A completely redesigned cabin celebrates the natural materials used within Morgan craftsmanship, as well as offering greater levels of personalisation than ever before. The new cockpit is more driver focussed and encompasses appropriately introduced technology, whilst also allowing customers more leg room and increased stowage space.
The Plus Six is one of the cleanest vehicles within the Morgan range. The introduction of the new powertrain has led to a CO2 figure of 170g/km and a combined MPG figure of 38.2mpg. The achievement of a more fuel-efficient vehicle allows the Morgan Plus Six to compete in key European markets, which have previously proven prohibitive for high-performance Morgans due to tax reasons.
CX-Generation Bonded Aluminium Platform
The Plus Six represents the first model to feature Morgan’s newly designed architecture. The all-new CX-Generation bonded aluminium platform has been designed and developed in-house and is introduced with intention for use in future premium Morgan models throughout the next decade.
Morgan, who developed its first bonded aluminium platform for the start of the Millennium, has been working on the latest CX-Generation architecture for over three years. The CX-Generation bonded aluminium platform is stiffer and lighter than the previous generation, that spanned an 18-year life and featured most latterly in the Plus 8 and Aero 8.
Torsional rigidity has been increased by 100 percent over the previous generation chassis, and weighing in at just 98kg, the latest CX-Generation bonded aluminium platform carries no extra weight penalty. The wheelbase of the CX-Generation architecture receives just a 20mm increase whilst adding 200mm of leg space for occupants along with a 31 percent increase in stowage space.
The complete CX-Generation architecture has been designed by Morgan in-house and the bonded and riveted structure which underpins it is fabricated from aluminium.
The all new Morgan Plus Six is, without a doubt the most dynamically capable production Morgan ever. A contributing factor to this moniker is the corner packaging. The suspension architecture on the Plus Six features an adaptation of a MacPherson strut setup at the front, and a compact 4 bar linkage toward the rear.
Each damper, coil over and wishbone has been developed to deliver the comfort, compliance and performance targets specified for the vehicle. Further dynamic enhancements are delivered through engineered track rod ends, radial stiffened bushes and the system is stabilised by the addition of a front anti-roll bar.
Geometry, handling and ride characteristics have been optimised for many surface types and driving styles. The time spent on engineering and tuning the system has led to a flexible and versatile setup that compliments the added rigidity of the CXGeneration platform, whilst demonstrating confidence during fast cornering, compliance over irregular road surfaces and stability at high speed.
Continuing to celebrate the art of 21st Century coachbuilding at its finest, the wooden frame has been refined to ensure it remains relevant rather than just symbolistic. Hand crafted by the skilled artisans in Morgan’s wood shop and made of English ash, the frame is now thicker than on the Plus 8, to offer increased strength and a wider body aesthetic.
Latest BMW Powertrain
The introduction of the latest generation of BMW engines heralds a new era in performance for Morgan’s flagship models. The BMW 2019 B58 TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine produces 335 Bhp, 369 Lb/ft of torque. Also used in some of BMW’s much adored performance models, the B58 engine used in the Morgan Plus Six is a TU1 specification engine, signifying it’s one of the latest BMW powertrains.
The Plus Six is the first production car to use an inline 6-cylinder engine and the first to use turbocharging. The seemingly instant acceleration from the engine propels the Morgan Plus Six from 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds, continuing to a top speed of 165mph. The raw power of the engine is managed through a ZF 8 Speed automatic transmission, complete with Sport and Plus modes. Manual shifting through the eight gears can be achieved using the paddles or gear lever.
Iconic Design
Morgan believes its Four Wheeled vehicles exhibit one of the most recognisable silhouettes within the automotive industry. First introduced in the 1930s, the proportions, details and visual impression offered by the Morgan range have evolved and matured, whilst retaining the familiar character and quality synonymous with Morgan cars.
The significant investment in the new CX-Generation bonded aluminium platform has allowed Morgan opportunity to carry forward the familiar styling language, whilst ensuring that future technologies and body shapes can be introduced throughout the life of the platform.
The initial brief for the design and engineering teams was to develop an all-new platform which offered long term flexibility in considering a decade of upcoming technology, drivetrain, safety and legislative lead capabilities. In addition, the task was also to ensure that the packaging of all componentry must reside beneath the existing Morgan body envelope, whilst allowing for next generation body styles. This presented many challenging packaging exercises to overcome, as well as an opportunity to carry out focused studies into possible future design language of the brand.
With the introduction of new technology residing beneath the Plus Six, further challenges presented themselves in visually communicating the technical advances achieved whilst maintaining the appeal of the familiar silhouette.
Subtle bonnet vents act as cooling for the engine and provide an instantly recognisable hint of the Morgan Plus Six’s performance. Newly designed lights offer a more imposing head on view, and are automatic.
A redesign of the interior has allowed Morgan to expose and celebrate the core materials that are fundamental to the way the vehicles are coach built for the 21st century.
The new interior brings with it the introduction of more technology, including a subtle LCD screen built into the new dashboard. The screen sits neatly within the driver’s field of vision, clearly displaying important vehicle information and intelligently considered to avoid distraction from the experience and purity of the driving experience.
Sculpted doors provide increased side impact protection and cleverly encompass a speaker unit, discreetly embedded behind the leather door skin.
A new centre console stretches through the spine of the interior with a graphic echoing the wing line on the exterior. The dashboard itself features newly designed dials, that take graphical inspiration from 1950’s aviation instrumentation.
To help our customers tailor their perfect Plus Six, a broad new range of interior options are now available.
Newly designed seats, key to passenger interaction, are lighter, stiffer and deliver increased positive feedback of vehicle movement. They also feature significantly reduced depth allowing for further stowage space and leg room. Their elegant wrap around aesthetic is inspired by traditional Morgan bomber seats, and a hard shell back offers the customer the chance to introduce some of the exterior body colour into the interior should they wish.
A removable lightweight composite hard top is included on the Plus Six Touring model, transforming the vehicle both visually and functionally. The hard top is available to specify in either Morgan Sport Ivory or body colour on the Morgan Plus Six Touring, and displays a clean and sophisticated aesthetic, evoking a ‘road racer’ style, popular on iconic 60s sports cars.
Like every Morgan, it is important that the vehicle presents the customer with a flexible canvas, on which to impart their own personality. The Plus Six offers greater levels of customisation than ever before.
Testing & Development
The testing and development programme undertaken for the introduction of the Plus Six has proven to be the most extensive of any Morgan car to date. A team of around 30 development engineers, increased from 10 in 2014, have been supported by Morgan production craftspeople, key strategic partners and suppliers. This has allowed an unprecedented level of engineering knowledge and design expertise to be focussed into many areas of the process. The platform and model have also undergone an extensive durability testing programme ahead of production.
The Morgan Plus Six has been developed in accordance with ISO 26262 standards, and safety cases have been met or exceeded in all instances. As part of the development programme, a greater number of development vehicles have been undergoing stringent validation at various international testing facilities.