Every classic car enthusiast (or at least every classic sports car enthusiast) knows the Morgan as a car that deviated little from its 1930s design aesthetic: a sports car in the traditional sense. Only rarely did the family-run company offer a contemporary car; the Aero SuperSports being the most recent example.
Much admired by Morgan lovers and even industrial designers (as quoted in Architectural Digest magazine) its predecessor, the Aero (above), left me confused because, no matter how many times I examined online photos, the headlight placement made it appear to be cross-eyed. Perhaps because I've never seen the Morgan Aero in person, my perception could be wrong. Fortunately the follow-up SuperSports (photo at top) seems to have corrected that image.
I have no such difficulties with the newest Morgan concept car, the EvaGT. If this is Morgan's next step into the future, I'm all for it, provided the family firm never ceases to offer those so-called "classic" models.
EvaGT performance is provided by a 6-cylinder BMW producing 306 horsepower. That alone makes the EvaGT a winner in my view, for I'm a big fan of inline sixes. Who needs V-8s with power like this? To get that urge to the road Morgan will offer a choice of a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission. The EvaGT weighs just 2,755 pounds, which makes the power-to-weight ratio impressive, indeed. It can rumble from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, while achieving 40 Imperial miles per gallon.
I often worry about how a small English automaker can survive in the new world of techno-cars, hybrids, and electrics. Morgan appears to have the answer by producing the traditional cars we love next to a line of contemporary sports cars that drive into the future. A carefully nurtured balance that the folks at Malvern seem to have accomplished. We wish them every success.