Gerry Willburn wrote:
You probably even like motorcycles with mag wheels and disc brakes.
Gerry,
I plead guilty... but I also RIDE motorcycles. Ever experience a puncture
on a spoke-wheeled motorcycle? I have, with a passenger aboard as well!
They are also not pleasant to repair on a remote backroad in Central PA
with just the tools on board, even with the mighty BMW tool kit. On bikes
I don't even mind the ABS I have on my 1991 BMW R100RS... not very
essential on a basically dry road Morgan Sports Car, though!
I knew I would get some mail on the wires issue. As I know you are a
bit of a Morgan "guru", I will only say that if you saw a new wide body
in the flesh with those silly wires on it, you might think it looked too
much like a kit car, (Excaliber). Confidentially, I was originally torn
between ordering a standard 15" car and the 16" alloy option due to
the wider look, but felt that the performance available from a standard
OBD II 4.0 litre could USE the additional track and rubber. You may
already know that the 0-60 performance difference in a U.K. 3.9 vs.
the 4.6 is only .1 sec., and as the 4.0 is MUCH crisper and more
responsive on the bottom, the car can use all the help it can get.
Furthermore, there is a chap in Colorado Springs who makes an
Eaton supercharger kit for this engine/SAGEM engine mgmt. combo
which, due to the knock sensors, et al. is a simple and RELIABLE
bolt-on affair for $4,000. producing an extra 52 BHP. That is 17 BHP
and ~25 ft.lbs stronger than the unmodified MMC 4.6, and a good
bit smoother and more refined. I'm definitely considering this mod
after run-in if business picks up a bit. It's all perfectly EPA legal,
even in California.
By the way, you won't see Charles or Peter driving a car with wires,
and the only thing Charles ribbed me about with the specs. of my
car was the organ-type accelerator pedal which he said "would be
nice for the ladies". I will have sports seats, by the way.
The bottom line here is that I like Morgans to look like the cars
people are driving every day over in the U.K. and I intend to drive
this car. I don't like Fink's "cattle-catcher" bumper arrangement
and may even go so far as to restore my bumpers to 13" height if
I find I cannot live with the 17" height these NAS/SRS equipped
cars are supposed to have because I'm in the business here in
NJ and can get away with it. This bumper height thing is a real
sore spot with me, aesthetically speaking.
Pardon all my rambling here, but I will conclude by saying that
old Morgans are great and new Morgans are great, but new Morgans
are not old Morgans. I would love to own a collection of them
and have the time to drive them all, (especially one like John
Worrall's Plus 4 Supersport). However, I can only afford ONE
Morgan, and am most grateful for the fact that, due primarily to
Charles Morgan's leadership as MD over the last several years,
my car has stone-resistant SPF alloy wings, stainless inner
wing valences and bulkhead, and many other improvements.
Tinkering is therapeutic, but with limited spare time available,
I'd rather be driving a Morgan!
Best wishes to all,
William G. Lamb, III MailTo:lambroving@worldnet.att.net
Land Rover Specialist
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