2020 Morgan Plus 4 First Drive Review | Out of time

LOS ANGELES — Necks swivel, heads nod, and thumbs spring up reflexively in approval. Those who dig the Morgan Plus 4 simply can’t help themselves. The anachronistic roadster turns heads, and has been since 1936 – that’s no typo – when the Plus 4’s direct ancestor, the 4-4, debuted. It eventually became the second-longest running production car in the world, outpaced only by the Chevrolet Suburban, which hit the market in 1935.

If you’re wondering how these Malvern, U.K.-built cars avoid stringent U.S. crash test standards, Morgan imports their vehicles as piecemeal kits and assembles them Stateside, selling them as new cars that look like they were built during the Truman era. We’re talking genuine old-school British open-air motoring here: aluminum skin wrapped around a real, honest-to-goodness ash wood frame, leaf spring suspension, and no shortage of ye olde underpinnings. The layout is ultra-basic as well, with extreme minimalism that includes the complete absence of a trunk (an optional spare wheel can be mounted directly to the tail). Bumpers, which Morgan calls “overriders,” are extra.

Photos by Drew Phillips

In fact, my tester, whose base price is $69,995, was equipped with some $21,000 in options, helping explain its exquisite details. The whole thing weighs around 2,000 pounds (eat your heart out, Miata), and under hood is the now-defunct, Ford-sourced 2.0-liter, 154 horsepower four-cylinder mated to a five-speed MX-5 gearbox. I never lifted the ragtop during my long, sunny weekend with the Plus 4, but the car’s structure is so crude it doesn’t even include movable windows. For (slightly) more wind protection, look no further than the detachable plexiglas windows, which are secured into place with a nifty knurled knob. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a purist’s roadster plain and simple, despite the near six-figure price tag.

Open the tiny door open and climb inside, and it shuts with a surprisingly precise click. There’s an intimate, even claustrophobic feeling to the cockpit, but paradoxically it also feels wide-open: The steering wheel rests snugly in your lap and the pedals crowd your feet, but above you is an infinite view of the heavens.

Photos by Drew Phillips

Finishes are simple, honest, and beautifully executed; the dash can be covered in one of four wood veneers, leather, or body-matched painted metal, unencumbered by modernities like bulky, airbag-equipped steering wheels. However, some modern options do help with livability, like air conditioning $2,100) and heated seats ($430). With a compact footprint bereft of hefty bodywork bulky or pesky crumple zones, the Morgan manages to feel remarkably retro and special in a way modern cars simply can’t match.

The drive is similarly elemental. Equipped with an optional sport exhaust system ($1,539), the Ford mill transcends its workaday roots and annoying direct injection din with a soulful and robust note. Acceleration is strong enough for everyday driving, but won’t exactly set the world on fire: the naturally aspirated four-cylinder can scoot the Plus 4 to 60 mph in a claimed 7.3 seconds, while the minimalist construction yields an impressive combined fuel economy figure of 40 mpg.

Photos by Drew Phillips

As pure an expression of open-air motoring as the Plus 4 is, there are no shortage of quirks to remind you of its agricultural origins. While it rides fairly smoothly on somewhat irregular roads, bigger potholes send shudders through the leaf-spring suspension and make it difficult to negotiate corners without upsetting the chassis. Though body control is excellent and maneuverability benefits from lightweight construction, don’t expect an overwhelming feeling of precision on a canyon road: it may have a Miata-like footprint, but the Plus 4 lacks the finely-honed balance and delicacy of the Japanese ragtop during high-performance recreational driving. The cool-looking, high-profile Avon tires don’t help, either, nor does the sliding pillar front suspension (whose origins date back to the late 19th century) or the live rear axle (which handles road shock with the aplomb of a brick mattress). And you can forget about hide-saving modern technologies like ABS and traction control. Yet, once you’ve acclimated to the controls – there’s no power steering, for example – the fun outweighs the Plus 4’s imprecision and lack of modern amenities.

More upmarket Morgan models like the V6 Roadster bring greater power (209 hp) and more sophistication (multilink suspension), but there’s something inherently satisfying about this four-cylinder throwback. In fact, Dennis Glavis, the longstanding Morgan importer who’s based in Santa Monica, Calif., admits he enjoys driving the Plus 4 more than the more powerful model. I get it.

Photos by Drew Phillips

If anything, the Plus 4’s relentless minimalism is a benefit, not a liability, that helps distinguish it in a field annoyingly perfect cars begging for your attention. Seemingly inconsequential tasks like dropping into Target for toilet paper becomes an event; not only do you feel special as you slalom this tiny two-seater through traffic, you become the center of vehicular attention whether you like it or not.

While the Morgan Plus 4 has enjoyed incremental updates over the years, a recent announcement reveals that its 83-year-old steel ladder architecture will be ditched in favor of the same bonded aluminum configuration found in the Plus 6. Those turned on by the precision and modernity of the aluminum chassis might not get what this old-school Morgan is about. But as a modern car that’s inextricably linked to its past, the 2020 Plus 4 marks the end of an evocative era. Score one while you can; this classic roadster’s elegant simplicity won’t come around again.

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