100 years of Morgan - Part 3

In this installment of our history of Morgan, we look at what changes were made in the lead up to and after the new millenium, Morgan's 'green' developments and what influence the third generation of the family - Charles Morgan - has had on the company.

Father-son connections are nothing new in the automotive world. There are many examples, with the Fords arguably being the best example of "keeping it in the family". The size and scope of a company like Ford makes any notion of a family-run business impractical, however, but with a much smaller concern like Morgan, it was still possible.

Whether by accident or design, Morgan has remained in family hands for three generations. Following the death of company founder, HFS Morgan in 1959, his son, Peter, kept the business going through some rocky times. After Peter's death in 2003, his son, Charles, took the company reins and took it in a more modern, forward-looking direction. Another thing that HFS, Peter and Charles Morgan have studiously avoided are joint ventures or takeover offers from other manufacturers. Various buyout proposals had been put forward to HFS and Peter at various stages of their tenure, and both politely refused the offers.

In 1965, Rover approached Peter Morgan with a takeover offer, one of several Peter fielded in the 1960s. In this instance, Peter turned what was a potential threat into an asset by asking Rover if they would be interested in supplying their new 3.5litre V8 engines to Morgan. Rover agreed and, after some development work, the Plus 8 was born. By this stage, Peter had also learned to broaden the market for Morgan cars as wide as possible. Reliance on the USA for exports had proved costly during that country's recession in the late 1950s, so Morgan sought to make their cars available to as many foreign buyers as possible, and boosted the profile of their cars by supporting privateer entrants, like Chris Lawrence, in a number of different classes.

These instances also stiffened Peter's resolve to keep control of the company. As their finances improved in the late 1960s, he redistributed the capital shares and Morgan became a private company. In 1970, it became a limited company again.

Challenges and celebrations
Throughout this period, the cars were treated to regular upgrades, mainly in componentry, and as reported last issue, various engines were used in the 4/4 models into the 1980s. Ford Kent 1600cc engines were replaced by Fiat 98hp DOHC units for a short period in 1981 before the Ford CVH overhead cam four cylinder became the standard 4/4 engine in 1982.

In 1984, Morgan celebrated its 75th anniversary and the occasion was huge for such a small, specialist company. Morgan had seen fit to spread the word to every Morgan club, as well as former employees, race drivers and the motoring press. The mammoth task lay with Peter Morgan's personal assistant, Mark Aston, who also organised venues for the festivities and secured sponsorship. Spread over three days of competitive events, scenic runs, parades, concours and other activities, the birthday celebrations exceeded everyone's celebrations, attracting more than 1,500 vehicles, with worldwide interest, including 250 enthusiasts from the USA alone.

In 1985, Morgan broadened their offerings with the addition of a 2 litre Fiat-engined version of the 4/4, which was given the 'Plus 4' nameplate last seen in 1968. Note: December's issue incorrectly referred to as being introduced in 1984 - Ed. There were also changes on the Plus 8. The SU carburettors were replaced with Stromberg units in 1982 to accommodate European regulations requiring all cars to have automatic chokes. In 1983, rack and pinion steering was added, and fuel injection became an option, thanks to developments in the Rover SD1 Vitesse engine. By 1987, this engine was standard on all Plus 8s. A capacity increase to 3.9 litres in 1990 produced the potent, lightweight roadster that so many buyers fell in love with, creating a long waiting list that endured throughout the rest of Plus 8 production.

For those of a competition bent, the 1980s saw changes to racing regulations that began to limit where Morgans could compete. So, in order to allow customers to enjoy their cars on the racetrack, Morgan supported the vision of group of enthusiasts who created a one-make series in 1985 - the 'Morgan Motor Company Challenge Races'. Rebranded as the 'Powertorque Morgan Challenge' this series still exists today.

Enter the Third Generation
1985 marked another significant milestone, with the arrival of a third generation of the family - Charles Morgan - in a full-time role with the company. Born in 1951, Charles Morgan grew up around cars and the family business, competing in motorsport events from a young age, including navigating for his father, Peter, in trials as early as 1965. The younger Morgan began racing himself in 1975, winning the British Sports Car Championship in 1978 & 79, driving a works-prepared Plus 8.

Despite his background and perceived future with the company, Charles didn't immediately step into the family business. From 1975, he spent a decade as a news cameraman, covering wars and major events all over the world, spending time in an Iranian prison. His work won the industry's equivalent of an Oscar in the late 1970s. Plans for a future in Hollywood and the entertainment industry (he had ambitions to direct a feature film amongst other things) were put on hold when Charles joined Morgan full time in 1985, initially in a marketing role, later as Production Director.

