Morgan 4/4: 73 years of the four-wheeled Morgan

The Morgan 4/4 is a British sports car built by the Morgan Motor Company from 1936 to 2018. It was Morgan’s first car with four wheels, and its name states the formula: four wheels and four cylinders. Apart from a break during the Second World War and the years from March 1951 to September 1955, the model was in continuous production for 73 years.

Morgan 4/4 at a glance

Based on one source. The four-seater, 1.6, 1.8 and Sports versions are body styles and engine variants of the same model and are described together here.

History of the Morgan 4/4

The first two-seaters

The original open two-seater was introduced in 1936 and became the most popular of the three body options. By 1939, 663 had been built, and another 249 followed from 1946 to 1950, together making up 53 per cent of early production. The first cars used a 1,122 cc Coventry Climax engine with 34 bhp, replaced from 1939 by a 1,267 cc overhead-valve Standard Special with 38.8 bhp. A four-speed Meadows gearbox was used until 1938, then a Moss gearbox.

Series II to Series V

The Series II arrived in 1955 with a chassis based on the Plus 4, independent front suspension on sliding pillars and a rigid rear axle on semi-elliptic springs. Its side-valve 1,172 cc Ford 100E engine produced 36 bhp; The Motor measured 75.3 mph and 26.9 seconds from 0 to 60 mph in 1956, for a test car costing £713. The short-lived Series III of October 1960 used a 997 cc Ford Anglia engine with 39 bhp and a wider track. The Series IV followed in October 1961 with a 1,340 cc Ford Classic engine, 62 bhp and front disc brakes. The Series V of February 1963 used the 1,498 cc Ford Cortina unit with 65 bhp and was built until March 1968.

The 1600 and later engines

In February 1968 the car became the 4/4 1600, with two- and four-seat open bodies and a range of 1,599 cc Ford Kent engines of 70 and 95.5 bhp. A total of 3,513 were built by March 1982. Alongside it, the 1600 TC of November 1981 used a 1,584 cc Fiat twin cam with 97 bhp and a five-speed gearbox; 96 were made by November 1985. From March 1982 the Ford CVH engine of 1,597 cc took over, with 1,652 cars built by November 1991, and from November 1991 an injected CVH version of 100 bhp. A 1.8-litre Ford engine was fitted in 2004, and from 2009 until the end of production in 2018 the car used a 1.6-litre Ford Sigma.

Design and features

• Four wheels, four cylinders: the name described the layout that separated the 4/4 from Morgan’s three-wheelers.
• Exceptional longevity: 73 years of production, interrupted only by the war and by the gap of 1951–55.
• Three early body styles: the two-seater, the four-seater of 1937 and the drophead coupé of 1938.
• Steady engine development: Coventry Climax, Standard, Ford and Fiat units followed one another under the same bonnet.
• Traditional chassis: sliding-pillar front suspension and a live rear axle remained through the series.

Morgan 4/4 versions

• Two-Seater (1936): the original open car; 663 built by 1939.
• Four-Seater (1937): 99 built by 1939 and 140 more from 1946 to 1950.
• Drophead Coupé (1938): a better folding roof and permanent window frames; 58 and 106 built.
• Series II (1955): Plus 4-based chassis and Ford 100E engine; 386 built by October 1960.
• Series III, IV and V (1960–1968): Anglia, Classic and Cortina engines in quick succession.
• 4/4 1600 (1968): Ford Kent power, built until 1982; the 1600 TC added the Fiat twin cam.

The 4/4 was the starting point for the larger Plus 4 and, later, the V8-powered Plus 8. More cars are in the Morgan collection.

Video: Magic of the Morgan 4/4

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Morgan 4/4, English Wikipedia: history, series, engines, production figures