the 21stcentury automotive world is all about rapid evolution the minds behind the morgan motor co seem content to let their competition drive off into an uncertain future while other automakers can’t get away from the internal combustion engine fast enough over in the quiet confines of worcestershire uk there’s morgan motors the company leadership spend their days designing cars that would look more at home in an agatha christie whodunit than on california’s i5 freeway these morgans keep gas engines very busy and—while their models make sure to include all of the essential safety features of modern motoring—they push to maintain purity in the driving experience the company dates to 1904 and the little automotive shop of hfs morgan through the decades they’ve built for both the racetrack and the common roadways in four and threewheel formations captainship of the company stayed in the family until 2013 but the traditional concept of the company’s builds remains intact today morgan produces the plus four and plus six roadsters the latter dates to 2019 sporting an aluminum chassis and allindependent suspension priced above the plus four at £90389 us113273 the plus six is powered by a bmw b58 turbocharged inline sixcylinder gas engine producing 335 horsepower coupled to an eightspeed automatic transmission the morgan plusfour came along in 2020 as the less ambitious but equally striking of morgan’s two fourwheel offerings starting at a surprisingly reasonable £71829 for the manual transmission option for example that same amount will snag a bmw 5 series or an audi a7 those are both great cars but even they’d have to admit they lack a morgan’s flair there’s no additional cost for the eightgear automatic box but why any driving enthusiast would willingly optout of the sixspeed stick shift onthefloor is a mystery with the plus four’s throwback look and balanced centered handling a driver will want to reach down and grab an extra gear in the turns the plus four’s name should not be confused with the popular term for short golf trousers worn with knee socks—though that oldfashioned look would fit in nicely enough with the prewwii vibe of a morgan’s aura arched sweeping fenders rise and fall from an extended hood to a passenger compartment just large enough for a driver and a passenger wise enough to choose 2224 lbs of pure style over more sensible motoring this morgan’s size and weight—loaded down a bit from the topshelf humanhewn materials like the handcarved wood inlay used to shape and decorate the car—cruises along smoothly enough with its bmwbuilt twoliter twinturbo inline four cylinder engine offering top speed just shy of 150 mph the plus four also uses a bonded aluminum chassis and the allindependent suspension design the zeroto60 mph time is merely respectable at 52 seconds for a twinturbo straight four still put the top down to let the wind pummel the ears and it feels much faster the car never feels underpowered while avoiding any brand of aggression that would detract from its air of vintage sophistication though holding the line passionately on its prewar looks the plus four builds in enough modern technology to justify its price electronic stability control keeps the entire show on the road there’s a bright lcd display screen in the throwback aluminum dashboard and a stateoftheart sennheiser audio sound system powerful enough to keep duke ellington in the ears even with the top down—if the sporting lady or gentlemen behind the wheel likes to match musical eras to a car’s aesthetics finally the plus four’s fourcylinder power play packs a pleasant surprise by saving the driver a buck or a quid at the pump while the buyer of a us70000plus ride probably doesn’t lose sleep over gas prices the manual transmission plus four produces a combined 39 miles per gallon down another line morgan also makes the super 3—a threewheeled twopassenger openair roadster similar to the less ambitious polaris slingshot or canam spyder with a visual presence eager to echo the lines of a 1940s supermarine spitfire fending off messerschmitts high above the white cliffs of dover the super 3 makes a noise worthy of that same fighter plane though the super 3 dates back to the morgan threewheelers of the ’30s and ’40s the modern version plays more like a summer toy—a trackday rambler or a steampunk worthy motorcycle alternative for a grand day out on the dusty byways it’s fun but playful transportation the plus four is a more serious mature way to get around the world’s wellheeled climbs while the owner needs to be comfortable drawing plenty of stares on the road or at valet parking the driving experience is grounded and reassuring with the driver and passenger positioned low to the ground in the chassis’ protection at its core a morgan knows its job is to remind its owner of how much fun operating a wellbuilt car is and how unique the relationship can become between human and machine