1963 Morgan + 4

[farlymac]

Classic hand-made British automobile.

Ready To Roll by br1078phot, on Flickr

Eight photos at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157647048054608/

PF

 

[Lauffray]

Hand made ?
Were they produced in series or built to order ?

 

[Solinar]

Yep - there is a good bit of hand work needed to cobble the body onto the frame.

I can't remember if the subframe for the body tub was made of teak or ash.

 

[Lawrence Sheperd]

I believe it was (and still is) ash.

 

[JRminox]

I'll second Larry. I also believe it is ash.

 

[Gareth Rees]

I believe they still use ash.

 

[ray*j*gun]

They were and still are made with ash chassis. One can still buy them new although they don't look anything like the one the OP posted. http://www.northshoresportscars.com/

This is a Morgan dealer outside of Chicago. His name is Norb and is a total Anglophile.

 

[citizen99]

They do still offer models in the 'classic' style, here's a link to the company.

 

[oilman930]

There is a common misconception with Morgans that the chassis is made from ash, it isn't, the chassis is made out of steel. Ash is used for the structure of the doors and body work. The outer panels are attached directly to the ash framework.

 

[Bill58]

Glad to hear that. I'd not fancy splinters in me arse from an accident.

There is a common misconception with Morgans that the chassis is made from ash, it isn't, the chassis is made out of steel. Ash is used for the structure of the doors and body work. The outer panels are attached directly to the ash framework.

 

[rumbliegeos]

What a classic beauty! In the old days the body construction was called "coachwork", betraying the origins of the craft.

 

[Paulbe]

You DID get a free termite warranty, I understand...

 

[KenR]

A long time ago I met a woman who said she wanted a Morgan. "The horse?" I asked. "No stupid, the car" she said. It was one of those things that you smile about years later, but you feel somewhat bruised about at the time.

 

[charjohncarter]

I think it may have called 'white ash.' At least my Woodie was white ash and the wood looked the same as a Morgan from that era:

Sorry, at little weird post processing:

 

[CMur12]

As I recall, Morgan patented an early "sliding pillar" independent front suspension around 1911, and they continued to use this rather primitive setup at least through the 1960s.

Also, as far as I know, all the other British sports car manufacturers quit using wood in the bodywork by the mid-1950s. (I'm thinking most specifically of MG, who I believe used wood through 1955, in their TF model. With the advent of the MGA in 1956, wood was no longer used in the car's structure.)

Thanks for the photo of this old Morgan. This is from the time when I started getting interested in (European) cars, as a boy. My dad drove MGs for 17 years, from 1951 starting with a TD, through a TF 1500, an MGA, and an MGB. I still drive a car with a stick shift.

- Murray