1995 Morgan Plus 4 2+2

While this is a Rover-engined Plus 4, built a few decades after the last of the Triumph-engined versions, there is a tenuous link with Triumphs - well, sort of. The marque’s 2000 Roadster, of 1948 to 1949, is commonly regarded as the last British vehicle to feature a ‘dickey seat’ - an occasional outside passenger seat mounted in the luggage compartment. Well, think again, for this Morgan also has a dickey seat too. We’d better explain though, for this was by no means standard. It’s a 2+2 conversion by the noted and long-established Morgan specialist Steve Simmonds. While best-known for his range of Morgan accessories - including hoods generally regarded as being much better than those fitted by the Malvern Morgan factory - it seems that Simmonds also built about 10 of these Plus 4s fitted with a rear seat recessed into the rear bodywork. The modification not only allowed two extra passengers to be carried, albeit rather snugly unless they were kids, but it also gave extra luggage capacity for when the seats weren’t in use; both useful bonus features.

The impetus for the conversion seems to have come from the car’s first owner, an Englishman who lived in Italy for a while. When he acquired the Morgan, it was a standard Plus 4, but for his drives from Britain to Italy and back, he needed a car with a little more practicality than a standard Morgan could offer. Cue the trip to Steve Simmonds, which present owner David believes was “around 17 or 18 years ago”. The car subsequently appeared in a 2003 Simmonds advertisement for the ‘dickey seat’ conversion, which is included in the paperwork. Among the other changes were special red leather seats, with head rests and detachable pads, which David describes as “looking very uncomfortable, but they actually are very comfortable”, plus Simmonds-branded clip-on quarter-lights and a luggage rack with a rigid suitcase, water-resistant fabric cover, leather securing straps and stainless steel lockable security strap. This sits over the rear dickey when not in use. There are also red leather zipped wallets for the sidescreens, plus various other extras - but we’ll get to them in the coming sections, as they may or may not date from the Simmonds work. The hood, though, probably is a Simmonds’ item.

In 2005, the Morgan returned back to the UK for good, being re-imported by its English owner. It’s from there that the bulk of the service history dates from, documenting a car that has been well-looked after. David acquired it during summer 2017, when looking for a Bristol - after the disappointment of seeing a car that he had high hopes for, but which didn’t live up to expectations, his wife found the Morgan for him instead. However, having now found a Bristol that does measure up to his standards, and after covering about 6000 miles with the Plus 4, he’s decided that the time has come for it to find a new home. Current mileage is under 63,000 for what David describes as a “very pretty car”.

The Morgan looks to be totally original, although, obviously, when it received its modifications from Steve Simmonds, some work would have been done, which may or may not have involved a complete respray. But whether the paintwork is from 1995 or from the early part of the 21st century, it remains in very good order. From afar, it looks close to immaculate, and David says it does scrub up very well. Up close, you will find a few minor signs of age and wear, commensurate with a car that is now over a quarter of a century old. If you browse through our pictures, we’ve photographed most of the blemishes, so you can see for yourself that there’s little to worry about.

There are areas on opening panels where some of the paint has rubbed away where they meet other panels, and some thin paint on the lip of the rear wheel arch. Underneath both door apertures, there are two painted-over seams that display some light cracking, while you’ll find the occasional chip elsewhere. However, significant stonechips are reassuringly lacking. That’s because there’s a protective transparent film over the front and rear wings. It’s so well-done that it’s difficult to see unless you know it’s there and are looking for it. The running boards are also fitted with twin rubber strips, an optional extra.

Most of the brightwork is in lovely condition - those blade bumpers really sparkle, and even on their rear surfaces, there are only minimal patches of surface corrosion to be found. The windscreen frame does have a few spots where the chrome has gone a little thin, and allowed a few small patches of rust to occur. There’s a badge bar fitted in front of the grille; it displays a Morgan Sports Car Club badge as well as a Bentley Drivers’ Club one. Guess what one of David’s other cars is (which will also be coming up for sale on The Market soon).

The wire wheels are painted silver, rather than chromed, but they’re in excellent order, although you will find the occasional scrape on the rims. They’re fitted with good quality Michelin Energy 195/60 R15 88V tyres, which look to have plenty of life left. The wheels also have two-ear spinners fitted - they’re chromed, lovely and not standard - plus valve caps with the winged Morgan logo. The spare wheel, mounted on the rear bodywork, is an Avon CR338 item, and doesn’t look like it’s ever been used.

The bright red hood is very eye-catching, complementing the cream bodywork. There’s little to find fault with and, when up and with the sidescreens in place, it’s a very snug fit. The red fabric of the full tonneau cover matches, and shows just a few age marks. For those moments when the weather gets really bad, there’s a hood storm cover with elastic fixing cords and storage bag. This time though, it’s black.

And finally, to one of the features that particularly makes this car stand out; its luggage rack with suitcase clad in in a water-resistant material that - again - matches the scarlet hue of the other fabrics. There is some fraying of this cover at the seam edges, and the occasional small hole. The case is held tightly in place by two brown leather straps, which show signs of use, but there’s also a lockable stainless steel band for additional security. As David says, “You’d have to dismantle half the car to get this off”. So you can probably feel safe leaving this Morgan for periods without having to worry that somebody is going to make off with your fitted luggage.

