Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 11
1964 Morgan +4+ Coupe Chassis no. A5794 Engine no. CT30637ME
Estimate: US$180,000 - US$220,000
Lot 11
1964 Morgan +4+ Coupe
1964 Morgan +4+ Coupe
Chassis no. A5794
Engine no. CT30637ME
Chassis no. A5794
Engine no. CT30637ME
2,138cc Pushrod Inline 4-Cylinder Triumph Engine
2 Weber Carburetors
Approximately 140bhp at 4,650rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Sliding King Pin Front Suspension, Solid Rear Axle
Front Disc - Rear Drum Brakes
*The Original 1964 London Motor Show Car, debut for the model
*US delivery, long-term first owner
*21st of 26 +4+ Coupes made
*Restored to concours standard
THE MORGAN +4+
When the Plus-Four-Plus was introduced at the 1964 London International Auto Show, it was greeted by a chilly silence from the Morgan faithful. Yet, it would prove to be the key to the company's survival – and today is a much-sought-after rarity. The new Morgan, so different in appearance from the classically-styled Plus-Four roadster, disappointed wind-in-your-face "Mog" loyalists, who devoutly believed that the roadster's primitive inflatable bladder seats and less-than-forgiving sliding pillar/leaf-spring suspension made Mogs the one true remaining British sports car.
Company president Peter Morgan was determined to turn the page and bring the company his grandfather had founded at Malvern Link a half-century earlier into the modern era. While the Plus-Four-Plus was built on the standard Morgan tube-framed roadster chassis, it would feature – rather than a wood-framed open body clad with steel panels – a fiberglass two-seat coupe body with an unusual "bubble" top, fabricated by the firm of E.B. (Staffs) Ltd. in Stoke-On-Trent. The tall, rounded roof was shaped, as Morgan lore would have it, to accommodate Mr. Morgan. He stood six-foot-four, and sensibly insisted that he be able to enter, exit, and drive the car comfortably. There were proper bucket seats, a full complement of instruments, a wood-rimmed steering wheel and some space for luggage.
The Morgan faithful were having none of it. Orders began to dry up and the factory was forced to abandon its plans for an initial production run of 50. This reversal, however, proved to be a blessing. Fearful that the new model signaled the end of what they had worshipped for decades, prospective Morgan buyers hurriedly jumped on the waiting list for a new Plus-Four roadster. This provided the firm with desperately-needed cash, thus ensuring its long-term survival. Only 26 coupes were completed and sold over a three-year period, many of them to U.S. and Canadian enthusiasts.
THE CAR OFFERED
This fine example is the actual London International Motor Show display car, built in 1964 and delivered afterward to Mr. Harry Ingham, a Los Angeles university professor, in 1965. Originally fitted with chrome wire wheels and a luggage carrier, Mr. Ingham had the wires replaced with disc wheels. Mr. Ingham kept the car until his passing in 1999, when it was acquired from his estate by well-known Norwegian Morgan collector Knute Hallen in Oslo. The former owner, noted collector, Bob Cole, a long-time Morgan racer, decided that he wanted to buy a +4+ and tasked noted guru Dennis Glavis of Morgan West to locate one. Glavis knew of the Norwegian car and arranged the sale and subsequent nut-and-bolt restoration of the completely original car.
Upon its return to the US, the +4+ was entrusted to Morgan expert Pierre Brun, who took the car down to its bare frame. The bolt-on fiberglass body, wearing body number 178/026, was removed from the Z-section steel tubing frame, stripped and carefully refinished. At the owner's request, its original black paint and red leather interior were replaced by a striking two-tone British Racing Green and pale yellow, and the interior received a striking honey-colored ostrich-hide treatment. Brun, who was responsible for preparing Lew Spencer's famed SCCA National Championship-winning Morgan Super Sports roadsters, blueprinted the Triumph TR4 block and crankshaft, installed Carrillo rods and JE pistons, an Elgin cam, and ported and polished the head. He installed a pair of Weber 45DCOE carburetors, an extractor manifold, and a finned aluminum sump, bringing the engine to near-Super Sport specification. Brun estimates that the engine is good for 170-180 hp. He also rebuilt the Moss gearbox and rear axle, while freshening the sliding-pillar front suspension and Armstrong shock absorbers. A Panhard rod was installed on the rear axle, and wire wheels on the hubs. Inside, there's a Derrington steering wheel and a full complement of Smiths gauges, including a 140mph speedometer, a tach redlined at 5,000 rpm, and a combination gauge with ammeter, water temperature, oil pressure, and fuel level. The standard +4+, weighing but 1800 lbs, was a good 10 mph faster than a +4 roadster, thanks to its slippery body, and this +4+, with its stronger engine, is certainly even faster.
Following completion of its restoration, the Coupe was shown at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as part of its Morgan Centenary display. It was later acquired by the current owner in 2012 and has been enjoyed by him for the last decade, during which time events have included display and use on the tours including that of Bonhams partners, the Audrain Motorweek in Newport, Rhode Island in 2022.
Saleroom notices
Title in transit.
Additional information
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