It was a blisteringly cold, at least for Baltimore, December day.
Just hours before the first major snow of winter, the three of them, Ken, Jim and the Morgan, headed out for her first drive in over six years. Now keep in mind in following true Morgan Plus 4 driver form, this drive was done topless.
As they pulled out of the shop and onto the road, their grins began to take shape. The exclamations of “Oh My”, “This is amazing!” and “Holy Shi..!” could only be heard by the three of them over the wind, the roar of the exhaust and the hum of the engine, but the people they passed could feel the excitement.
Not a lot of words were exchanged by the two men sharing that long-awaited magical 15-mile drive, but the emotions they shared, in a manly bromance kind of way, will not soon be forgotten….
This “creamsicle” two-tone 1962 Morgan Super Sports was one of our most immersive and enjoyable projects. Arriving at our shop as little more than a bare body and a box of parts, we slowly but surely transformed it back into a delightful sunny day cruiser and weekend vintage racer.
The Plus Four Super Sports offered what was arguably the best value performance car on the market at that time. These cars were distinctive with their bonnet scoop, which was necessary due to the cars’ two twin choke Weber carburetors. They featured a lighter, low-line aluminium body, and a more powerful 125 bhp engine derived from a modified 92 bhp TR2 unit. With a top speed of nearly 120 mph, they were not only high performance cars, but also well suited to competitions, even taking an improbable thirteenth overall and first in class at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This example is number 8 in the series of approximately 90 SuperSports that were produced, and was imported to California in 1962 where it is believed to have been raced in local SCCA events. This car was originally left hand drive and converted to right hand drive for racing. During a recent restoration, it was changed back to left hand drive. Purchased by the current owner in the late 1990s from a Silicon Valley collection, this SuperSports has been thoroughly restored by Treasured Motorcar Services and is now equipped with a detachable roll bar, racing tires and a fuel cell for the purpose of vintage racing rallies.
The ear to ear grins frozen into their faces took two cups of coffee and an hour in front of the shop heater to “dethaw” as they say here in B’almer.
In the after chatter they spoke of the much improved power, handling and drivability of the newly restored Morgan Plus 4. Ken exclaimed that the car “had never handled so well or had so much power” and that he could not believe the difference in the “before” Morgan versus the “after” Morgan.
As Ken headed out that day sadly leaving his Morgan to retrieve her on a better day, he expressed his gratitude for having been reunited with his Morgan and how pleasurable his entire experience has been.
We are grateful for the opportunity to restore Ken’s Morgan and are happy to boast another well satisfied customer for Treasured Motorcar Services.
Very happy owner: Ken Gummerson
1962 Morgan Plus 4 SuperSports
Chassis # 4872
Build Date: 12 October 61
Engine # TS74750 (late TR3 with Lawrence Tune)
