Morgan Factory Tour
by Tony Yates
Morgan Motor Cars – They’re just so British. I recently asked
Morgan Motor Cars if it was possible to have a factory tour at their
wonderful facility in ‘Malvern’. ‘Of course Morgan said, ‘we are
more than happy to help out’ This was great news as it would give
me the opportunity to not only see the cars still being traditionally
hand built – but also to watch the skills of quality workmanship
taking place right under my nose.
Just so you know; Morgan is still the world’s oldest privately owned car
manufacturer that still produces well over 1000 vehicles per year – all built
by a team of highly skilled and dedicated craftsmen and women who hand
build these cars using a combination of luxury materials and skills that are
all passed down from generation to generation. So off I went to learn more
about what makes Morgan the symbol of everything British.
On arrival I could see that the building still looks the same in parts as
the first day they probably moved in over 100 years ago – yes, there is a
modern theme around – but I am glad to report all is well at Morgan HQ
and it still looks and feels like 1936 when you look at some of the older
buildings around the site. Just as I stepped out of my car, I could hear that
unmistakable sound of the Morgan Plus8 burbling in a workshop close
by – this immediately made me tingle, because the Plus8 for me is my
comfort blanket and also the dream car that one day I would like to own.
Yes, I know it now has a V8 BMW engine, but who cares, this is about
craftsmanship and power. Morgan is for me one of the best at producing
hand built cars that money can buy and of course with the bonus of
367bhp engine and a 0-62 time of 4.5sec.
The Tour:
The factory is amazing; with people working calmly behind their benches
all over the factory floor – there is also no urgency here like you would get
in a normal automated car making facility, this is all about taking as much
time that is needed to produce a Morgan that is as perfect as possible with
no constraints on finish time and definitely no automation in sight.
The craftsmanship here it’s so staggering to watch, I could have sat there
for hours watching these people work their magic to create something
amazing, but I wanted more, so I moved even deeper into the facility to
see what cars I could find.
The 4/4
Did you know the Morgan 4/4 holds a world record for the longest
running series production car? Well you do now. It was introduced back
in1936 and is still in production 80 years later. Yes, it has undergone many
changes in its life, but the format is still the same and it is still to this day
instantly as recognisable as it was back in 1936. The 4/4 is now powered
by a modern 1.6 litre Ford Sigma engine that begins as an entry level start
86 wirrallife.com
to Morgan ownership - but still being built using the same methods as
I described earlier – by a team of craftsman who have honed their skills
over time to produce the beautiful machine that is the Morgan 4/4.
The 3 Wheeler: