1959 Morgan Plus 4 2.1 Roadster Competition

Chassis number 4302 is shown by Morgan factory records as having been delivered new on the 16th of September 1959 via Worldwide Motors Inc of Los Angeles, California. Originally black with a red interior, it came equipped with wire wheels and a Moss gearbox.

Its early history remains unknown, but what is, is that it’s been fitted with a performance conversion from marque specialist LawrenceTune. This includes a 120bhp engine, a close-ratio gearbox and a roll cage.

Belgian Philippe Bernard owned the car between 1988 and 2005, during which time he spent some £24,000 on servicing and upgrades with Melvyn Rutter, Brands Hatch Morgans, Racetorations, Legion and Harpers. John Harper bought the car in 2014, before seeing it sold into a private collection the following year. The current vendor Danny Wilcox then purchased chassis 4302 at Bonhams’ September 2018 Beaulieu Sale. “I bought it with a view to my son doing some racing in it, but, other than having a bit of summer fun it, we just haven’t used it. I service and repair Bentleys and Rolls-Royce, and I’ve just been too busy at work. I also have a lot of motorbikes…”

Having owned it for four years, he’s now decided to part ways with the Mog. That means that this fabulous competition Roadster is up for grabs. Historic racing, anyone?

There’s no doubt that this is one racy looking Morgan. It’s been de-bumpered for purposes of weight – hell, even the spare wheel has been whipped off – and that lends it a supra track-focused look. Toss in an extra air intake scoop on the offside bonnet panel and a smidgeon of positive camber on the front wheels and it’s one growly looking beast.

403 UJY is an older restoration but the paintwork still presents very nicely, although as you’d expect from a race car, it does wear a few chips and scrapes here and there – particularly on that lower front apron and lower section of the nearside rear wing. Panel fit is good and there’s no evidence of any sagging of the doors. The bonnet strap has a touch of patina but a touch of nourishing leather treatment will see it good.

Bright work, including the wire wheel and iconic radiator, grill is good. A side exit exhaust system is fitted and exits just behind the driver’s right ear; time to quote the big bad wolf, ‘all the better to hear you!’

The car comes with a removable white hard top for that authentic Morgan racing look, although the Perspex rear screen blew out whilst the car was being towed on a trailer up to The Market!

Importantly, this Morgan comes with another fresh set of four MWS painted wire wheels fitted with Blockley tyres.

All appears to be brand new and therefore of significant value. These are included in the auction and will need to be picked up by the buyer directly from the vendor near Witney, Oxfordshire.

The racing aesthetic continues inside with leather bucket seats, and heck not very much else; forget carpets or other interior trim, pah, this car is about paring things down to the minimum. The Moto-Lita steering wheel is a thing of beauty, while the ungainly looking tall gear lever is purely for function.

An electrical cut-off switch is fitted to the right-hand side of the dashboard panel, while a white toggle in the centre operates indicators. The rev counter sits front and centre (with redline marked at 5000rpm), with the less important speedometer offset to the extreme left. A LawrenceTune Engines Ltd badge sits proudly next to it.

A half roll-cage is fitted, with securing loops in place on an additional cross member for mounting harnesses. You’ll also find an alloy firewall between the fuel tank and cabin.

Popping the bonnet panels reveals a clean engine bay; visually its best side is the offside, with its twin Weber carburettors’ air intake pipes gleaming proudly and hinting at the rorty goodness to come.

And my, does it sound the mutt’s… The four-cylinder unit fires first time and from the off it’s a constant battle between gruff intake noise and the glory of the side exit exhaust pipe. We’ve had the car round and about the countryside that surrounds our HQ and it drives very, very (did we mention, very) well. It’s very easy to imagine yourself flinging this beauty around Silverstone et al in pursuit of some historic silverware.

“It’s loud and low to the ground,” says Danny. “So 60mph feels like 150mph! The engine has great pick-up and it revs hard; it’s so much fun to drive, and gets quite tail-happy when things get a bit damp.”

The underside looks to be in excellent health with no obvious signs of either corrosion or problems with the wooden panels. Suspension components too, seem to be in rude health. Lifting the floor panels reveals a very clean and leak-free differential unit.

Our colleagues at Bonhams sold this vehicle to its current vendor back in 2018, so it is a known quantity. Vendor Danny has just dropped off the paperwork and we’ll shortly be adding the scans to the photo gallery. He says, “It has a lovely and quite comprehensive history, which includes invoices and photos of the fitted lightweight flywheel, and that sort of thing.”

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been modified and then maintained to a very high standard.

Post-war Morgans looked old even when new and that’s something that continues to the present day – it’s all part of their unique appeal. On track, over the years, that’s led many to underestimate them. In period, the racing successes of Chris Lawrence proved that to be a mistake. And his LawrenceTune concern provided generations of Morgan owners with race-tuned goodness.

This is one such example. It bears a fruity, breathed-on engine by the most prestigious Morgan tuning company and other racing addenda, as well as being stripped to the bone weight-wise. Given that, it should prove to be one competitive mother on track. As such we think this fabulous racer will sell for somewhere between £25,000 and £40,000.

Another thing worth noting is that it’s equally at home on Her Maj’s highway, so could also provide a wealth of entertainment as a fast road weekend blaster.

To race or to drive this Moggy? That sir (or madam) is the question.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, 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’.