Morgan's 21st-century toy
Morgan, the tiny Worcestershire sports-car maker, has come through the recession with record-breaking sales, says Ken Gibson in The Sun. It is set to sell 850 cars in 2010 – the best 12 months in the firm's 101-year history.
Morgan's cars are hand built by just 170 workers in a cramped, ageing factory in Malvern, and its "quirky" retro cars attract buyers from all over the world.
Now the firm is branching out with the new Eva GT, the first four-seater saloon in Morgan's history. The aim is to make a family car, albeit costing over £100,000, but with all the sporting characteristics of a classic Morgan.
The car is scheduled for production in 2012, says Erin Baker in The Sunday Times, and Morgan is currently taking £5,000 deposits to book a production slot among the first 100 cars. The engine will be a BMW straight-six petrol unit delivering 306bhp, and will be good for a 170mph top speed and a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds. And the fuel consumption should be roughly 40mpg. "The sound you hear is Morgan being dragged kicking and screaming into the present day."
The Eva looks "sensational", says Autocar, and is a much more practical proposition than any previous Morgan.