The Morgan company has been family owned since it's inception in 1910. It originally made 3 wheelers only (with a single rear wheel), but in 1936 the company branched out into 4 wheel cars. Frequent style changes are definitely not a feature of Morgan cars, as they have been producing what is essentially the same design of car since 1955. The styling of this model by Kyosho represents a 1950's Plus 4's (so named because it has a four cylinder engine) and apart from a number of minor details, it remains identical to the modern day Plus 4 built today by Morgan. A feature of the car is it's wooden chassis components (made from ash wood) and rudimentary suspension design, giving the Morgan a hard ride. What marks this model out as an early car is the old fashioned steering wheel, along with the gearlever protruding from underneath the dashboard (instead of being located on the central transmission tunnel, as on later cars). Similar to the set up used on the Citroen 2CV, the driver used a "push-pull" action to change gears, which in practise proved to be a cumbersome arrangement.
In 1968, Morgan introduced a V8 engined version of this car, the Plus 8, which proved to be a serious performer. And just recently (2000), Morgan revealed their first all new design since 1955 in the shape of the Aero 8, powered by a BMW 4.4 litre V8 (as seen in the 540i, 740i and the X5 4.4i). Although it is all new, the Aero 8 shares the same basic shape as this car, except in a "retro" fashion as seen on the new Beetle by Volkswagen.
Morgans have always had a very strong following, and due to their labour intensive manufacturing processes, the average waiting list for a new Morgan has been as long as 6 years. Quite often, on taking delivery, a new owner will order his next Morgan, as by the time it is ready he will be due a change of car!
Kyosho make this super model, which is up to their high standards. The paint and general finish is superb, and the interior even has black felt representing carpet. The engine bay is accurately detailed and the cars chrome highlights look superb. Overall it gets a high 8/10 marks.
%
