A history of Morgan

From their factory on the edge of the Malvern Hills, British car markers Morgan have been at the leading edge of sports and race car manufacture for over a century.

Through that time, a few key factors have remained constant: an emphasis on lightness, agility and driver involvement; a premium feel that comes from each model's construction by hand in Malvern; and a unique mix of three components (ash, aluminium and leather) that together provide that perfect mix of nimbleness and luxury.

In this article we’ll take a look at how it all started, where Morgan are today and, if you have one of these classics, how you can protect it with classic car insurance.

The legend begins

Back in 1905, the motor manufacturing industry was in its infancy when Worcester boy Henry Fredrick Stanley Morgan (known for decades to staff, family and the motoring industry as HFS) quit his job on the Great Western Railway to co-found a motor sales and service garage. HFS purchased Chestnut Villa in Worcester Road, Malvern Link, and the small garage he built next door became a dealer for several early car marques, such as Darracq, Wolseley, Siddeley and Rover.

With his fascination for the new form of transport growing, HFS designed his first car, for personal use, in 1909. Constructed with help from friends including the engineering master at Malvern College, the single-seater, three-wheel machine used a tiller to steer and had two gears (fast and very fast). No reverse gear as yet – the driver just had to get out and push.

The project was a success and production of the car, the Morgan Runabout, began the following year. HFS's innovation was to install a powerful motorcycle engine and simple transmission into a lightweight chassis and body, thus creating a new type of vehicle – one which quickly became known as the ‘cyclecar’.

The Runabout was a superbly agile engine. Its power-to-weight ratio of 90 bhp per tonne allowed it to accelerate as fast as any car of the time. Another feather in the Runabout's cap was its affordability. Being of relatively simple construction, it was accessible to drivers of a more modest budget, unlike the more substantial Daimlers and Benzes.

Formed that same year, 1909, the Morgan Motoring Company was to play a huge part in introducing the joys of motoring to the masses. For the first 25 years of its life, Morgan dedicated itself exclusively to the production of three-wheelers, or cyclecars, in two- or four-seat form. Why so? For one thing, these vehicles were classified at the time as motorcycles, and thus avoided the British tax on cars, further adding to their general appeal.

Three of HFS's new single-seaters were exhibited at the 1910 Motor Show – where they attracted interest, but few orders. Ever the canny salesman, HFS realised that a two-seater was required to break into the market.

Cue the first Morgan two-seater – which also boasted features such as a bonnet, windscreen, wheel steering, and crank starting. Built in 1911, the two-seater was displayed at the 1911 Motor Cycle Show. It was even offered for sale at Harrods, which became Morgan's first dealer (some pedigree, that!), and to this day has the distinction of being the only car ever to feature in the Harrods shop window (sale price: £65).

Demand was high – in fact the factory at Worcester Road couldn't turn out the cars fast enough, so the running chassis were built in Malvern, and then fitted with bodies of Harrods' own design. Unfortunately, Harrods' heavier bodyshell dampened down the car's performance, and HFS soon ended the partnership. It wasn't long, though, before a nationwide network of Morgan dealers was in place.

The Morgan Runabout was not only one of the first cyclecars – it was also the best engineered and most reliable. Demand remained strong, and a four-seater version was launched at the 1911 Motor Show at Olympia, London.

How fast were these early machines travelling? In 1912 HFS entered his single-seater in the contest, offered by The Light Car & Cyclecar magazine, to find the greatest distance covered in an hour, at Brooklands race track in Surrey. Morgan's single-seater managed 55 miles and was narrowly beaten by a model from new makers GWK; later that year Morgan tried again, this time managing 60 miles in 60 minutes.

A few years of racing success followed, including 1913's International Cyclecar Grand Prix and ACU Six Days' Trail, for which Henry himself took the wheel. The Grand Prix was particularly significant for Morgan's early development, not least in that it saw Morgan's three-wheeler defeat a host of four-wheeled vehicles (even allowing for a stop to change an inner tube!). The company's rich racing and sporting heritage was underway.

