CarBrandLogos archive · Morgan · 1950

MorganMorgan Plus 4

The Morgan that grew a bigger engine and then won its class at Le Mans.

Photo: Ramgeis · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Morgan history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Morgan Plus 4, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The 4/4 had never had much power, so in 1950 Morgan put the 2088cc Standard Vanguard four into a lengthened and widened chassis and called the result the Plus 4. It was the first Morgan that could fairly be called quick, and for most of a decade it was the only model the factory built.

'70 Morgan +4 · Bull-Doser · Public domain

Design and engineering

Triumph's TR2 and TR3 engines followed, and with them came competition results. In 1962 Chris Lawrence and Richard Shepherd-Barron won the 2.0-litre GT class at Le Mans in a Plus 4 Super Sports, a lightened and lowered version with a tuned engine, beating the Porsches in the class outright. It remains the high point of Morgan's racing history and is still cited by the factory sixty years on.

Morgan Plus 4 1991cc September 1951 · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

The Plus 4 came and went across three separate runs: 1950 to 1969, a revival from 1985 with Fiat and Rover engines, and a third from 2005 with Ford power. Morgan replaced it in 2020 with the Plus Four on the bonded aluminium CX platform, which is the same idea with a modern chassis underneath and considerably more speed.

Morgan Morgan Plus 4 · AlfvanBeem · CC0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1950–1969

Units built

4,584

Engine

1991&nbsp

Body

2-door convertible

Technical specification

The Morgan Plus 4, in detail.

Production: 1950–1969; 4,584 produced; 1985–2000; 2005–2020
Class: Sports car
Body style: 2-door convertible
Layout: Front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine: 1991 cc Triumph Overhead valve engine; OHV Straight-four engine; I4 ; 1994 cc Rover M-series engine; Rover M16i DOHC I4 ; 1994 cc Rover T-series engine; Rover T16 DOHC I4 ; 1995 cc Fiat Twin Cam engin
Assembly: Malvern, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Morgan Motor Company