A tradition comes to an end - the last Morgan with a steel frame left production

TEXTJuly 9, 2020 · 3 min

Bruno von Rotz, automatically translated

PHOTOS

Morgan · 10 Photos

The last steel chassis Morgan is bolted together

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The last steel frame in the "Chassis Shop"

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Shortly before the marriage between the steel chassis and the body (sheet metal on wooden frame)

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The last steel chassis Morgan, outside the workshop on Pickersleigh Road

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The last steel chassis Morgan is pushed from one workshop on Pickersleigh Road to the next

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Inspection before delivery - last steel chassis Morgan

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Comparison of the modern Morgan CX generation platform with the steel chassis Morgan

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Morgan 4-4 (1936) - the steel chassis and the suspension construction of the time on an archive illustration

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How it all began - HFS Morgan and a Morgan 4-4 test chassis at the factory on Pickersleigh Road

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Morgan 4-4 Series 1 (1940) - Flat radiator model

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Morgan 4-4 Series 1 (1939) - the two-seater version

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Morgan 4-4 Series 1 (1940) - Advertisement from back then

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Der letzte Stahlrahmen im "Chassis Shop"

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Kurz vor der Heirat zwischen dem Stahlchassis und der Karosserie (Blech auf Holzrahmen)

Der letzte Stahlchassis-Morgan, ausserhalb des der Werkstatt an der Pickersleigh Road

Der letzte Stahlchassis-Morgan wird von einem Werkstatt an der Pickersleigh Road zur nächten geschoben

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Inspektion vor der Auslieferung - letzter Stahlchassis-Morgan

You certainly can't say that Morgan constantly doubts its designs and is constantly changing them. But the fact that a chassis design has been used more or less unchanged for 84 years is a record even for the conservative British company.

Morgan 4-4 (1936) - the steel chassis and the suspension construction of the time on an archive illustration

In fact, it was in 1936 that Morgan introduced a steel frame with cross bracing as the chassis for the 4-4 and then fitted a sheet metal body mounted on a wooden frame. Up to this point, only three-wheeled vehicles had been built, so the Morgan 4-4 was the first real car with four cylinders and four wheels. Of course, it was a sports car and the weather protection was modest, but compared to the uncompromising nature of the Threewheeler, the car was a great leap forward.

How it all began - HFS Morgan and a Morgan 4-4 test chassis at the factory on Pickersleigh Road

Of course, the chassis has been improved again and again over the years, but in its basic features it has served as the basis for most Morgan sports cars built to this day. Only the Aero generation and the time-generation Plus 8 took the path of progress and relied on an aluminum construction, but all other Morgan cars used the classic design.

Shortly before the marriage between the steel chassis and the body (sheet metal on wooden frame)

The last Morgan Plus 4 with steel chassis was bought by a collector who already owns the famous Le Mans participant TOK 258.

To celebrate 70 years of the Morgan Plus 4, built from 1950 onwards, the so-called "70th Edition" was launched, to which the last car produced now also belongs. Limited to 20 units, this edition has a gold-colored chassis, a platinum-colored body and a whole series of "upgrades".