Vehicle Story
The Morgan 4/4 was probably considered “devil’s work” by some at the Malvern based firm when it first appeared in the mid 1930’s. The company had essentially been built on the production of sporty three-wheelers invariably with a big capacity V-twin in the nose. The number 4 was a rarely used digit around Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road factory prior to the 4/4’s arrival. Some joked that the typewriter keyboards in the office went directly from 3 to 5. The new model’s nomenclature referred, of course, to four wheels and a four-cylinder engine. Usually considered a minimum requirement for most cars this departure represented less of a wind and more of a hurricane of change billowing over the Malvern hills.
Hindsight showed that the 4/4 didn’t instantly spell the demise of the revered three wheelers, as some had thought, and the model went on to earn the title of the longest running production vehicle in the world with a manufacturing period spanning from 1936 until 2018.
Will much of the Morgan’s appeal tied up in its “frozen-in-time” 1930 aesthetic styling changes were somewhat of an anathema. A “major” styling update in 1954 due mainly to revised lighting regulations essentially saw the car through to the end of its life in 2018. Well, “if it ain’t broke…..” Under the hand rolled louvered bonnet, however, a dizzying raft of engine changes and mechanical refinements kept the car probably more current than its looks may have suggested.
During its life the 4/4 had been powered by engines from Coventry Climax, Standard and even Fiat but it was Ford propulsive power that most commonly found a home in the nose of the 4/4’s. With ubiquitous Ford powerplants in situ the Morgan 4/4 offered a surprisingly civilised, economical, and easy to maintain prospect whilst retaining all the flies-in-the-teeth, wind-in-the-hair and rain-in-the-footwells charm that owners both expect and enjoy.
