Lot Ended
Description
1947 Morgan 4/4 Series 1 Four-Seater
Restored
a few years ago including a new chassis; much recent expenditure; excellent
weather equipment; a smart example of this rare 'Flat Rad' model
An island of
constancy in an automotive sea of change, the Morgan Motor Company looks set to
continue building its unique Vintage-style cars well into the 21st
Century.
Morgan’s first four-wheeler, the two-seater 4/4, appeared in
1936 and was initially fitted with a relatively long-stroke Coventry Climax
1,122cc inlet-over-exhaust engine developing 34bhp and mated to a four-speed
Meadows gearbox. In 1937 a four-seater was introduced and from 1939 a more
powerful 39bhp Standard Special 1,267cc overhead-valve engine was adopted, mated
to a four-speed Moss gearbox.
The 4/4 gained
an excellent reputation for its spirited performance with notable success on the
track. Around 900 were made before war broke out in 1939, with a further 250
Series 1 'Flat Rad' cars finding customers post-war before production came to a
halt in 1950 while Morgan focused on developing the Ford-engined Series 2
which came out in 1955.
As copies of the Morgan
factory records confirm, this 4/4 Four-Seater left the Malvern works in October
1947, the buff logbook showing that it was sold new via Morgan agent Alex Thom
of Cardiff, remaining in the local area until at least 1954.
The
subsequent history of the car is unknown but picks up again in 2016 when the car
was owned by a Somerset gent who, we are told, restored it over a five-year
period. There are only a few invoices from this time so it is hard to know
exactly what was done, but it seems to have included a new chassis, a new wiring
harness, a new clutch plate and no doubt much else besides!
The current keeper acquired the car in 2021 and has continued to
improve it still further, with bills on file amounting to some £4,000. This
includes: new alloy radiator; new battery; fuel pump rebuilt; gear selector
mechanism rebuilt; carburettor stripped and rebuilt; new engine gaskets; new
distributor cap, HT leads and spark plug caps; rear damper bushes replaced – all
the work being carried out by Fostering Classics of
Stratford-upon-Avon.
As you
can see in the photos, the Morgan now looks very smart indeed and the underside
is exemplary. It comes with a full set of quality weather gear (hood; hood
cover; sidescreens; tonneau cover) which all look virtually new. It has been
starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with good
60psi oil pressure.
It also comes with a large
amount of technical literature relating to the model and an Autopress workshop
manual, so keeping it in tip-top order should be no problem for the fortunate
new owner.
For more information contact
James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com
* All charges are subject to VAT