In his marketing role, Charles was responsible for Morgan featuring on the UK television series, 'The Troubleshooter', in 1990. Some JUST CARS readers may have seen this series, which featured Sir John Harvey-Jones, an industrialist and successful businessman who had turned chemical company, ICI's fortunes around. As the 'troubleshooter' of the title, Harvey-Jones visited a number of "struggling" UK companies, offering advice on how they could improve and modernise their businesses. The episode on Morgan was arguably the most memorable, as Harvey-Jones was scathing of what he saw as archaic production processes and unprofessional salesmanship from the Morgan staff.
"I am really deeply concerned about this company," Harvey-Jones commented.
"It is run in a totally un-businesslike way. There are so many ways in which their profitability could be improved and all of them involve radical change"

Harvey-Jones recommended thorough modernisation, increased production, as well as upping the car's sale price. For their part, the Morgans, particularly Peter Morgan, were less than impressed with what they thought was an unfair attack on their company. Perversely though, the attention the program brought to Morgan boosted sales and further increased the long waiting list that Harvey-Jones had been so critical of in the first place! Charles Morgan did take much of Harvey-Jones' advice on board, though, and many of his recommendations would be implemented over the following decade.

Longer-lasting Morgans
The issue of Morgan's durability - we're talking the cars now, not the company! - was first addressed in 1986, when Charles Morgan instigated a number of changes. The first of these was to address the car's build quality and corrosion resistance. Untreated ash timber frames had been a weak point, going back as far as the early Morgan three wheelers, which partly explains why so few are around today.

Cuprinol treatment of the timber frame, previously an optional extra, was made standard in 1986, as was powder-coating of the chassis as a guard against corrosion. A galvanised chassis was an option. At the same time, a new paint shop, including a baking oven, was installed, using longer-lasting acrylic paint instead of cellulose. Changes to the painting procedure saw the wings painted separately and joined to the body after the final coat, which greatly reduced corrosion problems in these areas. Even basic things like zinc-plating of nuts and bolts, and unifying their sizing, reduced corrosion as well as cost.

Outsourcing of a number of labour-intensive components was another aspect of the changes that Charles brought to the company, many of which had been instigated before the infamous Troubleshooter appearance. At this time, Charles was still able to enjoying competitive driving in the company's cars, running in a number of rallies, including one on a frozen lake in France! In his marketing role, Charles also oversaw press launches for new season's models, which gave him an opportunity to fling the cars around the various race circuits where he chose to host these events.

In 1990, with profits at record levels, Charles decided to take the next step in his role with the company by undertaking a course in 'modern manufacturing' at a tertiary learning centre in Coventry. While he could only attend classes at weekends, Charles found the course tremendously beneficial in his understanding of what could be done to improve Morgan's production processes. What Charles learned was applied to Morgan production almost immediately with a rationalisation of the chassis across Plus 4 and Plus 8 models. Such cost-cutting measures proved invaluable when the "greed is good" 80s came to a crashing halt with the recession of 1991.

Engine upgrades and the development of an all-new Morgan
One of the beauties of Morgan's outsourcing of engines was that as old powerplants were replaced with new ones, the power output improved and emissions were reduced, offering always-modern performance in a classic covering.

As power outputs increased through the early 1990s, Plus 4s received Rover's T16 engine in 1992, replacing the M16. The 4/4's 1600cc Ford CVH engine was replaced with an 1800cc Zetec unit in 1993. While this was a cleaner engine, it was getting close to the Plus 4, to the point where there was precious little to separate them, performance-wise. The Plus 8s had already received their bigger V8s at the start of the decade - the same 3.9 litre unit that was used in the Range Rover Vogue. Power output was about the same as the previous 3.5lt engines, but the new units generated less pollution.

Morgans were getting out and about at this time, too. In 1993, an early Plus 8 was one of 110 starters in a recreation of the famous London to Sydney marathon of 1968. Competition regulations dictated that only cars 25+ years old were allowed to compete, hence the participant's selection of an early model. While the Morgan finished well down the field, it did complete the challenge.

The following year, five French doctors took a trio of 1985 model 4/4s on a 37,000km round the world trip. In remote parts of Mongolia, the team allegedly found locals who had not only never seen a Morgan before, they'd never seen a car before! Mindful of the iconic status Morgan roadsters now enjoyed, and the easy ability with which kit car manufacturers could build cheap clones of their design, Morgan sought, and after two years, was finally given a worldwide trademark from the Patent Office for the shape of their car in 1994. This was something of a milestone as it was the first time an entire car, not just a car's component, had been granted a trademark.

