After almost 84 years of continuous production, Morgan has waved goodbye this week to its steel chassis cars with the last one leaving the factory this week.
The last-ever steel chassis Morgan has been built bringing to an end almost 84 years of continuous production. Time has been called on the world’s oldest and longest-running production car architecture.
Morgan’s steel ladder frame chassis was introduced in 1936 on the Morgan 4-4; it was the first Morgan to have four wheels and four cylinders. Until then, Morgan had only ever built three-wheelers.
The steel chassis, while undergoing many alterations, and improvements over its lifetime, went on to underpin the Plus 4, Plus 4 Plus, first-generation Plus 8, 4 Seater, V6 Roadster, and the 4-4’s eventual successor, the 4/4. Indeed, up until 2019, with the exception of the Aero and second-generation Plus 8, had run a variation of the steel chassis. More than 35,000 steel-chassis Morgans have been built since 1936.
The final steel chassis car is a Morgan Plus 4 70th Edition which has already been purchased by Morgan fanatic. This collector also owns the Le Mans-winning Plu 4, ‘TOK 258’.
The Plus 4 70th Edition celebrates 70 years of production of the Plus 4, which began in 1950. Limited to a run of just 20 individually numbered examples, they feature a gold-painted chassis, Platinum Metallic paintwork, and a host of other upgrades.
So, what’s next for Mogan? Well, it introduced its replacement for the steel chassis last year, its bonded aluminium CX-Generation platform. It came after four years of development, and using lessons learnt from its previous aluminium platform, found in the Aero range and second-generation Plus 8. This new platform was debuted under the all-new Morgan PLus Four which was revealed earlier this year.
Steve Morris, CEO and Chairman of Morgan Motor Company, said: “The steel chassis has been fundamental to Morgan’s production for more than eight decades, found beneath the skin of some of the most important and successful models in the company’s history. Its unique driving charm is loved by many and, in fact, demand for steel chassis cars is still strong. However, with the introduction of our CX-Generation platform, which underpins our revolutionary new range of four-wheeled products, the time has come to bid farewell to the steel chassis. We are delighted to present this final steel chassis car to a long-standing friend of the factory, who we know will enjoy it alongside his extensive Morgan collection”.
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