Future classic: Morgan Plus Four

By Ryan Standen

| 5 Feb 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Morgan Plus Four

In 1936, Morgan unveiled its first four-wheeled vehicle, the 4-4, with a Z-section steel chassis, sliding-pillar front suspension and a leaf-sprung rear end.

It morphed into the Plus 4, but the basic ingredients remained the same for the ensuing 84 years.

In 2020, the overprotective Malvern parent broke with tradition and allowed its oldest offspring to indulge its rebellious streak.

Boosted by a BMW turbo ‘four’ and catapulted into the 21st century with a bonded-aluminium tub and double wishbones all round, today’s Plus Four is a thoroughly modern roadster.

Morgan’s traditional ‘waterfall’ grille remains, but something altogether different is behind it

The ‘waterfall’ grille, flowing wings and separate headlights are pure Morgan, but the latest refresh adds a restomod flavour to the venerable design.

Select Sport Plus mode and it becomes a bit of a hooligan, too: the optional Dynamic Handling Pack works its magic via the adaptive dampers, and the twin exhausts snap, crackle and pop.

Most buyers opt for the eight-speed auto, as here, for 0-60mph in 4.8 secs; the Plus Four’s 1040kg kerbweight makes it feel faster, though.

You can change gear via column-mounted paddles or the BMW-sourced lever, which doesn’t look too out of place.

The latest Morgan Plus Four is powered by a turbocharged BMW engine (left); ash frame can be seen under the bonnet

Rein it in with Sport and Normal modes – they are better for British roads – and the antisocial exhaust concedes to an orchestra of turbo noises that are all very amusing in a ’30s-style sports car.

The Morgan shines when the going turns twisty.

Get accustomed to the long bonnet and you can use the tops of the wings to place the car on the apex, then feel the rear rotate and follow keenly before riding the wave of torque to the next bend.

The electronic power steering is nice and light in town, but provides plenty of feedback elsewhere.

The Morgan Plus Four’s snug cabin (left); neat dials

The body-coloured ash frame is mostly hidden – you glimpse it under the bonnet and around the door frames – while inside is a digital detox: no big touchscreen, only a handful of buttons and a set of VDO dials.

Ultimately it’s a back-to-basics experience, but the seats are comfortable and you could happily sit back and reel off the miles on a long-distance road trip.

You’ll have to pack light, though, because unless you add a luggage rack, space is limited to the slender area behind the seats and the passenger-side glovebox.

The Morgan Plus Four has old-school looks, but takes the fight to today’s top sports cars

Sure, there are more conventional rivals that offer more kit (a six-cylinder Porsche Cayman costs the same) and, ultimately, will be easier to live with while providing similar thrills.

But on a sunny day, on the right road, you’ll struggle to find anything to better the Plus Four, whose latest update has created a credible alternative to the usual sports-car suspects without losing its old-school sparkle.

Could a Morgan in the Cotswolds be the UK’s answer to a Ford Mustang on Route 66?

Quite possibly, yes.

Images: Max Edleston