WHAT IS IT?
The Morgan 4/4 has generally been considered the entry-level Morgan with the smallest 4-cylinder engine available. This one has one of the tiniest fours Morgan has used post-war, a 1172 cc Ford side-valve, that had it’s origins in the 1930s. The notion that anyone would spend this kind of effort on the most humble of Morgans is extraordinary.
WHY THIS CAR HAS BEST ONE ON THE PLANET CHOPS
We usually don’t feature restored cars here, but we’ll let judge Andy Reid explain this one: This Morgan 4/4 is powered by a correct Ford 1172cc inline-four mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Something interesting that not everyone knows is that Morgan never made their own engine and to this day rely on engines from other manufacturers, and the Ford side valve inline 4 was used in the 4/4 for decades.
This 4/4 Roadster is painted in the iconic combination of British racing green with a black soft top over a tan leather interior, and is offered by the selling dealer with restoration and service receipts along with a clear title. The seller states that it underwent a full nut-and-bolt body-off restoration by The Vintage Connection in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They add that the cost for the restoration was $150,000 and they have that backed up with the complete restoration receipts. That may seem like a lot of money, and it is, but a proper restoration is expensive and this is the going rate for a true restoration on just about any car. This truly looks in the photos to be a top-tier restoration.
Think that is a crazy number? It isn’t especially when you consider the wood frame under the bodywork, which every old Morgan needs to have replaced. The wood fit alone costs thousands of dollars and requires many hours to assemble. Then you have the chassis restoration, with the complex sliding pillar front suspension. Heck the materials for the interior leather alone likely costs more than $3000. Finally you have the paintwork, the reassembly of the body on the wood, the engine, transmission and rear end rebuild and you quickly get to that 150k number. This car looks like one that has had all of that work done. Every part of this car looks to be in as new condition. The paint, chrome interior all look not only correct but in show level condition. The same goes for the chassis under the car. There is no evidence of rust or corrosion anywhere and all paint and metal finishing looks not only correct but as good or better than when this car was new.
If you want to own a side valve 4 cylinder powered Morgan 4/4 and want the very best one on earth, this is your car.
What I find impressive here is the $150,000 restoration isn’t extremely overdone. The carb has some discoloration, the underbody paint is nice, but not deep gloss, it’s all pretty representative of what could have come out of the factory. Even though BOOTP doesn’t consider high-dollar restorations, this is the exception that proves the rule.
This is a shockingly nice 4/4, but restoring one to this level is akin to spending six-figures on a 6-cylinder Chevelle. I have a theory here: It’s in Oklahoma City, so I’ll go with eccentric old oil money restoring a car with sentimental value. Not that old oil money tends to be sentimental, but it’s the only scenario that makes sense. It gets my vote as BOOTP.