Thursday, March 05, 2015

ZPorn

1963 Morgan +4
I'm not much of a car guy. (So much not a car guy, in fact, that I've used exactly that phrase to describe myself previously.) Pretty happy with my Toyota Camry with 150,000 miles on it. I might splurge on a MINI when the Camry finally kicks the bucket, but I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, given Toyota's well-deserved reputation for durability.

There are a few exceptions to my general automotive indifference, though. I'm a sucker for the Jaguar F-Type, for example. That thing is sexy as hell. I like the aforementioned MINI, too. It looks cool, and it fits my own personal little guy narrative.

But ever since I was a young lad, I've had a favorite automaker. In 1909, Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan founded the Morgan Motor Company in Malvern, England, producing three-wheeled sports cars for the turn of the century set. The company remains based in Malvern, and in an industry dominated by corporate behemoths, remains family-owned and operated.



(Click play to hear the engine sound of a 1928 Morgan Aero. I know Zman will do it.)

Put simply, Morgans are beautiful. They're works of art as much as they are conveyances. The Morgan +4 is a quintessentially British roadster, all sloping fenders and long bonnet. Every Morgan, really, can stand in for the United Kingdom's automakers. As Wired.com says, "Leather-gloved hands down, Morgan Motor Co. is our favorite retro-modern car maker."

I wanted one as a kid. British racing green, please.

And now, I want one even more. 

Morgan just announced the release of its updated Aero 8. It's gorgeous, and it can be yours for $121,000. I think that's a small price to pay to drive a sculpture.

23 comments:

zman said...

I'm pretty sure I sent you a link to the Morgan 3 Wheeler a while ago just because it's so cool. I didn't realize you're a Mog fan (if you're into Morgans you call them Mogs). I met a guy at Homecoming with a RHD Plus 4 (BRG, natch) and he was really excited that I knew what he was driving and that I wanted to talk about it. His wife, not so much.

T.J. said...

I was overserved last evening before and during Manilow concert, so thank god we have the day off

Shlara said...

So, I was wrong about the plow situation in NW Arkansas. The county actually has EIGHT plows, not four. Learned that on the news last night.

zman said...

I just spent 20 minutes on the 3 Wheeler site building a car I will never buy. Damn you rob! >>shakes fist<<

Dave said...

looks like they underestimated the snowfall here in central jersey. already did a second stint of shoveling.

i'm a car guy! i drive one every day. it looks vaguely like the one rob posted (except it's a toyota minivan).

zman said...

Vince Wilfork's farewell tweet is quite strong. I hope he doesn't wind up in some irrelevant quagmire, finishing off his career with 4-12 seasons.

rob said...

agreed - nice work by the big fella

rob said...

in addition to being a mog fan, z, i'm also a mawg fan.

Dave said...

what sort of folks were at this manilow concert? and how do they compare to the people at a weird al show?

TR said...

They're both sad, Dave.

zman said...

Barfolomew!

rob said...

nice to see mls avoided a work stoppage. who's writing the season preview?

Marls said...

I almost bought a TR 6 last year. Contrast that with a TR 69 which I would avoid at all costs.

zman said...

You prefer the TR golden shower.

rob said...

marcus is caa player of the year. tarpey got robbed - second-team all-league. though he did get defensive player of the year.

mr kq said...

Dude, where's my car. Had a TR6 my junior yr of HS (hand me down of bro who got drafted years earlir..). BRG of course. Coolest car I ever had, cept for the 71 challenger with electric sunroof and eq in the glove box. I will have a TR6 again one day.

rob said...

mr kq drove his brand-new '69 tr6 off the lot.

zman said...

I always wanted a Lotus Élan. The old one, not the one from the 90s with the Isuzu engine.

rob said...

i kinda dig the shelby cobra, too. my dad had one for just a few months when we lived in germany. couldn't bring it home because it wasn't street legal in the states.

Mark said...

My old man had a 66 Mustang for most if my youth. It was not in great shape but it ran well and he'd owned it since before he met my Mom so he drove it until the bitter end. As a result, I've always had a thing for late 60s mustangs.

I've always wanted an early 80s El Camino though. That's at the top of my list.

zman said...

You know that Shelby is now priceless right? Worth millions. If it's an AC. Even the Shelby mustangs cost a fortune. My dad had a 69 Impala convertible. Pastel yellow with a black top. Immense. It was sad when it died and he replaced it with a beetle.

TR said...

Good to see Craig Sager back in action, but he looks like he's lost a lot of weight. And he was never overweight.

Fuck you cancer.

TR said...

Citizenfour is pretty cool.