New Morgan Supersport Ditches Manual for Modern Performance and Luxury

Morgan is intentionally stuck in the 1920s. Its whole MO is pumping out anachronistic sports cars plucked from a bygone era, even if they’re modern under the skin. Every new Mog looks like the one that came before it, by design. That said, the new Morgan Supersport is the brand’s biggest deviation from its old-school formula yet.

The Supersport’s face is still pretty typical for Morgan: it has two big circular headlights, an upright horseshoe grille, and big sweeping fenders, giving it a classic pre-war sports car vibe. Look closer, though, and you’ll notice that those retro-seeming headlights are actually extremely modern, with their LED main beam and flanking side lights. The same can be said of the glossy black front bumper, with its prominent intakes.

Under the skin is Morgan’s latest CXV aluminum platform that now has 10% more torsional rigidity and 100% stiffer suspension mounting points, and can be made 10% stiffer still if you spec the carbon fiber hard-top roof. The Supersport is arguably the sportiest car Morgan has ever made, with a faster steering ratio, stiffer spring rates, revised dampers, and adjustable camber plates.

Despite all its relative modernity, it’s still a Morgan, so much of its body is still made from handcrafted and finished ash wood. You can see it when you pop the trunk lid, too, which is a neat touch.

Under that long hood lies a BMW “B58” 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six. It makes 335 horsepower and oddly pairs exclusively with an automatic transmission. It’s unusual to see a Morgan without at least the option of a manual, but the ZF eight-speed auto is a gem in every BMW application, so it’ll undoubtedly work well here.

However, that auto-only spec is fitting for the Supersport. Inside, you’ll find far more tech and luxury than in any other Morgan before it. There’s a Sennheiser sound system, Bluetooth audio and calling, a digital screen between the gauges, and new dash-mounted controls. Most modern Morgans are nice inside, but the Supersport has the most creature comforts.

This isn’t exactly a new era for Morgan, as the company has been trending towards more modern, capable sports cars for a few years now, but it’s certainly the peak of that evolution thus far. The Supersport still looks like a proper Morgan, and still has some of that old-school construction, but it seems like the one to buy if you don’t want the full classic sports car experience. Provided you don’t live in the States, that is, as the Supersport won’t be sold here.

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