2007 Morgan 4/4

This Morgan 4/4 1800 two-seater roadster has the later Duratec engine which delivers its 125 bhp through a 5-speed manual gearbox.

It was first registered in April 2007 by Lifes Motors of Southport - who proudly claim to be the oldest Morgan agent in the world. Bearing the registration L1FES the 4/4 was likely their show car until it was re-registered and sold at the end of the year to its first and only private owner from Ireland.

By the time the present keeper acquired the car from a Cork-based Morgan dealer in the spring of 2021 and repatriated it to the UK, the car had covered around 7,700 miles. Even now, having been used by him on mostly local runs, the odometer reads just 8,100.

Recently put through an MOT, re-registered in the UK and then serviced and gone through by Morgan main-dealer Bell & Colvill to fix any niggles, this car wants for nothing and is ready for a new custodian.

One of the joys of being a low volume car manufacturer is the ability to borrow from other OEMs, and the splendid “Mauritius Blue” metallic paintwork on this Morgan is courtesy of the good folk of the Bayerische Motoren Werke. It’s not perfect of course, no car ever is, but it is very good with just a few small chips or scuffs in places you’d expect on a roadster where people get in and out and where the hood rubs against.

Up front, the chrome grille and overriders appear in good order, flanked by four pairs of circular light-fittings that kick off the classic look, topped off by the winged Morgan badge. The long louvred nose is held down by a padded leather bonnet strap, which is likely as much for decoration these days as security given that there are effective latches too.

The windscreen is fairly upright by today’s standards and also has wind deflectors fitted to the sides. The car has a blue mohair folding hood, which appears in very good condition externally and fits tautly over the frame. One of the securing pins on the driver’s side has broken off or come away but at worst there will just be a bit (more) of a draught.

As befits the definition of a roadster, there are separate side screens with sliding windows which fit on the door tops to give a bit more protection from the elements should it be required. The car also comes with a tonneau cover.

The 4/4 sits on 15-inch stainless-steel wire wheels, which look in good order and were apparently replaced in 2015. All are fitted with Continental Contact tyres from around that time. On the rear deck of the car is the spare wire wheel with a tyre matching that of the road wheels. Over the top, a stainless steel luggage rack is fitted.

The interior of the car is in equally good order to the outside. The inside is extensively upholstered with Stone leather with dark blue piping, contrasting to the carpets which are deep blue with stone leather edging. The leather appears immaculate with barely any wear or patina. Under the carpet the characteristic wooden floorboards appear solid.

The dash is clad in a high-gloss walnut veneer and the steering wheel is a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita, which looks fantastic but has a couple of small dings in the rim, one of which has been filled by way of repair.

A modern Pioneer stereo sits under the central dash. It comes with a remote control, but we’re not sure why you would need one - wherever you go inside a Morgan, you’ll never be that far away from it!

With the hood up, there’s slight soiling evident on the underside, particularly at the rear corners but this doesn’t detract from what is a beautiful cockpit. If it weren’t for the plastic-shrouded steering column, the digital odometer and the modern-looking gear knob, there’d be nothing to make you think you were in a 21st century car

Lifting the old-fashioned, centre-hinged, louvred bonnet panels reveals a clean and tidy engine bay that appears anything but vintage. The Duratec engine looks almost new and the surrounding ancillaries show little in the way of road dirt or patina. Only the exhaust manifold shows a heat-induced surface bloom.

The car’s undersides look straight and undamaged. The paint on the chassis is starting to blister off but everything important appears intact and corrosion free. There’s a little surface rust on parts like the exhaust brackets, suspension fixings and track rods but nothing of concern, and the exhaust system itself looks to be stainless steel and in good order.

In keeping with all of the four-wheeled Morgans, the 4/4 has no conventional boot. Instead soft bags can be stowed behind the seats and suitcases or picnic hampers can be carried on the rear luggage rack which sits over the top of the spare wheel.

The car has a current MOT valid until January 2023 with just an advisory on the rear brake balance, which the vendor reports has now been sorted. As it has spent most of its life in the Republic of Ireland, there is only the one UK MOT recorded but the history file includes National Car Test (NCT) reports (their equivalent) back to its first when the car was 4 years old in 2011. These were carried out every two years until ten years old and then annually, in accordance with Irish regulations.

The history file also includes a full paperwork trail from the UK to Ireland and back again including registrations, test reports, tax notices and invoices.

The car has its original Morgan-branded documents pouch with the owner’s handbooks which show a full service history with stamps. This service record is also backed up by a handy summary sheet and by original invoices as follows:

Nov 2007 - 1,265 - Life’s Motors Ltd, Southport (oldest Morgan agent in the world)

Mar 2009 - 4,792 - Dublin Harley Davidson (Morgan Cars agent in Ireland)

Apr 2010 - 5,430 - a/a

Apr 2011 - 5,723 - a/a

Jul 2012 - 6,127 - a/a

Apr 2013 - 6,214 - a/a

May 2015 - 6,620 - MKW Motors, Dublin

Dec 2016 - 6,843 - a/a

May 2018 - 7,034 - a/a

Mar 2019 - 7,295 - a/a

Jun 2020 - 7,600 - a/a

May 2022 - 8,059 - Bell & Colvill, Surrey

The last of these was very recent and carried out by a well-respected Morgan main-dealer.

Although other car makers have brought out retro-looking models over the years to cash in on periodic waves of nostalgia, you can’t accuse Morgan of chasing a trend as they’ve been producing a 4/4 that looks near-identical to this one since the Series II of 1955.

As we mentioned before, the Morgan will give you a classic feel with the drive and reliability of a modern car. And if the glorious weather we’ve been having of late continues, this car will be the perfect choice of vehicle.

We think this low mileage and well-looked-after four-pot Morgan roadster, finished in a beautiful deep blue, will fetch between £29,000 and £34,000.

Whether you’re a serial Moggie owner or haven’t yet succumbed to the driving delights of these lightweight sporting wooden-wonders, this is a great opportunity to pick up an absolute cracker.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.