcome and there’ll be hot drinks and bacon rolls from 9:30am it is usual to have a guest speaker or other ‘theme’, details are always available on Allon Whites’ website and social media.

Thank you to Allon White for hosting an extremely enlightening session on all things Morgan.

We wish all a Happy New Year and look forward to the many adventures to come in our beloved cars for 2023, your Morgan friends.

Rob Davies & Chris Bennion MogFriends.Club Website: www.mogfriends.club

SUPER 3 BIKINI TOP

Here at MOG we’ve seen a few sun canopies fitted to four wheeled Mogs. It seems to us that these canopies have acquired the name of Bikini Tops, probably initially in the USA, a very fitting name when you consider that they are only seen when the sun is out. So who better than beachwear company Orlebar Brown to produce the first Bikini Top for Super 3 as part of their collaboration? Seen here with adventure photographer Karl Shakur at the wheel. Of course there is a slight irony that OB is a menswear firm and doesn’t make bikinis. But no matter, our proof reader thinks it’s wonderful that the canopy is supported by the car’s role bar. His love of anagrams is second only to his love of spelling. Well it is Christmas.

WINTER SUN

December saw the FIFA World Cup played in winter for the first time. The less said about the messy World Cup the better. Remarkably the month also saw sunshine and the grass growing at Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s New Road ground. It was wonderful to catch the sunlights’ reflection in the Editor’s car bonnet.

BETTER THAN FLYING

It was ten years ago in December that the Editor paid a visit to the Morgan Factory for a potential owners day. A fantastic event where we were allowed to drive all cars in the range. The only photo that exists of that day shows clearly shows how wonderful the M3W was. Of course being the contrary chap that is still is Nigel bought Gladys a 1983 4/4 Four Seater three days later. He couldn’t resist driving her to work and parking in front of the office a few days later. Great War flying ace Albert Ball famously said that driving his Morgan was the closest thing to flying you could experience without leaving the ground. Ten years and a couple of life times later Nigel actually thinks it’s better than flying. Albert would probably agree, had he had the chance.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The last Mogs to be associated with a leisure wear firm were the special edition Super Dry M3Ws. When we saw this splendid pair at the Williams’ Super 3 launch it did occur to us that there may be a little confusion in Germany when speaking about the new three wheeler; Super Drei anyone?