UNI MOG

With an evolved platform and bold design, the new Supersport is Morgan's most modern and versatile car yet - wireless phone-charging included. But does seeking more universal appeal mean losing the magic?

- by JAMES TAYLOR

ROOF ON, SIDESCREENS OFF. THE MOUNTAIN AIR spilling into the cabin is bitingly cold but the air flowing through the vents in the dash is toasty and the heated seats are on. The tarmac is dry but blankets of fresh snow border the road. A storm is brewing on the horizon, coal-black clouds rolling in, but the sunlight reflected from the snow is so bright I’m squinting even through my sunglasses.

It’s a setting of contrasts and a car of contrasts too. We're a couple of hours north of Barcelona in the Morgan Supersport. It’s a new flagship for the 116-year-old company, indirectly replacing the Plus Six, which ended production in March. In positioning, it sits somewhere between the Plus Six and the previous Aero 8. In style, it’s one of the most forward-facing Morgans yet. Whereas the Plus Six could have driven out of almost any decade in the second half of the 20th century, the Supersport’s treatment is much more of-the-moment. Nevertheless, it’s instantly recognisable as a sports car from Malvern; it could only be a Morgan.

One of the most useable Mogs yet, too, with wireless phone-charging, Bluetooth for hands-free calls and, more prosaically, it’s the first Morgan in more than ten years with a boot (just big enough to store the side-screens in, so no need to leave them at home or stash them in a friend’s car this time). With considerable detail refinements to steering and suspension, it also promises to be a more modern Morgan in the way it drives. It’s a not inconsiderable amount of money, at £102,000 on the road in the UK before options, although that’s not uncharted territory, as various Aero 8 models topped the six-figure barrier in the past.