When you consider cars that have extended production lives, the Morgan 4/4 probably isn’t a car that instantly springs to mind. However, apart from a period during World War II, and another brief period during the early 1950s, the little Morgan has been in production (with regular updates) since 1936. This 1955 model is in really nice condition and represents the chance for someone to own and enjoy a classic British sports car immediately. It is located in Flanders, New Jersey, and is listed for sale here on eBay. It is being offered in a No Reserve auction, and at the time of writing, bidding has reached $6,701.
The owner of the Morgan is quick to emphasize that it is a 64-year-old vehicle, so potential buyers should not expect perfection. I believe that the car has received a repaint at some point in its life because it appears to be finished in a color called Royal Ivory, which wasn’t offered in the Morgan range until 1970. It is fitted with the correct disc wheels, and the dark blue finish on these provides a nice contrast. The body of the 4/4 is nice and straight, and the clear photos of every aspect of the car supplied by the owner indicate that it is also rust-free. The car comes with a Black soft-top, and as the owner says, it is in mint condition.
When you look inside the Morgan, you are once again struck by how nice it appears to be. The upholstery looks good, as does the timber dash. There are a couple of aftermarket switches under the dash, and it isn’t clear what these are for. Another aftermarket item is the carpet on the floors. Originally, the Morgan would have featured rubber mats on the floor, but the carpet makes for a nice change.
This 4/4 is significant because, with a VIN of A201, that makes it the 2nd Series II Morgan to roll off the line in Malvern Link. It is also 1-of-386 Series II cars built between 1955, and the end of Series II production in October of 1960. It is powered by an 1,172cc Ford 4-cylinder flathead engine. This produces 36hp, which finds its way to the rear wheels via a 3-speed manual transmission. With such low power, it is no surprise that the little Morgan takes 26.6 seconds to accelerate from 0-60mph, while it will eventually find its way to a top speed of 75mph. Being ready to enjoy, this Morgan is said to run and drive really well, with the clutch and transmission both being very smooth. The owner also says that the brakes and suspension are in good condition, while everything on the car works as it should.
Morgan is a company that has always built interesting cars, and their history includes some reasonable success building 3-wheeled sports cars. The 4/4 was their first venture into building a 4-wheeled car, and the model name was devised to indicate that the car came with 4-wheels, along with an engine with 4-cylinders. At the time when this car was built, they weren’t a high-volume manufacturer, and this is best reflected by the fact that only 386 examples of the 4/4 were built during its 5-year production run. This is a classic British sports car that is ready to drive and enjoy and while it might not be fast, it is a car that promises a truly enjoyable ownership experience.
That’s a great price! It would be very tempting to put that engine/gearbox in a nice, dry place and drop something with a little more guts (almost anything would qualify) in its place. It says this Morgan is rust free, but how is the ash underneath?
Crap……it’s some 20 miles from me and my wife has a thing for Morgans.
I think a TF would be better for her to screw around with, but I’m going to throw a low cap bid on this.
Good luck
These are neat looking cars, but drive one before you buy one.
The steering is by suggestion, ride comfort is of horse and buggy standard, and forget about taking them on the highway as they are scary due to both lack of speed and size. But bombing around on B roads is great and everyone you pass will smile and wave.
Oh for some reason people think the chassis frame is made of wood, it is not it is steel. The wood is used to support the body frame and doors. This is the same as many cars made in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s
Wow. Up to 12.000. That didn’t stay cheep long.
Bidding is up tp $12,000. These are so much nicer with a Triumph power plant.
This one has the added power from a pair of SU carbs on an Aquaplane intake, and may well have an Aquaplane exhaust manifold, as well. My SII 4/4 has plenty of power from the Aquaplane-equipped Anglia 100e engine, but the transmission has a huge gap between 1st and 2nd. People often replace the original 100e lump with a Cortina engine and trans, to good advantage..
These have reached Cult status.
Nice car and rare but no speed merchant.
Probably will not sell cheap
Mt Dad had a ’35 Caddy that was being restored back in the late ’60’s. All this shop worked on were classics. They had a this same Morgan in the shop that they did a full restore on. Well, the owner of the Morgan had about 4 other cars in restoration and he offered the Morgan as a partial payment on his other car’s. The body man got it and offered it to my Dad as his caddy was being restored. Being a good Irish lad, my Dad scored it. He’d already purchased a Morgan horse for me, so it fit right in to our ” stable “.
Nice….a father / son restored on in my hood when I was in my teens…..painted it yellow….always rode by to see if the garage was open……..good luck !
Would at least outperform the Chrysler CJ 30 I once owned. A car to enjoy puttering around in on a nice afternoon.