Morgan Plus Six | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Morgan Plus Six | Test Drive

3 July 2023 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos Bruno Serra

If in 2023 it is still possible to experience certain driving emotions, it is mainly thanks to companies like Morgan. The English atelier – because this is what it is about – is in fact the creator of one of the models that have looked with indifference at the incessant technological advance that sees 90% of the current price list as huge tablets with four wheels around. Founded way back in 1910, however, it would be unfair to define the new Plus Four and Plus Six like cars that have remained stuck for over a hundred years, but that image of a vintage car has never shaken off and this has never been an added value like today.

Fresh restyling saying goodbye to the V8, the current Morgan range includes the two aforementioned models and the Super 3 three-wheeler, a toy that elevates the quintessence of the concept of driving for the pure pleasure of doing it. The most exploitable proposals are therefore represented by two step with 4 and 6 cylinders which differ from each other in size, some aesthetic details and the engine/gearbox unit. We will not talk about the Plus Four, since we plan to test it thoroughly in the months to come, so let’s jump aboard the Plus Six, what we could define as the ultimate Morgan and which will soon be able to really make me understand how many nuances are hidden behind a car body that seems to know how to stop time.

The days of testing were not blessed with meteorological luck and in fact, with the exception of a couple of sporadic sunny afternoons, I was perpetually afflicted by that typical English rain, in perfect harmony with the philosophy of a car according to which it’s important to make some sacrifices, at least if the sole goal concerns a driving experience so satisfying that you’ll surely forget some water infiltration in moments of heavier rain, or the glovebox that can suddenly open when passing over a more pronounced pothole. Which is precisely one of the news of the 2023 model, like the adoption of traction control, a new braking system, improved shock absorbers and airbags. When the sky clears up and I finally reach the Langhe area in Piedmont, a warm sun enters the scene as the perfect invitation to pull over and open the soft top, all in all able to adequately soundproof even along the motorway stretches. I decide to leave the door panels in place, taking advantage of the sliding plexiglass to avoid stones in my face, while acting on the mechanism of half a dozen pins, I quickly get used folding the roof behind my back in a matter of seconds.

Once open, the Morgan accentuates the curved lines of a consecrated front as an absolute symbol of timeless beauty and if it weren’t for the clue provided by the large 19″ wheels, being able to position it in a precise time span would be a task for proper connoisseurs. The sides run sinuous along the thin doors, emphasizing not only the long bonnet, but also a driver’s seat positioned as far back as possible, to the point of making it impossible to obtain a larger luggage compartment than the small space created immediately behind the seats. The rear is angular and, precisely because of the generous tires, the Plus Six does not have a spare wheel. In its place, however, it is possible to browse through an optional from the rich accessories catalogue, perhaps adding a suitcase for some extra baggage.

Getting on and off is quite simple and the moment you close the door you immediately appreciate the comfort afforded by the seats and a surprisingly spacious cabin. Everything you need is there, even if something might be missing for a 3.0 motorist. The small digital display in front of the driver indicates the essentials, such as speed, gear and outside temperature. The rest of the instrumentation is located off-center, but still within reach of a quick glance. After all, you’ll only have eyes for that spectacular and imposing bonnet that seems to extend towards the horizon, accentuating the feeling that the wheels are connected at two distant ends and react differently than in any other car you’ve ever driven. The steering is precise, but both the turning radius and the feedback need a bit of training, above all when you realize that under those air intakes dominated by two large nostrils, there is an engine that has plenty of power, for many even too much for this type of car.

Under a body weighing just 1,000 kg (1,075) there is in fact a BMW in-line 6-cylinder engine with 340 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. Traction is obviously distributed to the rear axle only, with a self-locking differential and via a gearbox which for the Plus Six can only be the 8-speed ZF automatic. Fast, precise and capable of satisfying the driver’s needs in Normal mode, but also in Sport or Sport Plus mode, the latter two resulting in the opening of the exhaust valves, so that the sound of the 6-cylinder engine drowns out the rustle of the wind, never intrusive thanks to a very low seat.

A few days have passed since my first approach to the Morgan and I think I understood how impossible is to really know this car in a short time. In fact, I’m realizing that I was wrong to drive it as if I were behind the wheel of an extremely powerful vintage car, because the set-up and tires allow you to attack corners at least three times as fast as I thought possible. And trust me that with 340 horsepower you can reach considerable speeds. Traction control disengaged and gearbox in sequential mode: I intend to take everything I can. The wheels spin and as the engine suddenly revs up, I lighten just enough to allow the tires to apply traction to the dry tarmac outside Monforte d’Alba. I am pushed hard against the seat, keeping my eyes fixed on the end of the engine bonnet which, for its part, almost seems to soar towards the sky, all in an unmistakable bedlam for those who know what to expect from a BMW branded 6-cylinder.

Now I appreciate the steering feedback by playing in advance, entering corners in the precise moment in which you usually still tend to set the ideal line, keeping the throttle down aware that the equation between chassis and lightness will do the rest, getting me out at the same speed with which I attacked the curve in question. The small steering wheel proves to be much more precise than I thought and even if this is certainly not the pace that suits an elegant masterpiece on wheels like a Morgan, tell me that you would be able to resist having such a reserve of power at your disposal. The maximum torque does the rest. 500 Nm put down and carried constantly with you thanks to a full-bodied progression. It’s like being in a big go-kart and I know I can’t really explain it, because I thought the mood was that of a pleasant roadster suitable for enjoying open air driving. Actually, the Morgan knows how to do everything and therefore transform a trip outside the city into what you most desire, it only depends on the frenziness with which you act on the accelerator and steering.

This is a car for yesterday’s heroes, for those who continue undeterred to write pages of motoring romance, not caring about fashions and needs of contemporary motorists. There is far too much comfort on board, thanks to leather seats with lumbar adjustment courtesy of a little pump (nice touch), but there are also details that remind us how superfluous is everything that does not revolve around driving purity (the rear-view mirrors and the air coming through the door panels). The Morgan Plus Six is one of those cars you clearly imagine can transmit something to you and instead does much more, allowing you to rediscover the quintessence of driving pleasure, enhancing any movement, especially if tackled with the roof folded behind your back.

It’s official, I’m totally in love. I move my pupils between the steering wheel and the bonnet, I lift my head and the blue sky is the background of an emotion that is difficult to describe with simple words. The first moment you advance slyly with the 3.0 turbocharged muttering, the next you are brushing a bend, enjoying the mechanical upgrade that allows you to further increase driving ecstasy, even if you have to give up the V8 variant to which we had to say goodbye. Its timeless and unconventional being elevates it to a cult object, to the third or even fourth car in the ideal garage, but I can assure you that in the almost two weeks of use – unfortunately mostly afflicted by bad weather – there hasn’t been a single moment in which I wanted something objectively more practical. Perhaps because certain sensations are increasingly rare and we tend wanting to swallow them as much as possible in the rare moments in which they take place, or perhaps just because Morgan is one of those creatures from other times with which it is still possible to establish an alchemical relationship now unknown to those perfect and aseptic videogame sports cars.

Between us, this time I don’t even care about finding a universal answer to certain questions. What matters is that the Morgan philosophy is still intact and that despite the BMW X3 gear lever, every moment spent in that wonderful open-air lounge was one of the experiences that every true driving enthusiast should feel at least once in their life, while aware that the farewell will be hard and that the precedent created will make the other cars I will meet a little more opaque. Special thanks to Romeo Ferraris, Morgan’s official importer for Italy, as well as a point of reference in terms of preparations for sports cars of every brand, restoration of vintage cars and a well-known name in the International motorsport panorama.