Rare 4-Seater: 1980 Morgan 4/4 1600
When it comes to classic British roadsters, the Morgan 4/4 is as ubiquitous to open-top car culture as chrome bumpers and wire wheels. To call it timeless is a bit of an understatement, as the core design has endured for decades, lasting well beyond the life expectancy of most vintage models. The example listed here on craigslist is a 1980 model featuring real seating for four occupants, making it a tempting option for vintage hill climbs where weight over the rear wheels can make for a huge advantage.
Some of you may not know what I’m talking about, but there’s a part of the pre-war hill climb scene where old MGs and Rileys plow up a muddy incline and the occupants of the car thump up and down to help the car blast out of a rut. It’s great fun to watch, and I’d love to participate in one of those wonderfully British events. The Morgan shown here is likely a bit too nice for those types of activities, and certainly a rare sight here in the states. Check out that clever soft top design!
This Morgan is in beautiful condition and wears perhaps the best color combination possible, with red leather seats and door panels paired with a gorgeous black paint job. The seller calls it “well preserved” so perhaps this is original material we’re looking at. Original mileage is indicated as being just under 81,000 miles and the Morgan has every indication of being well-loved. The seller claims the wood framing is in good shape and that the door panels hang like they should.
What an awesome stance. I absolutely love this elusive four-seater from this angle; and the rear luggage carrier hanging over the full-size matching spare is a treat. The Morgan just oozes character, and while it is certainly an acquired taste, I would gladly pay the premium for one of those over a comparable MG while saving some money compared to an Austin Healey. Have you ever seen one of these four-seater Morgans in the flesh?
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Comments
Beautiful car. Where’s the tip Jeff?
I didn’t know much about these until a friend wanted one and gave me a course in Morgans. That was some time ago, but from what I remember this looks like a good buy!
I really like the looks of this one!!!
Great example and priced right.
Morgans like this one were sold in the US with propane conversions in order for the EPA to allow them to be certified. It sure looks like this one still has the propane system under the hood.
I’ve a close friend in the Madison, Wi area having the earlier version of this car, Triumph powered, … believe is going to be for sale. The cosmetics of the front end have been tastefully altered to look like an SS 100 Jaguar.
The 4-place cars hold a special place and are quite rare.
I owned a 1964 4-seater when I was stationed by the Air Force in England in about 1973-74. I absolutely loved the car and would have shipped it home to the US but there was a question of meeting American standards or some such thing. I also had a new 1972 MGB-GT that was made to American specs and was shipped home. It was interesting to switch back and forth from a right hand drive car to a left hand one and then pull out of the driveway and drive down the left side of the road. Never had so much fun!
I’m an unabashed MG guy, but I also have two Morgan’s in the garage. I confess that I find the 4-seater to be the least attractive of the three body styles they offered – the DHC is my favorite, then the roadster, and then, last by a long shot, the 4-seater. Especially with the top up, the 4-seater looks bulbous, awkward and tail heavy to me.
Someone once offered to GIVE me one that needed restoration, and I turned it down. I’ve never regretted it.
Real Morganistas never put the hood up.
Were you to take either of your Mogs out for a weekend camping trip, have a passenger along, need to carry a tent, a couple S-Bags, air-mats, pads, pillows, a big-ol cooler, folding chairs and all, this 4-place would do the trick ..
My next-door neighbor where I grew up in Atlanta had a BRG +4. I always thought it was very cool.
He gave me a ride, and I first noticed it was slower than the proverbial molasses on a February morning in NE. It was waaaay cool as a car, but a slug.
Now in perspective, Dad CB was a Ford dealer who also sold Shelby’s, and I got to ride in some serious Shelby sleds, including a 428 Cobra street car..
Our 4 seater +4 has been a family member for 52 years and has taken us from NY’s Mid-Hudson Valley as far as Virginia, Ohio, Ontario, and more. It is not the slug that an earlier writer mentioned. The TR4 engine sits in a car weighing about the same as a TR4 and no one refers to it as sluggish. Do I love my Morgan? Silly question!
I tend to enjoy the 4-place style with its hood & curtains in place, … maybe a hearse for the sportier chap who just passed.
Then there’s the view of a ‘Shooting Brake’ style … very MOG-like of them