In 1995, Charles Morgan began the first serious work on what had been a pet project of his for some time - a modern racer that would keep Morgan at the forefront of sportscar design, as well as forming the basis for a new road car. This would eventually become the Aero 8. From the outset, Charles felt convinced this next step couldn't be achieved with the 'traditional' Morgan chassis, suspension or powerplant. All had reached the limits of their development, so a new approach was needed. Early in 1995, Morgan homologated a racecar design using an aluminium honeycomb chassis, 18 inch wheels, Porsche headlights and other features.

The design was developed throughout 1995, before a working prototype was delivered just before the end of the year. Chris Lawrence (see Morgan history - part 2) was the natural choice to head the development of the new racing project, which made its debut in 1996. There was little to suggest the final form of the Aero 8 in the original design, which just looked like a winged and spoilered Plus 8. With Lawrence directing the project, a bonded aluminium chassis was developed throughout 1996 and 1997, when a 6 litre Chev V8 was added to test the new chassis' potential. The results were impressive, with the 600bhp Chev engine not only delivering lots of grunt, but making the car easier to drive too, according to the test drivers.

However, it was BMW, not Chevrolet who provided the final powerplant for the Aero 8. BMW engineers had witnessed the Aero racer at the Nurburgring in 1997, and in a move similar to his father's cheeky approach to Rover for their V8 engines, Charles Morgan suggested the car would go much better with a BMW engine in it. A few weeks later, BMW - who had never allowed another firm to use their engines - were actively on board with the project! Engineers from BMW and Bosch worked with Morgan through the rest of the Aero 8's development period.

Over the winter of 1997/98, the final shape of the car was developed, with Charles himself sketching a few ideas. These were refined in wind tunnel testing on a full-size prototype which showed just how aerodynamically inefficient the basic Plus 8 design was. Smoothing out the shape, while still retaining the distinctive Morgan flavour that Charles felt essential for the project, resulted in an impressive .10CD point improvement in efficiency.

In 1999, field-testing of the 4.3 litre quad cam BMW V8 engine was undertaken in earnest, including a couple of the infamous Gumball Rallies with Morgan and Lawrence behind the wheel, disguising the Aero's chassis and running gear with a modified Plus 8 body. With the Aero 8 set for a debut at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show and production ready to commence, Charles Morgan took time out in late 1999 to throw an elaborate 80th birthday party for his father, Peter, with well wishers including Stirling Moss and Lord Montagu of Beaulieu amongst 200 others.

New car for the new millennium
Charles Morgan's gradual improvements to the manufacturing processes at the Malvern factory were ramped up in the late 1990s. Computer-controlled lathes, CAD software, a new gantry system and water-based paint shop were just some of the changes instigated in the search for greater efficiency. A totally redesigned factory floor was also part of the upgrades which increased profitability a staggering 279 percent in the period from 1997 to 1999. While they improved efficiency, the clean up and restructures also made room for production of the upcoming Aero 8, which was scheduled for a release in early 2000 (not 2004 as prnted last issue - Ed.).

The addition of airbags, safety seats, side impact protection and a redesigned body earned Morgan two seaters 'European Whole Vehicle Approval' in 1998, followed by a new 4/4 four seater in 1999. This meant that Morgans could be sold within the EU without the need for special approval from individual countries. The same safety upgrades also made it possible for Morgans to once again be exported to the USA.

However, all these developments were overshadowed by the unveiling of the new Aero 8 to a stunned Geneva Motor Show crowd in March, 2000. Press response around the world to the new Morgan was generally very good, while a special website set up to give more info on the new model received almost a million hits in the first six months. Later that year, Morgan won Autocar magazine's Specialist Manufacturer of the Year Award, beating the likes of TVR and Lotus. While the Aero 8 was a quick car, Charles Morgan dictated from the outset of the project that it wasn't to be some stripped-out race special, as some releases in the past had been.

The Aero 8 boasted luxuries - for a Morgan at least - like electric and heated windows, removable glovebox case, a wide variety of paint and trim options, stylish 18 inch alloy wheels and exposed elements of the timber frame. All that luxury came at a price, though. £62,000 was more than double the price of the next most expensive Morgan available, and simply out of the reach of many long term enthusiasts. Despite this, the Aero 8 didn't fail to attract customers. Once the word got out about how good they were to drive, many first time owners, were lining up to get one, despite its challenging looks!

