Morgan was founded in 1909 by H.F.S. Morgan and remained to be a family business until today. Before the model 4/4 arrived in 1936, Morgan made a good business by making 3-wheeler. The 4/4 means 4 wheels and 4 cylinder. Plus 4 arrived in 1950, then the Rover V8-powered Plus 8 in 1968. By then the Morgan obviously showed its age because the lack of development.
However, this doesn’t mean Morgan had to struggle for survival. In fact, throughout its history it remained profitable. Customers are still queuing to buy its wooden-body cars. Although the production has been raising steadily, the waiting lists equals to 7-8 years of production ! Against the declining trend of British motor industry, Morgan is simply a miracle.
In fact, Morgan’s success formula is exactly the same as Harley Davidson : to sell classic image. Today’s Morgan remains the classical style and the traditional production method like 40 years ago. The chassis is still a separate steel ladder, on which a body consists of wooden frame (made by carpenters) and steel / aluminium skin is built. Since the failure of the Plus 4 Plus in the 60’s, Morgan did not attempt to modernise its cars anymore.
Today, the company is ran by Peter Morgan and Charles Morgan, son and grandson of the founder respectively. The smaller factory in Malvern Link employs 143 employees. The Morgan family lives beside the factory.