Morgan Plus Six

[Populuxe]

Introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show is the new Morgan Plus Six.
With the naturally aspirated BMW 4.4 liter N62 V8 being retired, Morgan has opted for the new turbocharged BMW B58 3.0 liter straight-six, the same engine from the Toyota Supra. It even makes the same horsepower, 335, while producing slightly more torque, 369 lbs/ft. It's the first turbo engine in Morgan's history. It also comes with a ZF 8-speed auto. The car is slightly shorter than the Plus 8, but interior room is much larger. It's unlikely it will come to the US, which is a shame.

 

[kikie]

This is how I want mine but with wheels.

 

[Tornado]

Those wheels are absolutely perfect in both size and design in a way that I haven't seen a car do since the E39 M5.

 

[Wolfe]

Surely a Morgan of all things could have stuck with a manual transmission? I think this is the most foreboding casualty yet.

Sure looks lovely, though; and the BMW six will make for a more lovely sound than the V8, though marred by the slurred shifts.

 

[Joey D]

Surely a Morgan of all things could have stuck with a manual transmission?

There isn't one Morgan can use given the engine it went with. Also, Morgan isn't flush enough with cash to create its own transmission or even work with ZF to create one specifically for its cars so it's got to make do.

Morgan could have used a different engine though and I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't.

 

[Tornado]

There was a stick that paired with the B58, but Morgan probably gets the entire drivetrain straight from BMW as is and I'm not sure if BMW still offers the 6 speed with the B58 anymore.

 

[Wolfe]

Right. I had the same first thought, but found B58-equipped cars with manuals with a quick search. I suppose it's possible the B58B30M1 (the code for this one) can't actually mate to the same MT.

 

[Terronium-12]

Moved.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Those wheels are absolutely perfect in both size and design in a way that I haven't seen a car do since the E39 M5.

I see what you mean, but I'd like slightly more sidewall. Then it would be near-perfection.

 

[TexRex]

I see what you mean, but I'd like slightly more sidewall. Then it would be near-perfection.

This. But I'd go as far as shrinking the tire OD as well; let's call it -2 wheel and -1 tire.

 

[MedigoFlame]

The green with saddle interior is a gorgeous combo. Love the updated headlights.

BMW's joystick shifter looks more out of place in the Morgan than the one in the Supra.

 

[VXR]

Deeply lovely and there's something caddish about a torquey, modern six in a quaint little Morgan.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Surely a Morgan of all things could have stuck with a manual transmission? I think this is the most foreboding casualty yet.

Sure looks lovely, though; and the BMW six will make for a more lovely sound than the V8, though marred by the slurred shifts.

Agree. Non manual in a Morgan doesn't make sense to me. I live just up the road from Morgan so might go and have a sneaky peak in the guise of placing and order.

 

[TexRex]

I finally managed to put a finger on the uneasy vibe I was getting from the headlight lenses with that horizontal bar.

 

[Populuxe]

Deeply lovely and there's something caddish about a torquey, modern six in a quaint little Morgan.

Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken this long to put a straight-six in a Morgan. The long bonnet almost begs for it.

 

[TexRex]

Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken this long to put a straight-six in a Morgan. The long bonnet almost begs for it.

One word...feet. Not as a unit of measure, mind, but the things at the end of drivers' legs that are used to manipulate pedals. Could also explain the lack of a stickshift behind that long engine, given the need for yet another pedal to go along with it.

For reference:

Edit: Here's a modern 4-cylinder car to show the rather tight confines.

 

[Populuxe]

I don't doubt packaging is an issue, but I'm looking at other British sports cars from the '50s and '60s with inline-sixes as well as the contemporary Morgans, and the +6 falls near the middle of that range:

Triumph TR5 88"
Triumph TR6 88"
MGC 91"
Austin-Healey 100-6 92"
Austin-Healey 3000 92"
Morgan +4 96"
Morgan +8 98"
Morgan +6 98.8"
Jaguar XK120 102"
Jaguar XK-E 105"

My guess is that packaging wasn't that much of an issue. They probably never used a six before because Morgan (and Morgan buyers) were already well satisfied with the range of fours and eights on offer.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I finally managed to put a finger on the uneasy vibe I was getting from the headlight lenses with that horizontal bar.

