Morgan Plus Six Has An Aluminum & Wood Platform And A Supra / Z4 Engine

This is the Morgan Plus Six and, believe it or not, it is the first all-new Morgan since the Aero 8 was introduced 19 years ago! It has the classic design of other Morgan models but don’t let that fool you, it does have some modern-day tech and will be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show.

Modern BMW straight-six with 335 horses

The most important thing to know about the Morgan Plus Six is that it isn’t powered by a V8 engine like its predecessor and instead uses a 3.0-liter straight-six. Not just any straight-six. The Plus Six has BMW’s B58 turbocharged engine. Yes, that’s the same engine powering the latest-generation BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra. Power sits at 335 hp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).

Mated to this engine is a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission which allows the Plus Six to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.2 seconds before topping out at 166 mph (267 km/h). Alongside the use of a powerful engine and fast-shifting transmission, the Plus Six has a third ingredient that makes it achieve these figures: weight. Or, more accurately, its lack thereof as the sports car weighs just 2369 lbs (1075 kg).

There’s never been a Morgan quite like this

Power is sent through the rear wheels and, with the exception of ABS, the Morgan Plus Six features no safety systems. A manual gearbox is on the way.

Underpinning the Morgan Plus Six is a new aluminum and wooden architecture dubbed CX. Morgan says that this architecture will underpin many of its future models and that it can support hybrid powertrains, electric powertrains, select safety systems and even some autonomous driving technologies.

The Morgan Plus Six incorporates two driving modes, namely Sport and Sport Plus. However, as the car is quite traditional, these modes only adjust the response time of the throttle and transmission – no trick magnetic or hydraulic suspension systems here.

In a world of interiors fast becoming dominated by massive screens, the Morgan Plus Six’s cabin remains very traditional and includes a multitude of wooden surfaces. Somewhat hilariously, the modern automatic shifter found on current BMW models sticks out of the transmission tunnel like a sore thumb.

Morgan expects to build roughly 300 examples annually. Prices start at £77,995 ($102,668).

*We’ve updated the article with live imagery from the Geneva Motor Show (3/6/2019)