Morgan Plus Four - 2018

Name clarity first: in 2014–2018 the model was officially the Morgan Plus 4 (with a numeral), not the later CX‑platform “Plus Four” (spelled out, launched 2020). The car in question is the steel‑chassis Plus 4 with Ford 2.0 Duratec power, roughly 150–154 bhp.

By the mid‑2010s, the Plus 4 stood as the sweet‑spot of Morgan’s Classic range: more urge than the 4/4, far less wild than the V6 Roadster, and still true to Malvern Link tradition. Under the hand‑formed aluminium panels and ash frame sat a ladder chassis with the company’s signature sliding‑pillar front suspension and a live rear axle on semi‑elliptic leaf springs. Power came from Ford’s 2.0‑litre Duratec GDI four, breathing without turbochargers and paired to a slick Mazda five‑speed. The recipe kept weight around a tonne, which in turn kept performance lively and the driving feel deliciously analogue.

The 2014–2018 period didn’t bring a wholesale redesign—Morgan rarely works that way—but there were meaningful evolutions and notable specials. The headline act was the 2015 AR Plus 4 (ARP4), a limited run of around 50 cars tuned by Morgan’s in‑house motorsport arm, Aero Racing. It swapped the standard ~154 bhp unit for a Cosworth‑developed Ford 2.0 making about 225 bhp, backed by uprated brakes, adjustable suspension and detail chassis changes. Think of it as the Plus 4 turned up to eleven—still visceral and old‑school, just with modern pace to match the noise.

Beyond that halo, factory and owner “upgrades” defined the Plus 4 experience. Popular choices included stainless sports exhausts, improved brake pads/discs (with servo assistance), and the well‑regarded SSL/Suplex front‑suspension kit that calmed low‑speed jiggle and sharpened turn‑in without diluting character. At the rear, panhard‑rod and telescopic‑damper conversions were common to better locate the live axle. Modest ECU remaps and freer‑flow intakes could liberate an extra handful of horses from the naturally aspirated Ford, while tyre choice (often 195‑section on 15‑inch wires) made a transformative difference to steering feel.

Contemporaneous reviews from the British press captured the car’s duality. Autocar, Evo and Top Gear praised the Plus 4’s immediate responses, manual gearbox and the sheer event of driving it—long bonnet, exposed hinges, the smell of leather and hot brakes—while conceding that refinement, wet‑weather grip and crash safety trailed modern rivals. Yet that was precisely the point: against cars like the Caterham Seven, Lotus Elise or even a Mazda MX‑5, the Morgan offered pre‑war theatre with post‑millennial reliability. It kept the brand firmly in enthusiasts’ conversations and on magazine covers, often photographed on B‑roads with the hood down and bug splats on the headlamps.

Pop‑culture cameos tended to celebrate the craft rather than any single plate number—Top Gear famously spotlighted Morgan’s hand‑built methods—and owners relished that the company would paint, trim and spec a Plus 4 almost any way one fancied. As the steel‑chassis era wound down, the 2014–2018 Plus 4 proved why Morgan endures: not by chasing trends, but by perfecting its own timeless one.