Hot Wheels: Morgan Supersport
Six-figure flagship two-seater brings the Malvern maker into the 21st century
No, it’s not made from wood. Although an ash frame still sits under the alloy body
NICK DIMBLEBY
Car of the month – morgan supersport
So, Morgan’s gone modern?
Absolutely. This new Supersport has been designed to replace the old flagship Plus Six model, but the Malvern marque has gone to town on both the engineering and styling to give the car a real 21st century look and feel.
BMW heart kicks out 335bhp, giving 0-60 in 3.9sec and 166mph max
NICK DIMBLEBY
It’s not still made of wood?
That’s actually a myth as no Morgan has ever been made with a wooden chassis. Ash wood was first used to make the body structure for the Plus Four, and it does so here too. It is then draped in hand-formed aluminium bodywork. In fact, a piece of ash is neatly on display in the boot as a nod to the firm’s history. This is also built on Morgan’s new bonded aluminium CXV chassis, which is claimed to be 10% stiffer than the old CX platform, and can be boosted a further 10% by adding a carbon roof, which doesn’t grow on trees…
Sounds swanky…
That’s because it is. With this car Morgan wanted to create something for the mainstream, rather than the sideline drivers who would buy one to only drive on a sunny day. The Supersport is designed for every day with company boss Matthew Hole saying that “you can jump in and grab it by the scruff of the neck, and just really, really drive. We’ve hopefully put as many features into the car that mean you want to do that all the time rather than some of the time.”
Is it quick? It looks quick…
Oh yes. Morgan has retained its partnership with BMW, which has supplied powertrains since the 2000 Aero 8 project. This one uses Beemer’s 3-litre turbocharged in-line six B58 unit that powers a host of the spicy M-badged cars, such as the Z4 and anything ending in ‘40i’ (but not the full-fat M models). It produces 335bhp and is mated to a ZF eight-speed auto gearbox. Morgan claims it’ll do 0-60 in just 3.9sec.
The Supersport definitely looks the part, even if the options list is quite terrifying
NICK DIMBLEBY
OK, so how much?
Well, all this modernisation does come at a price. The Supersport is £85,000 pre-tax, so it’s a shade over £105,000 ‘on-the-road’ in reality. But then comes the rather extensive options list which includes paintwork choices anywhere from £915 to £4200 and add-ons like a £3600 stereo, £3000 sports exhaust and a huge variety of interior trim specs. And those lovely Aerolite wheels, will be £4800 extra. You’re well into Porsche 911 money before you know it. But you will stand out.