Now in Singapore: A vintage-looking car with a powerful, modern engine
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Now in Singapore: A vintage-looking machine with a powerful, modern engine
Looking right at domicile on the set of Downton Abbey, British carmaker Morgan marries a vintage aesthetic with a turbocharged BMW powertrain. Nosotros test-drive the Morgan Plus Four to see how well it handles on Singapore's roads.
Morgan cars made their debut in Singapore earlier this year, and the Plus Four is the latest model to arrive on our shores. (Photograph: Chua Yong Yi)
08 Oct 2022 06:31AM (Updated: 08 October 2022 06:31AM)
What else do you get when you already have a Porsche, a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce in your driveway?
A mighty fine Morgan, it seems.
There's nothing quite like it and a Morgan is guaranteed to turn heads faster than a Ferrari with its unique character and vintage styling sending shivers of sheer novelty to anyone lucky enough to spot one on Singapore roads.
In an era of mass production where the inevitability of electrification heralds the threat of homogeny, a mitt-congenital Morgan stands as a symbol of individuality.
"With electric vehicles (EVs), there's no sound, no soul. And there'due south a group of people who aren't every bit yet convinced by EVs and they're looking for the terminal great combustion engines before EVs take over everything," said Douglas Ng, director of NB Auto, which brought the British motoring icon to Singapore as its official benefactor earlier this year.
A beautifully handcrafted Morgan, therefore, is nearly an deed of rebellion against relentless modernity; a salvage for those weary of the contemporary.
"A Morgan is not only a statement but a piece of moving fine art," Ng affirmed.
Quintessentially British, they radiate much character and charm but nether its hood, however, sits a turbocharged BMW powertrain, propelling Morgan firmly into the 21st century and rendering the classic-looking machine a veritable sports motorcar by far.
It'due south an alluring juxtaposition that makes for an endearing proposition, with the partnership between the German automaker and the family-owned Morgan Motor Company enduring some two decades of the British marque's 111-yr history.
Every bit the first official Singapore importer of Morgan motor vehicles in history, NB Auto has sold three units since the brand arrived in February, with three more than orders on the books and the company on target to fulfil them by this Christmas season.
"A Morgan is not but a statement but a piece of moving art." – Douglas Ng
Prices range from well-nigh S$330,000 to S$450,000 (without COE), and Ng is forecasting "single-digit" sales in the first year of business.
Buyers tend to exist businessmen in their 40s to 60s.
"They are automobile collectors and driving enthusiasts who love the simplicity and timeless design. These buyers have a number of cars in their garage including Porsches, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces so this is something new and refreshing and they love information technology typically as a weekend automobile," shared Ng, whose own passion for classic cars began with the 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda 9 years ago.
According to Ng, Morgan's customer profile hither is trending younger, every bit he'southward starting to meet more than interest from prospects in their 30s, specially from those "who take studied in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, accept seen it in that location, and are excited to discover that Morgans are now bachelor here," he said.
Owning a Morgan also puts you in the league of the ultra elite, as product numbers no more than 800 cars per yr, spread beyond a collection comprised of just iii models: The 3 Wheeler, the Plus Four and the Plus Vi.
Of those, only well-nigh 10 per cent are designated right-hand drives for markets similar Singapore'south, making these vehicles all the more exclusive.
"Morgans are therefore such a rarity and with demand outstripping supply in the market, their international prices take all gone up," said Ng, noting how their paucity contributes to Morgan cars appreciating in value over time, even in Singapore's COE-based marketplace.
"There'south a group of people who aren't as yet convinced by EVs and they're looking for the last great combustion engines before EVs take over everything." – Douglas Ng
THEY DON'T Brand THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE
She's a beaut, this Morgan. Stunning in essence like a archetype starlet from days of yore and especially regal in white; the shade of the MY22 Morgan Plus Four from model year 2022, which we had the pleasure of existence one of the first in Singapore to test-drive for a day several weeks ago.
Fluid lines dip and flow with sylphlike elegance as the Morgan Plus Four sits real low.
