Morgan Plus Four CX-T

The Morgan Plus Four CX-T seems stupidly brilliant

It’s definitely a trend of the last few years to take a road car and set it up for off-road adventure. People have been doing that for decades, of course, but the idea of “safari-ing” a vehicle has certainly gained in popularity as of late. Even automakers are taking this approach at the factory level. You have crossovers getting off-road-esque treatment be it just at a styling level or with actual upgraded equipment. Even Morgan is getting in on the fun. And the British sports-car maker is doing so with a machine called the Plus Four CX-T.

In the video above, Henry Catchpole talks to a rep from Morgan and the pair goes over all the interesting details on the thing. Catchpole also gets to fling the CX-T around some trails in Wales. What I see in all this is a Morgan that appears up for a whole lot of fun. In fact, it’s a blast on a road course as well. Especially considering you can likely get a whole lot more movement with all-terrain tires than with the grippy stuff and at lower speeds. Don’t go for lap times. Go for fun. That’s what this thing is all about.

And now I want to borrow one for some time, so I can hunt out a great camping spot in a car no one would expect to find at the end of a great trail.

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13 responses to “The Morgan Plus Four CX-T seems stupidly brilliant”

  1. MattC Avatar
    MattC

    By any measure, I have little practical use for the CX-T. However my desire to own a Morgan is by default not a rational choice. I love that Morgan exists and is willing to produce a car like the CX-T.

    1. alex hofstetter Avatar
      alex hofstetter

      I am with you 100% on this.

  2. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    It needs some ash as part of the exoskeleton.

  3. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I really hope the horn plays Colonel Bogey’s March.

    Also, from Morgan, this is fantastic – you were probably never trying for peak lap times anyhow, so a touch more affectation is harmless. I’m curious who’ll be the first large scale OEM to offer a factory safari’d sports car. Renault’s hinted at it with an Alpine concept, although I think a Subaru BRZ Crosstrek would make sense as an easy variant.

  4. Sjalorgan Avatar
    Sjalorgan

    It’s all shits and giggles until you pass the point where that Mercedes G turned around the day before…

    1. Lokki Avatar
      Lokki

      But you have to always remain optimistic! Let’s see, uh, no, not that; rats- not that either… Wait I have it! I have it! Volvos are so durable that it will hardly have rusted any and it will start right up when the weather finally gets good enough to drive it home – even if it takes a couple of years. Further, no one will try to steal like they would if it were a beautiful Morgan.

      I hope this helps.

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        The optimist in me walked two hours down the mountain to find a guy with a tractor…but I tend to say that I can’t own a 4×4 – then nobody could save me and my optimism.

    2. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Oops I don’t think chains are going to help there (if you had them). I had a similar problem years ago needing to be pulled out of a ditch, would have been pretty awkward if help wasn’t available.

      The youtube preview pic shows a pretty poor amount of suspension travel/articulation for the Morgan, but I dare say that doesn’t matter!

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Yeah, no chains, only studded winter tires. Up there, I had actually just stopped and put the car in reverse, because I figured it was time to park the car. While I let the clutch come, the car just slid sideways into the ditch. Annoying, because I now feel like stopping 30s earlier would have been just fine.

        I love driving on gravel roads, and I love driving fast on them. Driving off roads is prohibited in Norway anyway. From my experience, suspension travel is not the most important metric either. Having a predictable space under the car (as opposed to, say, the XV30 Camry’s famously low hanging exhaust), finding the right speed for the suspension on washboards or somewhat regular road damage, too. I’ve never broken a spring, afaik.

        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          A Volvo 240 would have decent suspension travel though, similar to Falcons (somewhere I’ve saved a great picture of a 1990’s sedan doing an offroader-type ‘flex’ demonstration) – I’ve bottomed out the suspension of more modern fwd cars on rough gravel roads by finding bumps or potholes a bit quickly.

          Looks like the Morgan’s specs are 230mm ground clearance and 125mm front/140mm rear suspension travel – good for a passenger car (eg Subaru Outback territory) but well short of say a Bronco.

          I’m reasonably familiar with washboard roads – you won’t trouble clearance, but will find out how robust your vehicle is generally! And if you are mechanically unsympathetic, well Mercedes tried it on a G-class press trip here (and an unrealistic timeframe) and ended up with a bunch of disabled vehicles and new shocks being flown in…

  5. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    For all the “Safari” hipster-bait, it’s mostly a new spin on a very old idea. Sporting Trials is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, which I’m sure many Morgan owners have already partaken in.

    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Back in the day when cars actually had ground clearance, and no enormous overhangs! You wouldn’t see the modern equivalent of an Escort running…

    2. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      I know an automotive journalist that flew to the UK to buy a car and compete in one of these. He then shipped the thing home too. Said it was an insane blast.