In fairness blackout lights were a thing across Britain as well as mainland Europe, they were also in the US regulations although I don't know how widespread they were.

The Morgan headlight vibes put me more in mind of this, and I love it

 

[TexRex]

I don't doubt packaging is an issue, but I'm looking at other British sports cars from the '50s and '60s with inline-sixes as well as the contemporary Morgans, and the +6 falls near the middle of that range:

Triumph TR5 88"
Triumph TR6 88"
MGC 91"
Austin-Healey 100-6 92"
Austin-Healey 3000 92"
Morgan +4 96"
Morgan +8 98"
Morgan +6 98.8"
Jaguar XK120 102"
Jaguar XK-E 105"

My guess is that packaging wasn't that much of an issue. They probably never used a six before because Morgan (and Morgan buyers) were already well satisfied with the range of fours and eights on offer.

Wheelbase doesn't tell the whole story though.

I've had the fortune to drive a Plus 4--a '61 car--and even at an even 6' with a size 13 foot (you know what big feet means...big shoes), I was able to slip in and out with relative ease but the footwell was very tight. So tight, in fact, that I actually had to take my shoes off to drive it. I'd never driven in socks before; it was...interesting.

Now...on that same occasion, I got to drive a Triumph TR3 owned by the same individual and powered by the same engine, and the difference was remarkable despite the TR being on a substantially shorter wheelbase but sharing overall width. The occupant cabin wasn't all that much wider in the Triumph either, but it certainly didn't pinch so much in the area immediately behind the engine. I got to put my shoes back on.

I just imagine that the footwell isn't as deep with the six, which isn't great for tall people, or the engine protrudes into the footwell, which isn't great for people with...feet.



I may be way off base, though. I don't actually know how long the B58 is, and given that the current four is of entirely different manufacturer origin, it's probably not fair to assume the six is "two cylinders" longer...but it's gotta be in the vicinity.

I know new Morgans are wider than the old ones, but despite the fact that technology offers the ability to make components smaller, I have the nagging suspicion that the new bellhousings and subsequent gearboxes are a fair bit larger than the old ones.

In fairness blackout lights were a thing across Britain as well as mainland Europe, they were also in the US regulations although I don't know how widespread they were.

Ah, proper context proves helpful.

 

[Populuxe]

True, wheelbase is only a part of the equation. Width, position of the cabin between the axles, size and position of the transmission all add into it. But it's interesting that the linked article mentions how much more room there is in the new +6:

Occupants get a better show of it, too. Length has shrunk by 4.7 inches compared to the Plus 8, but the wheelbase is 0.8 inches longer. Belying those numbers, Morgan managed to carve out 7.8 additional inches of legroom and more luggage space.

I'm going to credit that little bit of packaging wizardry to the fairy folk who live in the West England/East Wales borderlands.

 

[kikie]

Can you have a Morgan with a hard top?

The green with saddle interior is a gorgeous combo. Love the updated headlights.

BMW's joystick shifter looks more out of place in the Morgan than the one in the Supra.

Yes, a retro vintage car with a ZF 8-speed auto shifter doesn't look right.

 

[JohnBM01]

I don't think there has been a Morgan I disliked. Surely this Plus Six is a charmer. This is a vintage beauty in a postmodern world. Me likey.

 

[MatskiMonk]

B48 powered Plus 4 and B38 powered Plus 3 should be interesting.

 

[TexRex]

B48 powered Plus 4 and B38 powered Plus 3 should be interesting.

Are they actually proposed or are you just spitballing?

 

[MatskiMonk]

Are they actually proposed or are you just spitballing?

I believe it's happening, but I could have got the wrong end of the stick.

 

[TexRex]

I believe it's happening, but I could have got the wrong end of the stick.

I think the BMW-powered Plus 4 makes a lot of sense, given that they were sourcing BMW engines for the Plus 8 and Fords for the 4, but just as I found it odd that they'd offer a 4 when they have an 8 (now replaced by a 6, of course) in a car with roughly the same production cost, the Plus 3 really sounds like a stretch.

Maybe the Plus 4 is still around for the sake of nostalgia? That doesn't really help the Plus 3's case.

Mind you the 912 was killed off because it cost almost as much to build as the 911 and people weren't about to pay 6-cylinder prices for a 4-cylinder car.