A big chunk of these lightweight ash woods doors tin be removed from the outside using an Allen fundamental, thereby farther opening up the two-seater convertible to the elements. It'due south all so wonderfully manual (if you like that kinda thing) – or a wee bit troublesome if you don't. But it's certainly worth the extra effort as cypher else comes close to bringing you lot this shut to the tarmac while driving, salvage for sitting in a sidecar, perchance.
It can be a little unnerving at first – or utterly exciting – just it's nice to relive a slice of yesteryear in this exceedingly charming automobile that looks like it belongs on the set of Downton Abbey.
Thankfully, the manufacturer has made some major adjustments to the physics side of things, then it'due south far easier to get in and out of the automobile than before.
The entire contraption is also now fashioned on a bonded aluminium CX-Generation platform, which the carmaker says is exponentially more than rigid than the approachable steel ladder chassis.
All this sits grandly on a set of old-fashioned wheels, with designs referenced from sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, while even more retro 15" wire wheels are also available.
Inside, it's all very analogue as one might expect. A classic dashboard meets windows that slide close merely can't be locked, making security a fleck of an issue so every bit a workaround, the carmaker has now included a lockable storage compartment to secure your valuable items when the automobile is left unattended.
1 item features firmly at the top of my wishlist: A skinnier steering bicycle. The current i is a flake too fat for my liking and I wish the manufacturer had gone the whole hog and ratcheted up the retro vibes with a reed thin steering wheel like in real vintage models instead.
Correspondingly incongruent is the signature BMW-manner gear selector paired with an old-school handbrake that creaks with just the right acoustics.
That said, I was rather chuffed to discover a USB charging port and there is, plainly, Bluetooth connectivity that allows you lot to connect and play your Spotify playlist, which nosotros did non manage to endeavor during our roofless ride.
It's in the interior, all the same, where you really notice the handcraftedness of it all.
While the hand-beaten aluminium panels encasing the exterior frame is impeccable and the hand-trimmed leather interior simply lovely, you lot do become a sense that the overall finishing can be improved upon. But you're quick to forgive these niggles because you know it's part of Morgan'due south hand-assembled charm.
Because what these modern-day Morgans are really about, is the drive experience, non the frills. There are no cup holders, no boot space, and no sensors and condom assists for goodness sake.
A Morgan takes y'all back to basics and so information technology'south simply you and the road with the wind in your hair.
It's about that four-cylinder BMW turbocharged engine pumping 255hp of ability and 400Nm that, when coupled with a weight of simply one,009 kg, makes 90km/h feel like 120km/h, and that'southward half the fun, really.
It does, withal, take the listen a infinitesimal to compute the power propelling this otherwise vintage-looking vehicle from standstill to 100km/h in just four.8 seconds without rocking a little wrong. Well, the British manufacturer does have some motorsports pedigree, after all, equally a Morgan once won its class at the punishing 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In Sport and Sport+ mode, the horses in our Plus Iv giddy-up faster, unleashing more power still the car stays strong and sturdy when negotiating corners and bends, when you might imagine it getting a little rickety instead.
And the engine even crackles and pops, courtesy of the optional Active Sports Exhaust Arrangement, which also offers the option of a more subtle acoustic contour in urban environments.
Now if you loved all of this and then far, how most a manual version with matching power to ratchet up the excitement a notch?
"[Buyers] are motorcar collectors and driving enthusiasts who love the simplicity and timeless design. These buyers have a number of cars in their garage... and so this is something new and refreshing and they beloved it typically as a weekend automobile." – Douglas Ng
MY22 MORGAN PLUS 4 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE: BMW two.0-litre TwinPower Turbo, inline-iv cylinder
Ability: 255 bhp at four,400 rpm
TORQUE: 400Nm at 1000 – 4,300 rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic with paddle shift
Acceleration (0-100KM/H): 4.8 seconds
TOP SPEED: 240km/h
FUEL CONSUMPTION (combined): 7.0 fifty/100km
PRICE (Automatic model): S$330,888 (excluding COE)
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/obsessions/morgan-car-review-singapore-price-283101
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