“ Single family ownership from new, with original Ford 1498cc engine. Benefiting from long term, continuous care. An independent inspection has the opinion that the Ash frame is solid. ”
Pleasingly, the car is unrestored and very consistent with age, though the seats were replaced 10 years ago, and are similarly ageing nicely.

Background
Morgan is the quintessential British car company; hopelessly outdated, they still sport the sort of antiquated engineering everyone else binned years ago. How antiquated are they? Very; how about a wooden frame for the bodywork, sliding pillar front suspension, a solid axle on the rear, and even the sort of three-wheeled cyclecar that went out of fashion half-a-century ago.

And yet, its cars are extraordinarily endearing, racking up waiting lists other manufacturers would kill for and the Internet is awash with folk who put a deposit down on a car to celebrate the birth of their newborn, collecting it when their offspring is old enough to drive if away from the Morgan factory themselves.

The 4/4 was Morgan’s first four-wheeled vehicle, and model production goes all the way back to 1936 - barring a World War and a gap of a few years in the early fifties. A development of the three-wheeled F Super, it was originally powered by a 1.1-litre Coventry Climax engine outputting 40 bhp.

Since then, propulsion has been provided by a variety of Ford engines (aside from a brief flirtation with a Fiat twin-cam in the early eighties) with engine capacities getting progressively bigger and power output increasing up to 125 bhp.

Despite the ever-changing underpinnings, and the Malvern firm now favouring BMW power, the pre-war looks have stayed the same – and Morgan enthusiasts wouldn’t have it any other way.

Overview
This beautiful Morgan 4/4 Series V is being brought to the market for the first time since it rolled out of the factory gates sixty years ago.

One of just 639 Series V cars produced, it spent its first years in Austria before moving with the owner and his family to Sicily. His son took over its curation in the mid-noughties, bringing it to the UK where it was issued with the registration number ‘JTR 295D’.

It’s got all the bits you’d want including British Racing Green coachwork, a black leather interior, wire wheels, and even the original 1498cc, 82bhp Ford engine – and its left-hand drive configuration makes it an ideal candidate for a spot of European touring.

Being offered in charming condition, this character-filled Morgan 4.4 is sure to attract an awful lot of attention.

Exterior
The bodywork is as you’d expect of an unrestored sportscar that’s been used and enjoyed for the past sixty years, even if it has changed colour over the years.

It left Malvern painted Westminster Green before being resprayed (what else?) red when it moved to Italy, and traces of this colour can still be seen beneath the British Racing Green the son chose back in 1991 for his wedding in Sicily.

So, there are a few dents and dinks. Some peeling paint too, plus plenty of stonechips and even the odd crack in the paint finish.

It is utterly glorious and so much more interesting than any 100-point concours car could ever be.

In fact, if you’re thinking of buying it to restore for the show circuit then might we suggest you look elsewhere because to destroy its heritage would be nothing short of criminal.

However, if you have a soul then this is the Morgan you’ve been searching for.

A photo in the history file shows it with the owner and his family in Austria as a brand-new car – and when you run your hand along its panels it’s like you’re reaching out to shake hands him before you sit down for your first lunch together, the Sicilian sun on your back and the wine flowing and plate after plate of home-cooked food being passed around.

We might be romantic old fools, but we can’t help thinking that a car like this welcomes you into its life, rather than the other way around.

This one also reminds us how simple and elegant older Morgans are: The radiator grille is prominent but not overpowering; the slim chromed front bumper is little more than a token effort, while the rear comprises nothing more than a pair of overriders; and the cycle wings are as wide as they need to be but no more.

You can step into it without troubling to open the door, and if age or infirmity demands you do have to open them the fact they open as wide as they do means you step into a Morgan with rare grace, which is priceless when threading your way into a classic sportscar can turn into a reminder of how old you’re getting…

There is a fabric roof and door tops too, but their somewhat rudimentary design mean you wouldn’t want to venture out into a storm in just your shirtsleeves.

Besides, Morgan owners would never lower themselves to using anything as middle-class as a roof. Roofs are for people like Jerry and Margo, not Tom and Barbara; if a thick woolly jumper and a sense of fair play was all it took to conquer Everest, then the tonneau cover bolstered with a well-worn Barbour is protection enough to survive a Waitrose run.

And if you feel that the presence of a windscreen will make you soft, it can be removed with just four bolts and about five minutes of your time.

Further weather protection comes via a neat fabric cover that protects the area behind the driver’s seat where the kids used to nestle.

Its touring chops are enhanced by the luggage rack that sits above a recessed spare wire wheel, and the enamel radiator badges for the OAMTC, RAC, and the Morgan centenary denote an above-average pride in their machine.

In summary, we find its purity of purpose compelling – and the fact this one has been so well-loved over the past sixty years makes it a rare and wonderful thing.

Not that its patina equates to neglect; witness the delicate 155R15 Firestone F-560 tyres mounted to the wire wheels – including the spare – and if they are a little rusty, they’re still airtight so could be left as they are for a while yet.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

Leaving aside the patina we admire so much, there are a few jobs you might like to do including arresting the developing rust on the offside front wing and both doors. It’s moderate for the moment and localised repairs could be made without harming the car’s charm; preservation rather than restoration. You may also wish to touch up the emerging red paintwork in order to return all panels back to the lovely green that it was intended to wear from new.

Oh, and the headlamps are set for left-hand drive, and those tyres are now more than 20 years old, so need changing.

View car and current bidding price HERE