1958 Morgan Plus 4

1958 Morgan Plus 4 Roadster The Plus 4 arose alongside the ready availability of the Standard Triumph 4 cylinder engine in twin carb tune as used in the Triumph TR series. The engine offered considerably more horsepower than the other, (mostly Ford), 4 cylinders that Morgan had access to in the 1950's. Hagerty.com For consignment, a 1958 Morgan Plus 4 roadster showing 50,165 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car has a numbers matching engine and has been owned by our consignor since 2001 who informs us the unique exterior color was borrowed from the Corvette catalog.  Exterior With its rounded nose, the Morgan takes the traditional shape of the British roadster, and if made of clay, smooths out the otherwise upright grille. Flanked by attached and integrated headlight buckets, that one change makes Morgan's immediately recognizable and a configuration they carried on to later iterations. The orange coverage of this sportscar includes a heavily louvered hood, trim and a luggage rack in back, and subtle foot hold trim on the running boards. The cowl is angled and the windscreen takes on that lean, perched over flowing fenders arching over 15-inch chrome wire wheels. The bump out on the hood is another field mark of this particular model. Imperfections include rock chips and larger chips throughout, cracking paint throughout and heavy in some spots, liquid stains, and a crack along the rocker panel.  Interior Tinges of former glory can be seen in the white leather, but for most part all horizontal surfaces are heavily cracked. Fortunately, it's not a lot of real estate to remedy and begins with small, smooth door panels and pleated bucket seats. In front the wood of both the steering wheel and dash show a touch of age as do the vintage gauges and ivory switchgear. Stylistically, it's very nice and in line with the roadsters of the period but the tiny clock inside the speedometer casing is particularly cool. On the transmission tunnel is a metal handled shifter in tan leather boot over tan carpet ending in footwells fronted by vertical walls and brown carpet. That brown carpet also lines the package tray behind seats and presents cleanly. Drivetrain Enhanced by some orange paint and otherwise driver quality, there's the numbers matching 2.0 liter four cylinder under the hood, rated at 90 horsepower and fueled by 2 Su carburetors. A Moss 4-speed manual transmission is connected to it and sends power to the rear axle with 3.73 gears.   Undercarriage Generally clean underneath with minimal surface rust, good wood structure, and relatively dry conditions. We do note some residual fluid on the rear differential which happens to be capped by an orange cover. Drum brakes are at all four wheels and a single exhaust runs down the right side through a stock style muffler and exits in back. Suspension consists of sliding pillars up front and leaf springs in the rear. The oil pan is finned and wears a light coat of residual oil.  Drive-Ability This is not our first rodeo, but it is the first truly vintage Morgan gracing our Hallowed Halls. The 2 liter delivers a solid drive while the car tracks straight and handles well. Along with the cosmetic issues, there are a few functional items that will need attention including the tachometer, headlight, tail lights, turn signals, brakes lights, and that cool little clock all are not working. Remaining items operate as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.  This car has good bones as they say and represents a stunning opportunity to restore a fairly uncommon British roadster. No worries, there is the Morgan Sports Car Club to help out with parts, advice, and of course, knowledge. We're thinking it would look fantastic in British Racing Green, but that's up to you! Someone needs to breathe new life into