"The Plus 4 arose alongside the ready availability of the Standard
Triumph 4 cylinder engine in twin carb tune as used in the Triumph
TR series. The engine offered considerably more horsepower than the
other, (mostly Ford), 4 cylinders that Morgan had access to in the
1950's." Hagerty.com
For consignment, a 1958 Morgan Plus 4 roadster showing 50,165
miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car has a numbers
matching engine and has been owned by our consignor since 2001 who
informs us the unique exterior color was borrowed from the Corvette
catalog.
Exterior
With its rounded nose, the Morgan takes the traditional shape of
the British roadster, and if made of clay, smooths out the
otherwise upright grille. Flanked by attached and integrated
headlight buckets, that one change makes Morgan's immediately
recognizable and a configuration they carried on to later
iterations. The orange coverage of this sportscar includes a
heavily louvered hood, trim and a luggage rack in back, and subtle
foot hold trim on the running boards. The cowl is angled and the
windscreen takes on that lean, perched over flowing fenders arching
over 15-inch chrome wire wheels. The bump out on the hood is
another field mark of this particular model. Imperfections include
rock chips and larger chips throughout, cracking paint throughout
and heavy in some spots, liquid stains, and a crack along the
rocker panel.
Interior
Tinges of former glory can be seen in the white leather, but for
most part all horizontal surfaces are heavily cracked. Fortunately,
it's not a lot of real estate to remedy and begins with small,
smooth door panels and pleated bucket seats. In front the wood of
both the steering wheel and dash show a touch of age as do the
vintage gauges and ivory switchgear. Stylistically, it's very nice
and in line with the roadsters of the period but the tiny clock
inside the speedometer casing is particularly cool. On the
transmission tunnel is a metal handled shifter in tan leather boot
over tan carpet ending in footwells fronted by vertical walls and
brown carpet. That brown carpet also lines the package tray behind
seats and presents cleanly.
Drivetrain
Enhanced by some orange paint and otherwise driver quality, there's
the numbers matching 2.0 liter four cylinder under the hood, rated
at 90 horsepower and fueled by 2 Su carburetors. A Moss 4-speed
manual transmission is connected to it and sends power to the rear
axle with 3.73 gears.
Undercarriage
Generally clean underneath with minimal surface rust, good wood
structure, and relatively dry conditions. We do note some residual
fluid on the rear differential which happens to be capped by an
orange cover. Drum brakes are at all four wheels and a single
exhaust runs down the right side through a stock style muffler and
exits in back. Suspension consists of sliding pillars up front and
leaf springs in the rear. The oil pan is finned and wears a light
coat of residual oil.
Drive-Ability
This is not our first rodeo, but it is the first truly vintage
Morgan gracing our Hallowed Halls. The 2 liter delivers a solid
drive while the car tracks straight and handles well. Along with
the cosmetic issues, there are a few functional items that will
need attention including the tachometer, headlight, tail lights,
turn signals, brakes lights, and that cool little clock all are not
working. Remaining items operate as they should. While Classic Auto
Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of
our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working
at the time of your purchase.
This car has "good bones" as they say and represents a stunning
opportunity to restore a fairly uncommon British roadster. No
worries, there is the Morgan Sports Car Club to help out with
parts, advice, and of course, knowledge. We're thinking it would
look fantastic in British Racing Green, but that's up to you!
Someone needs to breathe new life into this classic!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
ClassicCars.com has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, successfully making the Inc. 5000 list in both 2015,
2016, 2017 and 2018. This prestigious accolade represents the continued growth of the company, and ClassicCars.com's dominance as the world's largest online marketplace for
buying and selling classic and collector vehicles.
The Stevie Awards, the world's premier business awards recognized
ClassicCars.com's first-class Customer Support team with a Stevie Bronze Award in 2019, celebrating the team's skills as exemplary customer support specialists.
In 2016 The Journal, brought to you by ClassicCars.com, was celebrated as the SECOND MOST INFLUENTIAL automotive blog in the world by NFC Performance.