Lift up either side of the new Morgan Plus Four’s engine decklid and no carburetors or velocity stacks materialize on the engine of this otherwise eminently classic-looking car. The latest generation of Plus Four returns to the American market this year for the first time since 2005. But to make it happen, Morgan spent five years homologating the little roadster with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, technically as a replica.
That’s why, underneath the left-hand hood, a hilarious list of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards exemptions lays out every way the Plus Four skips out on the usual fare, such as side impact protection, ejection mitigation, a hood latch system, and tire pressure monitoring. Apparently, that’s what it takes to produce a truly lightweight sports car in the modern era.
More importantly, this latest generation of the Plus Four, which debuted in 2020 in other regions, stays shockingly light by now using a bonded aluminum chassis to help with handling and rigidity while harnessing the power output of a modern BMW drivetrain. But Morgan still builds the body on an ash wood frame, proving that the old ways that allowed a tiny British coachbuilder to remain on the market as a low-volume manufacturer at a reasonable price may never truly die.
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