Later in 2000, The Aero 8 received its UK Motor Show debut to the same sort of rapture it received in Geneva, but those front-end looks still remained a problem for some scribes, who didn't compare the new car favourably to the elegantly-styled "old" Morgans.

A return to the Le Mans 24 hour race in 2002 (forty years after Chris Lawrence had made his mark) and 2004 ended in disappointment, but kept interest in the Aero 8 bubbling for the next few years. A planned assault on the 2003 Le Mans - with Charles Morgan himself behind the wheel - unfortunately never come to fruition, due to a lack of sponsorship dollars. The Aero 8 has since found success in various other motorsport classes around the world.

Still available today, the Aero 8 has undoubtedly served as inspiration for Charles Morgan's latest LIFECar hybrid project, as well as the Aeromax and new targa-roof Aero SuperSports, which itself is being tipped as the replacement for the Aero 8. In the hype surrounding the Aero 8, it's easy to forget the other Morgans, which were undergoing their own changes. Dwindling supplies of Rover 3.9lt V8 engines for the Plus 8 saw a switch to a cleaner 4.0 litre in 2000, but given the Aero 8's success, some felt the old Plus 8's days were numbered. All 4/4 models switched to an improved Ford Zetec 1800cc 4 in 2001.

A special 'GTN' version of the Aero 8 was released in 2002, which at £80,000 was even more expensive than the standard model, but featured an engine upgrade to 4.6 litres, modified transmission, carbon fibre hardtop and other features designed to make it race-ready. To cash in on the hype surrounding Morgan's return to Le Mans, a run of 80 'Le Mans 62' cars was also offered - 40 each of the 4/4 and Plus 8. Each featured 'Le Mans Green' paint, cream-coloured hardtop and other features designed to evoke the look of Chris Lawrence's class-winning Plus 4 from forty years prior.

Charles takes control
Celebrations in 2003 marking thirty five years of the Plus 8 were tempered with the death of both Peter Morgan and his wife Jane in the latter half of the year.

On a brighter note, at the end of the year Charles Morgan, now head of the company, married Kira Kopylova in New York, a girl he'd first met at the 2002 London Motor Show. The purpose of the American trip was to assess the possibility of recommencing exports to the US market - the wedding was done on the spur of the moment! Morgan did indeed return to the US in 2004, and the positive response to displays at both the Los Angeles and New York Motor Shows - over 100 orders for the Aero 8 alone - assured Charles the return could be a success.

That same year, the final Plus 8s were built, as the Rover V8 engines were discontinued. Rather than try to adapt the Aero 8's BMW engine, a 3.0 litre Ford V6 was used instead, creating the Morgan 'Roadster'. Outwardly, it looked the same as the old Plus 8 and The Ford V6 actually offered more horsepower than the old Rover units, but lacked that distinctive V8 engine note.
The following year, a newly designed four seater roadster was added, joining the two and four seater Plus 4 offerings.

Interestingly, the four seaters have been the top sellers in the past few years, with the longest waiting list. Charles Morgan attributes this to the demographic of many new buyers who are "35 year olds with kids, who want performance and classic styling" but still with the ability to take the family along for a ride.

In 2006, 70 years of 4/4 production were celebrated with the release of 140 commemorative 4/4s - two for each year of 4/4 production. These featured special colour and detail differences to differentiate them from standard 4/4s, with a 'year' engraved into the steering wheel boss.

To cater to the American market, a special Aero 8 model - the Aero America - was released in 2008. Aside from trim and detail differences, the key differentiator on the America is a louder, side-exit exhaust setup. The 4/4 was treated to yet another engine upgrade in 2008, with the addition of a cleaner, greener Ford 1.6 litre Sigma 4 cylinder engine, which was upgraded to 1.8 litres in 2009, Morgan's centenary year. Morgan enthusiast and museum owner, Chris Booth, chose to mark the centenary in a very special way, with a recreation of HFS Morgan's original runabout from 1909 (see November's issue for an image of Charles Morgan with Booth's recreation).

A commemorative model marking Morgan's centenary - the 'Roadster One Hundred' - was also released in 2009. The special two seater was exclusive to the UK and just 100 examples were built, all in special metallic green paint with walnut dash trim and other unique details. Today, Morgan is unique in the automotive world in that it has prospered without external investment or borrowing. The annual return rate - seventy one years of profit out of the last 100 is a pretty good average!

Undoubtedly though, Morgan's biggest asset over the past 100 years has been its people, especially three generations of family who have been passionate about the marque, the business and making it a success.