Midlands Meeting and Morgan Motors
Members gather behind a limited edition Plus 8
At a hotel nestled within the Malvern Hills, the meeting began with networking over coffee, followed by a number of talks. The saying goes “you only get out of life what you put in”, as with most things this is certainly true with Trade Associations. Responding to feedback from members, Association Secretary Thomas Marks gave a presentation that outlined how members can make the most of the marketing, technical, networking and business resources the Association has to offer.
Following on from Thomas was Dr Martin Killeen, the AEMT’s Senior Lecturer. An engaging speaker, Martin has the ability to make even the most complex technical subjects, interesting. He spoke about AEMT training and apprenticeships, a topic that clearly concerned the members in the room judging by the discussion that ensued. In order to help address the sector-wide problem the AEMT are working on a bespoke apprenticeship scheme for its members. Further details will be announced later in the year.
We were also fortunate to have Ian McKay from Kintax explain to members how Research and Development tax credits can be claimed for many projects, details of which can be found in the past events pages of the AEMT website.
Morgan factory visit
The afternoon visit around the Morgan Motor Factory began with a talk from Jon Wells, Head of Design at Morgan. The passion that inspired Henry Frederick Stanley (H.F.S) Morgan to build the first Morgan Car in 1908 had clearly been passed on to Jon, his affection for the company was heartening. Jon recalled how H.F.S Morgan built a mode of transport for personal use to allow him to travel up and down the Malvern Hills with ease. The first vehicle was extremely lightweight, very much like a three-wheeled bicycle with an engine on the front. The construction of this machine defined the philosophy forever, built by hand, built locally, with a high power to weight ratio. Morgan soon went into production, producing the first Morgan car dubbed ‘The Runabout’. The cars began to gain some popularity because they were affordable and powerful. Due to their performance people began to race them, and became so successful, that as a handicap they were required to start in the pit lane one lap behind everyone else.
Like most companies Morgan understands the importance of investing in the future, and so towards the end of 2018 Morgan will start production of its first electric vehicle, the 3EV. Morgan’s EV has a 120 mile range, taking about 45 minutes to charge, with tops speeds of 100 miles per hour and 0 to 60 in about 7 seconds. Jon remarked “those who have driven a three-wheeler will know that is plenty fast enough!”
Jon describes coach building as Morgan’s biggest USP. The term comes from the early days of motoring, when a coach maker of a horse and cart carriage would make a wooden structural frame, and the local blacksmith would make the running gear. Essentially the body is a non-structural element and doesn’t add any rigidity to the Car. Morgan starts by building a rolling-chassis containing all the electronics, driving, running gear, fuel system, suspension and engine. From that point onwards, the wooden frame is hand crafted and placed on top and the aluminium is hand beaten to size and pressed over the top.
A prime example of how Morgan leads the way is with its Aero 8 chassis, which is super-formed with a single panel of aluminium. Essentially the process is like vacuum moulding plastic, the benefits of which are using much thinner material and fewer welding points. It’s an aerospace technology which Morgan was the first to use in the automotive industry.
The afternoon concluded with a tour of the workshops dedicated to each part of the construction process. Morgan cars have been built out of the same workshops for almost 100 years, with a production of around 800 cars a year. Each car is custom made for the owner to their individual specification. Unlike years gone by the reputed 11 years waiting list is actually around 4 months now for a fully tailored car.
Unlike the demise of many of the UK sports car greats, MG, Austin Healey, and Jenson; Morgan has only grown in strength. Morgan is as strong today as it ever been, employing around 200 people, turning over roughly £40 Million, and boasting 2017 as the best year yet!