LASTING APPEAL

VINTAGE CHARM AND MODERN POWER IN THE MORGAN PLUS FOUR.

- BY JOHN PEARLEY HUFFMAN

Old cars suck. They creak and groan, they don't handle, and they stop and ride like a mudslide. They rust, they break, and it's impossible to find decent replacement parts. Yes, they smell bad too. They're awful in every conceivable way, except they look freakishly fantastic and have character. That makes up for almost everything.

Loving old cars is irrational, and that's okay. Think of the 2025 Morgan Plus Four as an old, oh-so-British two-seater that's had a new German heart stuffed inside it. For lack of a better term—and dear God, someone please come up with a better term—it's a hand-built, factory-fresh “restomod.” It's the delish looks without some of the brutal horrors. It's the enduring aesthetic appeal of a Thirties roadster with the guts of a 21st-century BMW 230i. It could be enough to attract a new generation of enthusiasts to Morgan. As long as they're not bringing any luggage with them.

Dennis Glavis claims to miss the old Plus 4's harsh suspension motions. “Driving that with bump steer for like 52 years, you just learned to anticipate it. And to use it,” he said. “If the car bounces to the side, you just give it more throttle, and it just tucks in. It was why Morgans were controllable, even though they had a very primitive suspension.”