Morgan Supersport review

Fancy suspension, a locking diff, a roof and a boot — has Morgan finally built a top-class sports car? Illya Verpraet reports

- Illya Verpraet

Morgan has been through quite a remarkable transformation over the past 20 years or so. The new Morgan Supersport is a different world from the charming-but-crude Morgans of not so long ago.

For the Supersport, Morgan evolved the aluminium CX platform from the Plus Six and Plus Four to the CXV. The chassis weighs 102kg, including the front and rear subframes. Thanks to reinforcements, the Supersport is said to be 10% more torsionally rigid than the Plus Six. As always, the mostly hand-formed aluminium body panels are mounted to an ash wood frame.

A lot of work has gone into the suspension. There are different mounting points, some of which are twice as stiff as before so the suspension itself can do the work of absorbing bumps.

There are now two suspension options. The standard setup has been revised for more compliance, and, as with the latest Plus Four, anew Dynamic Handling Pack brings different springs and single-way adjustable dampers from British specialist Nitron.

To give the suspension less to do, the wheels have been made lighter for reduced unsprung weight. The standard 18in cast aluminium Superlite wheels weigh 10.8kg per corner and the optional 19in forged Aerolite wheels bring that down to 9.7kg — a big improvement over the Plus Six’s 13.8kg 19in Multispoke wheels, which remain available. Unusually, the wheels are the same width front and rear but are fitted with staggered Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres.

While the design is unmistakably Morgan, it looks much more modern than the Plus Six. The front and rear lighting has been integrated into single pods, and the bonnet louvres and faux spare wheel cover have both gone.

The smoother body results in a 5% reduction in drag, a 20% reduction in lift and improved aerodynamic balance. That said, the 0.44 drag coefficient shows there is only so much you can do to stop the classic Morgan shape from disagreeing with the air.