You’ll have to like red if you buy this car. There’s a lot of it in the cockpit (and, being a Morgan, it feels much more like a cockpit than a cabin), for the leather extends to the sills, door cards, transmission tunnel and dashboard surround. There’s very little patina to any of it, with the seats displaying only light cracking; it’s a lot less than we’d expect with a 26-year-old car. There is a little wear on the side of the driver’s seat upright, where you’d expect to find some. There are also patches of wear on the door tops, either side, where the hide has been scuffed from the fitment of the tonneau cover.

A wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel has been fitted, along with a matching walnut gear knob (although the original black leather one is in the glovebox). The wood of these two items is in a lighter shade to the walnut on the dashboard, but it still all looks good together. The dash timber does have a few marks around the glovebox, but is otherwise very good. You’ll find more wood under the carpets, for the floor is made of it - traditional construction for this traditional Morgan, of course - and it’s all sound and solid. The carpets are black with (inevitably) red trim; they’re holding up well to all the feet they must have seen over the years.

There’s a plastic attachment on the windscreen which is presumably for a sat-nav unit. The screen also has tinted sun-visors, and a rod-mounted interior mirror. One of the quarter-lights has an Italian motorway sticker on it, as a reminder of its past life abroad.

A modern radio/CD player is installed, but you have to look hard to find it. It’s a Clarion unit, tucked right underneath the dashboard. It also has a USB input cable. Given its awkward positioning, it probably won’t want to be something you fiddle with on the move; best leave it to your passenger.

The chunky switches and controls all seem to do their job as they should - the owner reports no problems with them. The instrumentation is quite comprehensive; as well as the speedometer and rev counter behind the steering wheel, you’ll find a voltmeter, oil pressure, coolant temperature and fuel gauges. All function as they should.

The dickey seat doesn’t look it’s been used that much. It has a few random marks here and there, but we think it’s been used a lot more for luggage than people. Do keep in mind though that, for any occupants of this unusual extra, if it rains and the hood has to go up, they will still be on the outside with no weather protection. Such is the nature of dickey seats. Still, social distancing…

In summary, the cockpit has been well looked after. There are, inevitably, a few areas that show the passage of time and evidence of years of use, but overall, this would be a very pleasant place to spend time, tucked behind that Mota-Lita wheel.

The Rover engine (which retains its marque branding on the cam cover) is accessed via two centre-hinged doors, which do give surprisingly good access. The bay has been kept very clean; we know from David that the engine came out not long ago so the head could be skimmed; presumably the bay was cleaned and detailed then. Only the lower regions of the block show their age, with some dirt, grease and surface corrosion. But elsewhere, it’s all very tidy.

Towards the bulkhead, you’ll find storage compartments - something that was often a feature of pre-war machines, where carrying tools, fluids and other equipment was de rigeuer for any trip. Obviously, it’s much less necessary for something like this with up-to-date technology, but you’ll still find a bespoke tool kit in a protective pouch in place.

The engine runs well - David informing us that the Morgan has always started first time. He’s also used it for some fairly lengthy trips during his ownership, including Buckinghamshire to Cornwall several times, during which it behaved faultlessly and ran effortlessly at motorway speeds throughout. So, it’s not been something that’s spent most of its time in storage, rarely being driven, but properly enjoyed and exercised. A car that is used frequently is generally better than one that isn’t, if you’re planning to do a lot of driving yourself. And in something like this, why wouldn’t you want to?

Underneath, the chassis appears very sound. Undersealing has been carried out and any rust is limited to just surface stuff on various components, nuts and bolts etc. A check over the MoTs back to 2007 shows no failures due to corrosion; in fact, it’s mainly all outright passes, with only a few minor issues causing failures, all of which were easily and quickly rectified. The current MoT runs until June 22, 2021.

You might notice from some of the shots of the chassis that there’s a very large horn fitted right at the front of the chassis. Yes, it’s a klaxon. And, yes, it does ‘frighten the life out of people,’ confirms David.

The history only really begins in real detail after 2005, when the car came back to Britain from Italy. But there’s a big bundle of stuff from then onwards, including recent bills under David’s ownership. The car was sold to him by Morgan specialist Melvyn Rutter, on behalf of the previous owner who had his service and repair work carried out by there. These invoices are included in the document pack. Subsequent service and repair work under David’s custodianship was initially carried out by Melvyn Rutter and subsequently by SGT, a Morgan specialist in Buckinghamshire. Major work in recent years includes skimming of the engine’s head, a new brake servo and master cylinder, and uprated rear suspension in the form of new leaf springs and shock absorbers. The timing belt was changed about 7000 miles ago - the usual schedule is every 30,000 miles, so it’s not something to trouble any new owner for a while.  

Morgans in any form are pretty special - the vintage experience made more palatable and practical for the world of today (or, in this case, nearly today). But this goes beyond just that. Aside from it being in great order, the Steve Simmonds conversion gives it great rarity value - remember, just 10 of these ‘dickey seat’ variants were created. This one is on-the-button and ready to go; and with summer coming - and hopefully the opportunity to get out and go to more places - this is going to make somebody a wonderful head-turner of a car. “It’s as enjoyable on motorway cruises as it is in the traditional Morgan territory of nice country A-roads,” says David. “It’s a wonderful experience to drive; I always feel revitalised when driving it.” If you want to see what he means, now is your chance.

We’ve put an estimate of between £18,000 to £24,000 on this Morgan. This reflects its condition, its rarity, and its place as an evergreen British classic, plus the fact that you can just jump in it, drive, and have enormous fun, with nothing needing to be sorted out. And you can bring others along for the experience in the dickey seat too. It may be quite the experience for them.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), 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’.