Auto listings span the gambit – everything from soup to nuts. Many are laconic, you know, “car for sale” and that’s it. Others are a tome – usually with nothing but seller superlatives – take a pass on those. But some fall into a sweet spot that tells you what you need to know, and then a bit more. And the more unusual, rare, or modified a car is, such as this 1958 Morgan Plus 4 for example, the more wordage is needed. I’d say this listing does this iconic British sports car justice, so let’s review. It’s located in Rancho Pales Verdes, California, and is available, here on craigslist for $26,900. Once again, we have T.J. to thank for another fabulous find!
So, as the title indicates, this Morgan is supposedly a garage find, having slumbered for 40 years. The exterior of this rust-free Plus 4 (’50-’69) has been left as discovered and I have to admit, I like the look. It shows like it’s ready to go, not just to show. It’s missing its front bumper and rear guards (bumperettes?) – a typical race car removal tactic but it shows well with no indication of panel damage or misalignment. The seller adds, “Top bows are in place. There are side curtains. There is a small half tonneau for the rear storage area” so it sounds like this Morgan is in permanent top-down mode.
The 100 HP, 2.0 liter-in-line, four-cylinder engine is said to, “run strong with great oil pressure. It may have a higher-performance camshaft than stock. The head has been milled. The engine starts easily when cold or hot and revs strong through its RPM range“. Improvements and repairs include a valve adjustment, rebuilding of the SU carbs, new rod bearings and thrust washers, a new timing chain, tensioner and seal, a rebuilt generator, a new water pump, new aluminum radiator and hoses, and a five-blade fan, among other things. Finally, a properly operating Moss four-speed manual transmission handles gear changes. It is said that Morgan specialist Derek Willburn, “put in many hours and many new parts to get her back on the road again“.
The interior is in fine nick with reupholstered seats, a refinished wood dash, and engine gauges, minus the speedometer (which needs a cable), that work properly. There’s no Fred Flintsoning it going on here as we’re told that the floorboards have been replaced.
I think that this Morgan is a fine example of British sports car motoring that we were fortunate to experience from the late ’40s all the way into the ’70s. There is an additional image and video gallery that you can review to learn more about this car. Of note, the Plus 4 was revived two other times by Morgan and functioned as modernized versions of the original. Morgan’s fortunes have been up and down over their 113 years of existence but as of 2023, they’re still at it with a revised Plus model in their lineup. So, back to this tried and true example, what do you think, priced right or not quite?
Given a choice between buying a $45k (😳) ‘71 Cutlass FourDoor with 38k miles or this well kept Morgan @ approx 1/2 the price-giving you all KINDS of Moss Motors upgrade money-it’s a nobrainer.
That is, until the rest of the family wants to go on an outing, at which point you’ve seen this coming and bought a well used ‘72 or so Country Squire, Kingswood Impala or Fury 400 and pocketed the change!
You’ll need it for gas..
Hey guys, Here I am scanning my favorite site and boom!!!…what a surprise as I see you’ve featured the Morgan our family is selling! Anyway, feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks for the exposure!
Ach du lieber, TERMITES!!! Morgans are so cool, and the fact the seller is here is better yet. Many times, buyers don’t have the luxury of speaking with the owner. My termite comment stands, as they aren’t wood cars, but have a wood body support of ash, but that was always the joke. Also, my “ACB”( air cleaner bandit) doesn’t apply, as Morgans never had air filters. I find that odd, perhaps it was Englands damp, non-dusty air, but it’s about the only car I’ve seen, other than race cars, that didn’t have filters. Some clever renditions on part of the owners exist. Morgans are rare, with only the 3 wheeler being really known, and I’ve never seen either. Very nice cars, a hefty claim, but one of Britains best cars.
I have to disagree about only the trikes being known. The four wheelers have been around for over 80 years, and account for most of the Morgans I’ve seen. I remember reading about the Plus 8 with the Buick/Rover 3.5l, running on propane, in the late ’70s/early ’80s. Road & Track gave Morgans an awful lot of ink for how many made it to the US.
Hi Andy, well, that may be( 80 years) but not in the Beer City. ( or fill in typical USA city) The 3 wheeler was only known about because it was so unusual. It got the attention of sports car AND motorcycle buffs, in print, but never actually saw any, 3 or 4 wheels. Not Morgans fault, we, as Americans, were limited as to what foreign cars we saw, possibly on purpose, but aside from Jag, Rolls, Austin, MG, or Triumph, I never saw any of these.
Great to see the early cars are still around. Nice one here.
Seems to be a nice Moggie! My only real question would be: if Morgans have no air cleaners, how does one NOT get dirt particles ruining the motor?
I used to put pantyhose pieces over the air intake and fix them in place with a card piece of card cut to size and shape and using the bolt holes bolted them on. Changed every 1000 miles. The look on the then girlfriends face when I asked her to take off her pantyhose was a look I have never forgotten.
There’s also a cool video on Derek Willburn
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DdsvbrrWM1A&pp=ygUcZGVyZWsgd2lsbGJ1cm4gbWFuIG9mIG1vcmdhbg%3D%3D
The Morgan is a bare bones animal – giving the driver an intimate knowledge of the imperfections of the road that they are driving on, but they handle well and (in most cases) powered by the reliable Triumph 4 banger. I drove them, but never bought one, as I had enough side curtain on my TD’S and my MGA’s
A lively ride !
GLWTS
Yes they handle as if on rails. They are also quite a bit lighter compared to their competitors that use the same engine, and weight distribution is more favorable.
The saying that goes with the +4s was that when you ran over a penny you could tell whether it was heads or tails. Once you got some air under those wings they eould almost glide – mind you, you would have to be doing over 100mph, really quite exhilarating. The days of my long hair blowing around me eyes, my beard blowing up around my cheeks – ah yes, the moggy days.
Like they say, any suspension will handle if you don’t let it.
Gamut, not gambit…
I love the look of these bustle-back cars; the earlier +4 cars when they switched from flat-rad to interim-cowl to waterfall also were bustle-backs, but with two spares!
A photo of my dad racing his bustle back +4 I believe in 1958.