Unlike some finds that have recently turned up, this 1966 Morgan Drop Head Coupe is not unheard of but hardly commonplace either. Morgan is a storied brand, just not encountered often. This 1966 example is a driver and seems to be in good shape, so let’s check it out. It is located in Medina, Ohio and is available, here on craigslist for $21,500. Once again, a nod to Mr. Ikey H. for this great tip!
We have covered Morgan and their history here before so there is no reason to recite it once again. I will say that the Morgan Motor Company is, at 110 years of age, still in business and currently offers three different models. The seller doesn’t state specifically, but this Morgan appears to be a Plus 4, initially produced between 1950 and 1969, yielding about 4,500 examples.
Power for this generation of Morgans emanated from Triumph, a 100 HP, 2.1 liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine as used in the TR4. The seller claims, “THE CAR RUNS AND DRIVES VERY WELL WITH THE ORIGINAL TRIUMPH ENGINE”. The engine compartment is tidy and nothing looks out of place; the mileage is not disclosed though I found this car on a different classified website with the mileage listed as 48K. As expected, this Morgan is equipped with a four-speed manual transmission.
This car is referenced as needing cosmetics, per the other website, and that is evident. The paint is tired and flaking but the “BODY AND FRAME ARE ALL SOLID WITH NO RUST”, per the seller. He even states that everything works on this car which may be a first for a 54-year-old British sportscar – there is usually something out of kilter. The bumpers are in sound shape and still have chrome luster as do the wire wheels, they’re not the least bid grody. It is also nice to see those straight and well-aligned bumpers as bent and mangled ones are an exterior aspect frequently encountered on sportscars with low ground clearance. Rounding out the exterior is the folding canvas top, from what can be spied it looks to be in very usable condition. The only item of note is the two exposed screws attached to the bottom of the horizontal grille trim, their placement seems wrong based on other examples reviewed. Maybe some component of the trim is missing and this is the result.
One of the treats for me with British cars is their instrument panels – they are straight-up efficient and all business, and I appreciate the look of Smiths gauges. Unfortunately, there is no such view with this Morgan, just a shot of the seats and they’re looking rumpled. They are not ripped, scuffed or worn-through mind you, just very tired.
Back to an earlier statement made, it does seem that cosmetics would be job #1 with this Morgan but it is very presentable as is and can be driven and enjoyed. It’s a nice alternative to an MG or Triumph wouldn’t you say?
The screws are factory. This is a very nice driver for 15k. Drive it as is for me..
Never seen one with the top up when they are for sale.
There may be no rust but the wood body supports should be inspected before purchase
A 80 year old car built 55 years ago.
This is an unusual body for a plus 4.
socaljoe is correct, the wooden frame could have rot, but this is unusual, sound, complete, desirable if you like Morgans, so seems very good value. Handbuilt means a good craftsman can do everything on this car.
I like it like it is, but am not a Morgan guy.
This is a close to a bullet-proof British sportswear as can be had. New foam for the seats and some money spent on paint, and this could be great. I wish I had $21K, it would be in my driveway.
This is a rare Drop Head Coupe model.
They are worth about $5,000 more than the standard Plus 4.
This car deserves restoring.