I decided to see what the fuss was about and buy the June edition of Car
& Driver. It is a wholly different kettle of fish from the Road & Track
review.
Aside from the new forthcoming power plant change which will end the era
of the Plus 8 (and should be a surprise to no one), there will also be
some changes to the Morgan frame, chassis and styling. The extent of
these changes are hard to judge because there is nothing concrete shown.
The article does note the following:
1: The interview with the Lawrence, the current designer, (who
looks
like "a mad dog left too long in the noon-day sun") was done
clandestinely without the authorization of the Company;
2. The Company wishes all developments or rumours of developments
kept
secret as they are "mortally afraid" of compromising present sales;
3. Lawrence extensively altered the chassis design prepared by the
original consulting automobile engineer hired by Charles "who is
impressed with people who have lots of letters after their names".
4. Charles has "seen the handwriting on the wall" and he is "very
artistic" so he designed the new exterior. Peter is "very anti the new
car" as he is still "traumatized" by the Plus 4 Plus experience from
35 years ago.
5. Win Sharples is refers to the company dealing with problems by
hiding its head in the sand;
6. Charles Morgan and Bill Fink are presented as disputing who of
them
is dealing with the all important USA DOT requirements.
7. Sharples and Fink are presented as having a "competitive
relationship if not openly hostile";
8. The new racing Morgan prototype placed 13th in its class in the US
when the Rover engine was pulled in favour of a Chevy;
9. Peter Morgan, the "head ostrich", would never give the 3.5 million
dollar project the go-ahead on the "ex-playboy Charles'" beliefs but is
going along because, as Sharples says, "he trusts Lawrence".
Regardless of the quality of the new car (there is not enough hard fact
to comment of that intelligently), this article makes everyone involved
look poorly. It cannot be considered a PR coupe for the Morgan world.
Oh yes! one last thing...the article states the new 6-cylindered car
will be called the Morgan Plus 8 GTR showing that arithmetic must bow to
the realities of marketing.
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