Morgan Unveils Flagship Model, the Supersport

It’s a rare occasion for Morgan to unveil a new model. But, this week marked one of those special occasions, as the boutique British sportscar manufacturer revealed their latest flagship model, the Supersport. Initially intended as an update to the Plus Six, engineering creep took hold, and they made a whole new model. Every panel is different, and there are a ton of updates; but it still retains all of Morgan’s signature, traditional elements. It’s built by hand in Britain, weighs almost nothing, and its bodywork will be hand beaten into shape over an ash wood frame.Morgan Supersport. Courtesy of Morgan.Morgan Supersport. Courtesy of Morgan.Visually, the Supersport is unmistakably a Morgan – with the long hood, post-box windscreen, circular lights, and horseshoe grill – but has many refreshing updates. At the front, Morgan uses the new LED units from the Plus Four, with integrated indicators, and finishes the horseshoe grill with a large rectangular bumper underneath, which is my least favorite part of the car. It visually widens the car and makes it more aggressive, but this bumper also seems blunt and aggressive. I wish the horseshoe grill had gone further down and that this lower intake and bumper unit had been subtler, like their mid-2000s Aero Coupe.The rear is particularly striking, with the rear arches pulling down to a low, sloped rear with dual exhausts and dual tail lights. It’s wide, mean, and utterly distinct from any other modern car.Courtesy of Morgan.Morgan Supersport. Courtesy of Morgan.The Supersport comes in either hard-top or soft-top convertible form, and that hard-top is entirely carbon fiber, making it manageably light. The interior is simple and elegant in a way that few modern cars are, but it still comes with a Sennheiser sound system and wireless charging dock for your phone. In short, the Supersport has all the style you expect from Morgan but looks more premium and up-to-date than its predecessor, the Plus Six.Morgan Supersport Interior. Courtesy of Morgan.Morgan Supersport. Courtesy of Morgan.Looking at the on-paper figures, the most impressive part of the car is how old-fashioned it is. Despite being an all-new car, Morgan’s sub-1000-car yearly production means they don’t have to comply with many modern safety regulations — which increase the size and weight of vehicles — so the Supersport has a wet weight of only 2,579 pounds.This featherweight, all-aluminum car is powered by BMW’s 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, producing 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, which goes to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The lack of a manual option is a real loss here — it feels fundamentally antithetical to the car’s spirit — but Morgan doesn’t have a choice. BMW makes a manual gearbox compatible with this engine, but they won’t sell it to Morgan, and Morgan doesn’t have the scale to make parts like this.Morgan Plus Four. Courtesy of Morgan.These restrictions also mean that the Supersport is not going on sale on the American market; at least not yet. Morgan spent millions getting their smaller Plus Four to comply with US emissions regulations, and the six-cylinder would pose an even harder challenge. It starts at £105,160 in the United Kingdom – or $136,000 – and customers will begin picking their cars up next month, in April.

Morgan Unveils Flagship Model, the Supersport

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