Review: Morgan Plus Six

Don't panic, though, some things don't change at Morgan and as well as the car's overall appearance, which harks back to its first post-World War Two roadsters, there's also the body construction, which continues to be hand-beaten aluminium panels draped over a frame of English ash – dipped in Cuprinol, of course, for longevity.

This, then, is the new generation of Morgans, cleaner, lighter and fit for the 21^st century, and this first example is the Plus Six, named in homage to the 1969 Plus 8 model, which had a Rover/Buick V8 engine, as Peter Morgan, boss of the family-owned company and son of its founder HFS Morgan, said a straight-six engine wouldn't fit under the traditional long louvered bonnet.

Well it does now, because under the bonnet of this new car (which you might have spotted speeding up the Hill at the recent Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard) is BMW's 335bhp, 3.0-litre, single twin-scroll turbocharged B58 straight-six, coupled to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.

It's one of the finest 'sixes' in production and gives the Plus Six a 166mph top speed, 0-62mph acceleration in 4.2 seconds, combined fuel economy of 38.2mpg (I saw 28mpg on a mixed route) and CO2 emissions of 170g/km thanks to a kerb weight of just 1,075. Fully emissions compliant, this engine will allow the Plus Six to be sold in a lot of countries where the outgoing and thirstier Aero models attracted punitive taxation.

Morgan's chief engineer John Beech (ex of Lotus) says it's a darn-close fit, closer even than the big BMW V8 which was in the outgoing Aero models. Engine ancillaries had to be re-machined and remounted to clear the bonnet and the exhaust completely redesigned from a single 88mm-bore pipe into four smaller tail pipes, to allow sufficient ground clearance.

"The cooling system has been the biggest challenge," he says. There are new cooling nostrils at the front of the bonnet, extra bonnet louvres and new louvres at the side of the car. The suspension is a new double-wishbone MacPherson-strut derived system at the front with a rear four-link set up and it runs on newly design 19-inch wheels.

It seems hard to believe that it's all been achieved with a team of 24. Beech and Jonathan Wells, Morgan's head of design and their small teams have done in just three years what the rest of the motor industry would struggle to do in five with teams of hundreds. It's also worth recalling that this was done before the company's sale to Italian investment group Investindustrial. Morgan did this alone with the help of its suppliers, funded by retained profits and an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Government grant for lightweight structures.

Climb in and the doors shut with a refined clank and you stare through the tiny windscreen past three tiny windscreen wipers that look robbed from a dolls house and down endless louvres.

The cabin has the traditional Morgan layout with centre speedo and rev counter, and a fag-packet sized centre screen in front of the driver flanked by starkly unattractive gauges for fuel contents and coolant temperature. The first thing to say is you can fit in it, even if you're tall. From an addition 20mm in the wheelbase, Wells' team has found 200mm more leg room, 80mm more cockpit width, and a much deeper rear parcel shelf. The steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, there's air conditioning, even central locking and while there's no sat nav, there is a Bluetooth system so you can use your phone.

It's lovely to behold and the leather upholstery is gorgeous, but the seats aren't adjustable for height and taller drivers will find they are sitting a bit too high and those seat backs could have been an inch wider. Understandably there's a fair bit of BMW in there, with a centre gear selector and black plastic steering-column cowling and stalk switches. Morgan has tried to lift this with knurled aluminium around the handbrake and on the steering-wheel boss, but with the hood down they reflect badly in the windscreen. The hood is beautifully made, but it's still the finger trapper of old – you have to tug hard to get the top rail into place and the frame rattles against itself over road bumps.

There's a button start, but none of the rasping exhaust you'd expect in spite of the optional sports exhaust fitted to this car. BMW's six has a muted, refined idle and only when roused near the red line does it sound off with an aristocratic blast. Not that it lacks power where ever you are on the rev counter. That twin-scroll turbo answers the call from very low down, if you push the throttle hard enough those big Avons will leave black stripes on the road just as long as you want them to be. Pushing the gear lever to one side accesses Sport mode, which sharpens up gear changes and throttle response, and the Sport + button does it even more.

With just over a tonne to shift, the engine's 335bhp goes a long way. In mid-range it's blistering, at the top end it's sensational. Few owners will push their cars as hard, but when overtaking it gives you a nice reserve. And while there's no traction control, the long-travel throttle and lazy engine delivery means it's never less than well mannered rather than frightening.

That ZF auto isn't the last word in sports-car transmissions, but while it is somewhat reluctant to change down and wavers between gears on occasion, the additional work done on its control software and the Morgan's light weight seems to have given it an edge over equivalent installations in BMW models.

And in contrast to Morgans of yore, Beech and his team have found a stability and balance in the chassis. Where the outgoing cars had sharp, choppy damping, the Plus Six takes most bumps in its relaxed stride and no longer do those bumps steer the rear end. The steering isn't the most communicative device, but it is accurate and feels relaxed and confidence inspiring even if it is slightly over assisted.

As you've probably guessed, the Plus Six is set up more as a cruiser than an out-and-out sports car, but it will play if you push it and has pleasing manners if you do. It comes off the slide without too much drama, though I'd have preferred a slightly faster steering rack with which to gather it up. It's important to realise, however, that this is the first of the new breed. The majority of the market wants the car set up this way, with power and refinement, and not at all scary.

It's on sale now with first deliveries at the end of the month. Make no mistake, this is a highly assured debut, great fun at the wheel, terrific to look at and for once a Morgan which can at least hold its own against cars like Jaguar's F-Type, Porsche's Boxster and BMW's Z4. I'd have liked it bit more centred, a bit more hard edged, but it's still a highly desirable thing and rest assured, there is certainly more to come.

Stat attack

Price: £77,795

Engine: 3.0-litre, turbocharged straight-six

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel-drive

Power/torque: 335bhp @ 6,500rpm/500Nm (369lb ft)

0-62mph: 4.2 seconds

Top speed: 166mph

Economy: 38.2mpg

Dry weight: 1,075kg