Malvern Memories

Malvern Memories

twos brought up in Malvern. We lived on one of the steep hills of the town and our road was on the preferred route used by the road tester of Morgan sports cars. In those days it was Charlie Curtis. Every weekday, sometimes more than once a day, a Morgan would roar past our front gate. The hood was invariably off and the spare wheel was usually not fitted. The intense desire to own a Morgan followed me from childhood to adulthood and I have now owned three: a 1956 Plus Four, a 1978 Four-Four and a 1982 Plus Eight. Adverse comments are often made about the comfort of these cars and they are not justified. The seats fitted to modern Morgans are very comfortable and although the ride is firm you don’t end a journey stiff and sore as I have found you do in most mass-produced modern cars. Of the many cars I have owned, including Cortina, Viva, Mini and various pre-war cars including a 20/25 Rolls-Royce, the most comfortable was, without doubt, the Plus Eight Morgan. In 1965, at the age of 17, I couldn’t achieve ownership of a Morgan. The nearest thing I could get to that was ownership of a car once owned by the aforementioned Charlie Curtis. This was a 1932 Standard

“Little Nine”, an exceptionally sluggish car (I still own it). On one occasion my run at one of the steep climbs of Malvern was obstructed by several cows being driven along the road. I had to make a hill start and as I reached the steepest part of the climb the clutch was slipping and progress was an slow that the cows overtook me. My only consolation for this ignominious experience was the thought that Charlie Curtis might have suffered similarly! I now live in East Anglia where a slipping clutch and weak brakes are little handicap and the risk of bovine defeat is only slight. Mcndham BRENDAN BOYLE