► Indirectly replaces the Plus Six
► Designed to be used all year round – yes, really
► It even has a boot!
Morgan is back with a new flagship sports car, and it’s called the Supersport. Said to be its most usable and refined model ever, the firm hopes buyers will use them cars all year round.
It indirectly replaces the Plus Six, which will soon end production and is Morgan’s first true flagship since the Aero bowed out in 2018.
We’ve spent time with the top brass at Morgan to give you the full lowdown on its new Supersport.
So, what’s new?
It’s safe to say more is new than what might initially meet the eye. The Supersport uses a CXV aluminium platform (rather than the Plus Six’s CX), and the car has principally been designed to be Morgan’s best-driving car ever. No style over substance here.
The project has been led by Matt Hole, managing director of Morgan since October 2024, but who originally joined the Malvern-based sports car maker as chief technical officer in 2021 and oversaw much of the car’s development.
‘It’s a new car from the ground up,’ says Hole. ‘The geometry has fundamentally changed, we’ve taken universal joints out of the steering rack to give it a a more direct feel. Everything has been fundamentally revised, and it’s even had to be crash-tested again.’
It’s the first Morgan to sit on Michelin tyres and the chassis is 10 per cent stiffer than the Plus Six – and another 10 per cent on top with the optional carbon-fibre fitted, designed to be a structural element, and not just to keep the, ahem, elements out. The roof is the only panel not made of aluminium, but don’t worry there’s still plenty of ash built into the Supersport’s frame.
‘It’s a step improvement. We wanted a car that could sit in a group test and can sit well against them,’ says Hole.
What about the engine?
One thing that’s not changed from the Plus Six to the Supersport is the engine, with Morgan retaining its BMW-sourced B58 unit. Its three litres and six cylinders put out 335bhp and 369lb ft of torque allowing a 3.9-second 0-62mph top speed, and a 166mph top speed if you’re feeling brave. An eight-speed ZF ‘box remains the default, with no manual available.
The engine is the only ‘off the shelf’ element of the new car, with Morgan proud of the efforts it has gone in having new parts made for the Supersport – the headlights, for example, have historically been a shared component, whereas new clusters have now been specifically made this time around.
Morgan hopes you’ll use it all year round
A Morgan is unlikely to be bought for its everyday usability, but the firm is proudly claiming it now can be enjoyed all year round. Big improvements have been made to NVH including seats which ‘no longer vibrate’ (yes, really) and are far more comfortable. There are new latches that make it easier to take out the side screen windows. Morgan considered taking these out altogether but owners love the open-air feel, so a ‘conscious decision’ was made to keep them.
But perhaps the main thing to note is that it’s the first Morgan in more than a decade to have a boot, with room for two squashy bags and the sidescreens when not in use. The boot also contains an exposed section of ash – with the firm particularly pleased it’s been able to get this visible nod to its use of wood rather than it simply being integrated into the chassis.
Hole said it was really important for Morgan to have a car that can ‘be used as much of year-round as possible’.
‘If you’ve got such a beautiful and interesting car in your garage, it would be great to use it for as much of the time as possible.’ Hard to disagree, right?
What about the design?
The Supersport unsurprisingly still looks like a Morgan, though isn’t quite the step change like the Aero 8 when it debuted to the rest of the line-up. The new car draws much of its inspiration from the Morgan Midsummer – a barchetta revealed in 2024, partly designed by Pininfarina and produced to celebrate the sports car firm’s coachbuilding, and limited to just 50 units. The most controversial design element is a new rectangular grey panel at the front.
Though the development of the Supersport started before the Midsummer, various elements are shared between the two cars. There’s a greater focus on aerodynamics with an extended rear body and more aggressive-looking front end courtesy of its darkened horseshoe grille and lower grey splitter.
Traditional Morgan bonnet louvres are no longer present, and while the carbon-fibre hardtop is available, it’s an option and the Supersport comes stock as a roadster. Most buyers so far have chosen the roof, though.
It’s got modern technology – but not too much
While many will buy a Morgan for its lack of mod-cons, there are increasingly features that buyers don’t want to live without. The firm promises a phone call can be held in ‘perfect clarity while travelling with the roof down’ courtesy of new microphones and advanced noise cancelling. It’s a bold claim if you’ve ever driven a Morgan at a decent lick of pace and been subject to the wind noise.
There’s even wireless smartphone charging in the redesigned centre console area with a special area where a smartphone can be placed so you can use it for navigation while driving. Just a coincidence, Morgan promises…
Where does the Supersport slot in the Morgan range?
With the Plus Six now discontinued, the Supersport arrives to fill up the gap at the top of the range – with obvious differences between the Super 3 and Plus Four, both of which sit at a very different price point.
Jonathan Wills, head of design at Morgan, tells us the Supersport project formally started in 2022 but that it’s been going on in the background for far longer.
‘It’s something we’ve been imagining since before the acquisition by Investindustrial, probably as far as back in 2019. When the Aero left, we asked if there was a void that could be filled with a new flagship. In one form or another as a sketch or a concept, we’ve been gently developing it since then.’
Production of the Supersport will get underway imminently at Morgan’s Worcestershire HQ, with prices starting from £102,000, with the first dealer demos available from mid-April.