Simon de Burton takes the serotonin-enhancing Morgan Plus Four for a spin.
What’s the healthiest new car on the market? On the basis that it has been clinically proven that smiling lowers blood pressure, adrenaline gives you energy and a digital detox reduces stress, the healthiest currently available might just be one that’s been around for 75 years: Morgan’s endlessly charming Plus Four. To test this theory, we piloted the latest on an epic 1,931-kilometre drive from Morgan’s UK headquarters in Malvern, Worcestershire, to the Scottish Highlands and back to take part in a tailoring-inspired car rally organised by the historic country outfitter Campbell’s of Beauly.
Despite being brand new, the Morgan blended seamlessly with the older classics – those included a Jaguar E-Type, a Triumph TR6 and a 1950s Land Rover – because the latest Plus Four looks more or less identical to the 1950 original.
But what lies beneath is very different. This latest version features a bonded aluminium platform and a zesty two-litre, turbocharged BMW engine matched to a slick, six-speed gearbox that enables the quaint-looking Plus Four to hit 100 kilometres per hour from standstill in around five seconds and surge to a top speed of 240 kilometres per hour.
Blend that with Morgan’s traditional, hand-built construction (the cockpit, doors and rear end are still supported by a timber framework hewn from ash), a welcome lack of tech – there’s no touchscreen “infotainment” system, only a USB socket and Bluetooth – and the result is a car that puts the joy back into driving. Granted, luggage space is minimal (although Morgan will sell you an optional carrying rack to mount on the back) and you need to be fairly supple to get in and out. But once inside, the Plus Four is deceptively comfortable with lots of legroom.
The seat bolsters are adjustable to personal preference by means of rubber bulbs that enable driver and passenger to pump them up with air, while the interior soon gets warm and cosy thanks to a heater that doesn’t offer a fancy temperature display – just one knob to make it hotter or cooler and another to make the fan blow faster or slower.
Raising and lowering the roof is also a refreshingly manual operation that takes only a few seconds, with the car really coming into its own in the “down” position.
And there’s good news for Morgan’s many US fans, too – because the Plus Four becomes the first of the marque’s four-wheeled cars licensed for use in America in 20 years, so now you can do that coast-to-coast road trip the “healthy” way… morgan-motor.com
Specs: 2025 MORGAN PLUS FOUR
Engine: BMW 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo, inline four-cylinder
Gearbox: six-speed manual
Power: 255hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm at 1,000 to 5,000rpm
Acceleration: 0 to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds
Top speed: 240km/h
Fuel consumption: 7.3 litres per 100km
Price: From £69,995
First published in the February 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.