That triumph inspired Morgan to launch a new model, based on the race winner and unsurprisingly named the Grand Prix. The prestige of the victory meant that orders came in thick and fast – and it soon became clear that Morgan's Worcester Road factory didn’t have the space to cope with the growing demand.

So, in December 1913, HFS bought some farmland. The following summer, two large workshops were built on the site that Morgan still occupies today.

Some unlucky timing meant that World War One halted production just months into the new site's life, as workers were called up to fight and resources were allocated to the making of munitions. By the time work had to cease for World War One, the company had turned out 1,000 cars.

Peacetime, though, revealed another ace up the company's sleeve: Morgan was one of the first car manufacturers to be able to resume full production, largely due to the simplicity of the design and relatively small parts list.

The early years of success

The 1920s were a successful decade both on the track and in the showroom. The three-wheeler enjoyed plenty of success on the race track – at all Brooklands races, for example, the four-wheel contingent were given a lap's head start over the Morgan. New launches across the decade included 1920's Aero, one of the first cars with brakes fitted to the front wheel. A few years later came 1927's Super Aero, with its lowered, more streamlined body. The year 1931 brought a further innovation: a new transmission system featuring three forward gears and, for the first time, reverse gear. No more getting out and pushing!

By now, Morgan wasn't just about the sports models, central though these were to the brand's identity. Also coming out of Malvern were an affordable, entry-level motor, the Standard Runabout; the luxurious De Luxe; and the four-seater Family model. There was even a Delivery Van built on the same three-wheeler chassis.

1933's F Type was an early landmark in the Morgan story. Fitted with a Ford engine, the F-Type emerged first as the four-seater F4, followed soon after by the two-seat F2. Produced for two decades, the F-Types were hugely popular and inspired similar models from other companies. Many three-wheeler kit cars also draw on the F-Type's design.

Morgan had made its name thus far with a series of quick, nimble and affordable three-wheel vehicles: but in 1936, the company story opened a new chapter as the first Morgan four-wheeler was exhibited in London and Paris. The Morgan 4/4 (four cylinders, four wheels) had a full-width steel chassis, and a body made from ash with steel panels. Result: a car with the durability required for life on the roads, and the lightness and agility of a sports car. The 4/4 was an instant success.

Like its three-wheel predecessors, the 4/4 proved highly competent on the track. In 1938 Miss Prudence Fawcett, a 25-year-old novice driver, entered for the Le Mans 24-hour race in a Morgan 4/4 tuned and prepared at the works. Prudence and her co-driver finished in a highly creditable 13th place.

More disruption, however, was just over the horizon with the arrival of World War Two. The Pickersleigh Road factory spent much of the war building anti-aircraft gun parts and undercarriage components, although spares and services departments remained open for business in two of the buildings.

The dawn of the 1950s saw the closure of a particular chapter in the Morgan story. With four-wheel cars now almost universally preferred for their greater comfort, the firm took the reluctant decision to discontinue the production of their iconic three-wheelers. The last Morgan three-wheeler (or so it was believed at the time – but wait for it…) left the factory in 1953.

As one icon departed, though, another arrived. 1950 saw the production of the Morgan Plus Four, a two-door convertible upgrade of the 4/4. Fitted with a 2088 cc, 68 bhp engine from Triumph, the car was an instant success on the rally circuit, scooping the team award in the 1951 and 1952 RAC Rallies. Available in two-seater, four-seater and Drophead Coupe forms, the Plus Four became a cornerstone in the Morgan story: changes have been made over the years, engines have come and gone, but the car remains central to Morgan's output to this day.

The Plus Four is a perfect choice for anyone wishing to sample the kind of uniquely engaging motoring at which Morgan has always excelled. If you want thrills from your driving, you could do far worse than one of these – paired, of course, with some decent vintage car insurance.

The Plus Four's success did not, however, spell the end of the line for the 4/4, which in 1955 was updated as the 4/4 Series Two: similar in design to the Plus Four but fitted with a smaller 10 hp engine, providing similar sports car thrills at a more modest price point.

