Car UK May 2019

26 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019

M

organ’s all-new aluminium platform represents much

more than simply the structure that’ll underpin its

next generation of flagship four-wheelers – it’s also

nothing less than the Malvern maker embracing modernity

in all its efficient, repeatable, future-ready and now exclusively

metric glory. And for a team of 30, operating on a ‘frugal’ budget

and given just three years, that’s no mean feat.

‘With the new CX-Generation platform it was also about

modernising the way in which we do things,’ explains Morgan’s

chief engineer John Beech. ‘It was about using common parts

where possible, streamlining the build process on the shop floor,

improving cleanliness, reducing waste and future-proofing

both the car and our production methods. For 70, 80 years now

we’ve had a mixed bag of [metric and imperial] fittings, which

is both inefficient and challenging from a supply point of view.’

The car spearheading this new era is the new Plus Six, which

combines the new bonded aluminium platform with BMW’s

B58 turbocharged straight-six, driving through an eight-speed

ZF gearbox offering paddleshift manual shifting. Ride and

handling promise to be a significant step forward over previous

Morgans, not least because the new chassis has twice the tor-

sional rigidity of its predecessor for a comparable weight of just

98kg. Performance will be scorching: 335bhp in a car weighing

just 1075kg. (Alpine’s equally light A110 has just 248bhp.)

While the powertrain ECU is BMW, the CX-Generation

electronics platform is Morgan’s own work, and as crucial to

meeting the future-proofing brief as the Plus Six’s relatively

modest emissions (170g/km CO2). ‘Looking ahead, to things

like lane detection, we now have the potential to develop on the

electronics side,’ continues Beech. ‘On the Plus Six we don’t have

traction control, for example, but we’ll get there. On this car it

didn’t make the cut in terms of budget – you’re talking millions

of euros. And without it the car’s all the more fun to drive.’

In comes 21st

century thinking

and power, but

the ash frame

lives on

Morgan

goes metric

Future-proofed and now with BMW straight-six power,

the Plus Six speaks fluent 21st century. By Ben Miller

ALUMINIUM & ASH

HOW IT WORKS

CAR
explains

Tech

A MODERN MORGAN

Previously, Morgans used a

mix of imperial and metric

fasteners. Plus Six is all metric,

while its Morgan-developed

electronics architecture is ready

for such niceties as lane-keep

assist in the future. Lightweight

suspension uses cast aluminium

wishbones and coilovers.

TIMBER!

Ash frame had to stay, given it’s

synonymous with the marque.

‘It does bring some additional

rigidity, and the material’s

properties are helpful in terms

of impact protection,’ says chief

engineer John Beech.

BROADER APPEAL

New chassis liberates 200mm

more legroom and a one-third

increase in luggage capacity for

a modest 20mm stretch in the

wheelbase. At the same time

the steering wheel (steering is

electrically power-assisted) gets

adjustment for rake and reach.

BMW POWER

Turbo B58 six brings serious

performance for a car weighing

1075kg dry. 335bhp and 369lb

ft would feel fit in a 3-series –

in the featherweight, traction

control-free Plus Six it’s good for

0-62mph in 4.2sec. And a very

flappy scarf.

100% MORE RIGID

Morgan’s previous aluminium

tub used 3mm and 4mm sheet.

The sheet metal in the new

CX-Generation platform is half

as thick, but delivers twice the

rigidity for the same weight –

around 98kg.