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Morgan Factory visit


holbeck

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Yesterday, I spent the day on a Factory tour at Morgan. A friend who lurks here organised it, and jolly good it was too.

 

Although I doubt that Morgan ownership will happen to me, it was all a bit infectious.

 

£20 gets you access all area's, take as many photo's as you like. So here, have a few.

 

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The shitters Morgan choice?

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Thanks for looking.

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Did the tour a few years ago, when it was a tenner!  

 

The 'visitor reception complex' is the old RSRE/MoD social club, where the Owd Giffer was a member for years when he was doing Secret Squirrel shit with radar and where I spent many happy hours as a child/teenager failing to play snooker.

 

My mate Brian works for Superform in Worcester and delivers these in a BFO Sprinter...

 

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How well do those Morgans usually last? And do they still have the crazy waiting lists?

 

 

A very long time and about six months, respectively.

Assuming you look after them they can last forever (my old 1937 one, that I owned over 20 years ago, is still going), since the late 1980s you get pressure treated woodwork and galvanised chassis which helps. If they live outside, as most of mine used to, they do take in a lot of water so need regular use/drying out to slow the rot. The achillies heel always used to be rot, but they are straightforward to rebuild, newer ones like the Aero are a lot more complex so there's more to go wrong or become obsolete. The factory used to be very supportive with spare parts even down to re-making obsolete Morgan specific parts to keep older ones on the road. I doubt I shall ever have another as I'm now to fat and crippled to get in and out of them easily.

 

Due to the changes at Morgan over the last few years their dealers have to take a certain number of cars, even if they have no definite buyer lined up, so you can with a bit of ringing around get one off the shelf, but that will be to whatever spec the dealer thought safest to specify to secure a sale; if you want it to your own specification then it probably will take about six months, as has been said.

 

I'm pessimistic enough to wonder how much longer they will keep going, so I'd say if you fancy a visit get in soon.

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I'm pessimistic enough to wonder how much longer they will keep going, so I'd say if you fancy a visit get in soon.

 

They're exporting 60% of production, so they're not doing so badly: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/19/europe/morgan-motors-retro-cars/

 

Note the quote from our very own Dugong... 

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They're exporting 60% of production, so they're not doing so badly: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/19/europe/morgan-motors-retro-cars/

 

Note the quote from our very own Dugong...

 

It was very noticeable going around the factory yesterday that a significant number of cars (including the three-wheelers) were left-hookers. Judging by the lack of spare workshop space I would say they're certainly not struggling to shift cars.

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I appreciate that the cars appear to be selling, however, I understand Morgan no longer own the premises in which the cars are built, having done a sell and rent back deal to raise development capital, hopefully this will not come back to bite them. They've been through the doldrums before and I do hope they survive.

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Yes, it's well worth a visit, I went there in February (a Christmas present from my wife :))  Our guide (the company archivist) really knew his stuff, and the most impressive thing was the sheer craftsmanship that went into every part of the process. It was great to see how much was still handmade but at the same time state of the art techniques from the aerospace industry are used to make components like the front wings.  Our 6 year old grandson (a first for Autoshite?) enjoyed it and was given a scrap piece of laminated ash trimmed from a rear wing, and a piece of burgundy leather left over from a plus 4; he now wants to be an apprentice there when he grows up :)

 

Order books looked healthy. One car was being prepared for the Geneva Motor Show,  another was about to be sent to Dubai and a lucky middle-aged couple were picking up their brand new one as we arrived. You do see a lot of them around Worcestershire, perhaps their owners are combining a blast round the lanes while making a pilgrimage to the factory. I tried one of their hire cars for size, they are quite roomy and easier than it looks to get in and out, but the steering wheel is a bit close to your chest. Unfortunately the four seaters are very tight in the back, you can't get a child seat in :(.  A Morgan is now very high on my bucket list if the Case fortunes improve (as in appear), depreciation is negligible after the first couple of years, WCPGW.

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My friend has just sold his Plus four for more than he bought it for maybe 5 years ago. Very nice to be driven in. Had a Kent engine, which sounded right for the style. I'd need to be very rich to buy one though, I can think of a few cars I'd rather have, but that's just because I like functional and practical motors.

 

I would love to do the factory tour.

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My friend has just sold his Plus four for more than he bought it for maybe 5 years ago.

 

That's how cars should be. Otoh, houses should slowly depreciate from the day they're built, as in parts of Germany (and many other parts of the world). £20 isn't a lot today, sounds well-spent. 

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I did my work experience in the repair shop,don't let all the craftsmanship bollo fool you,if a car leaks like a sieve then it gets the full autoshite treatment of gluing bits of rubber around the screen pillars to make it seal...

I tried getting an apprenticeship there,didn't make the cut,must have been 20 of us.

living fairly close to the factory means it doesn't hold as much novelty for me.

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Guest Lord Sward

A tour of the Morgan factory has to be the best £20 one can spend.

 

I've done the factory tours there for over 16 years now and a lot has changed believe it or not.  

 

I'd love one because you're buying into a lifestyle, not a car.

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you're buying into a lifestyle, not a car.

Not everyone, all mine were cars, used for everything. I used to do 30k miles a year in them at one point. The four seaters make good pick-ups for moving bales of hay and small furniture. They are also good off road.

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