By 1966, the Plus Four's Triumph TR was in need of replacement. Rover's offer of their new aluminium V8 engine spurred the development of a new model, the Morgan Plus Eight, which was introduced to the public at the 1968 Earls Court Motor Show.

Another runaway success, the Plus Eight enjoyed 36 years of production. Its mid-life engine upgrade in 1989, from 3.5 to 3.9 litres, helped it retain its place as one of the fastest accelerating road cars. Indeed, the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport pronounced the Plus Eight to be the fastest car it had ever tested in fifth gear. Again, this is a car to be savoured by motoring enthusiasts and classic car fans alike – and again, it deserves the support of some first-rate classic car insurance.

Morgan through the 80s and 90s

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the Morgan Motor Company continued building its core range of sports cars – namely the entry-level 4/4, the higher-performing Plus 4 and the very fast Plus 8 flagship. That era also saw the launch, in 1987, of the annual Morgan Sports Car Championships for private owners, which soon reached starter numbers of 300 and more.

A new classic was on the way, however. Keen, as ever, to be up among the elite on the race track and to maintain Morgan’s reputation for producing world class sports cars, HFS's grandson Charles Morgan developed an entirely new chassis in the mid Nineties. The new aluminium-chassis Plus 8 competed in the international 1996 BPR race series, and showed Morgan that they could build a successful race car – but that the higher performance demanded at race car level wouldn't be achieved from the existing Plus 8's shape.

Undaunted, Charles Morgan worked with engineer Chris Lawrence over the next five years: and the fruits of their labours were seen in the Morgan Aero 8, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2000.

With its lightweight bonded aluminium chassis and all-aluminium body panels, still assembled around a wooden frame in the best Morgan tradition, the Aero 8 was a revolutionary new sports car. Its 4.4 litre, V8 BMW engine gave it supercar-league performance, and the orders came flooding in. The Aero 8's sheer performance and desirability mean that any lucky owners will waste no time in kitting themselves out with a strong classic car insurance policy.

More exciting news came in 2011 with the return, after a 60-year hiatus, of the Three-Wheeler, which had played such an integral role in the company's early history.

Going electric

Changes to the company were now waiting in the wings. In January 2016, Morgan received a ₤6 million government grant to pursue hybrid and all-electric powertrains. That grant followed the announcement of Morgan's first all-electric model, the three-wheel EV3.

Then, in March 2019, in a seismic shift, a majority stake in the company was acquired by the Italian investment group Investindustrial. The Morgan family continue as minority shareholders, however, and the 220 staff at the factory have retained their jobs.

In fact, there are signs that the takeover may benefit Morgan's future. Investindustrial, which has previously invested in the likes of Aston Martin and Ducati, has agreed to give the financial support that will help Morgan move forward with new product development. This follows the unveiling of the new, eight-speed, 335 bhp Plus Six, the first model to use Morgan's new CX-Generation infrastructure, in 2019, and its sibling, the 255 bhp Plus Four, in 2020. With their 21st-century performance, dynamics and emissions levels, these models may be cutting-edge engineering: however, the core Morgan values (the ash, aluminium and leather; the uniquely engaging driving experience) are still very much in evidence.

Investindustrial also pledged to increase global distribution and “broaden customers’ experience” with events, “enabling Morgan to fulfil its global potential as an iconic maker of hand-built British sports cars”.

The company currently produces some 850 cars a year: its owners' community features 5,000 members, affiliated to some 50 clubs around the world. Those three key components of ash, aluminium and leather remain at the centre of the construction process.

Morgan has always been famed for doing things its own way, and for resisting motoring's fleeting fashions as it continues to pursue its own defining ends – those of build quality, affordability and driver engagement. Let's hope it continues to do so, in the style that we've admired for so long.

Classic car insurance cover from the specialists

Morgan's many owners around the world are united by a deep affection for their beautiful, thrilling sports cars. At Lancaster, we share this passion for classic motors and their heritage, and we can help you to protect your classic.

Benefits of classic car insurance through Lancaster can include:

• Historic rally cover
• Static show cover
• Limited mileage discounts
• Choice of repairer
• 24-hour claims helpline

Contact us today to start giving your classic car the protection it deserves.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.