It’s an evolution. Not a revolution.
The base Morgan Supersport already impressed us when it landed last year to replace the Plus Six. Now we have the 400. It’s got 67 extra horsepower. That puts us at 402bhp from that BMW B58 inline-six.
Is it worth BMW supplying engines to such a small operation? Probably not, financially speaking. But BMW has history with Alpina. They like helping enthusiasts do niche things for the “greater good.” Morgan is just picking the right variant of the B58. Specifically, the “01” derivative found in the last Toyota GR Supras, but with Morgan’s own tune via calibration partner FEV.
Cooling is the main headache. More power needs more air. So, the new front grille moves 10% more airflow past the radiators. There’s also a freer-flowing exhaust with a motorsport catalytic converter.
Here is the actual revolution inside the cabin. No BMW shifter. Finally.
Morgan commissioned a bespoke billet aluminum unit. It meets safety standards and actually matches the Supersport’s interior vibe. It’s optional, but it should be standard. You can retrofit it to older cars, too. The cockpit itself feels like more of the same largely, except now you can slap Alcantara on the door tops and dash.
“Fit and finish is simple and classy.”
That’s the best way to describe it. Two small seats. Elbow room if you’re polite. A cubby back there. A decent boot. It doesn’t have that cold, robotic robustness of a Porsche 911, even though the prices are similar. Why? Because this thing is built by hand in low volume. Precision and repeatable quality are hard when you’re making thousands of units a month. You don’t do that at Morgan.
And that’s fine. It’s not trying to be a daily driver for a family.
Sitting in It
You sit low. Snugly.
The view past the three tiny wipers is evocative. The shapely wings frame you. You sit way back. Visibility is surprisingly good thanks to the mirrors and an airy hardtop. It’s a laid-back, grand tourer sort of position, even if your left leg ends up resting against the transmission tunnel out of necessity.
Shift mode? Pop the lever left for Sport. Push and pull. Or use the column paddles. The paddles are a bit short for my liking, but functional.
From a stop, it wants to creep forward aggressively. This BMW powertrain is used to heavier cars with servo-assisted brakes. In a 1,170kg Morgan? It strains at the leash.
Good thing we can just let it off the leash.
The Acceleration Is Violent
Twenty percent more power doesn’t sound like much.
In this car? It changes everything.
Turbo lag exists. You can ignore it. Peak torque hits from 1,250rpm. With no weight to move, that shove is immediate. Wind it past 6,000rpm and it feels crushing. 3.6 seconds to 62mph. Top speed of 180mph officially. I doubt the 3.6. I definitely won’t try to verify the 180.
The standard sports exhaust makes nice gurgles and pops. People in M240is probably turn them off in the city. Morgan owners won’t. Who would?
Dynamics get minor tweaks. The Nitron damper pack is now standard, set five clicks softer than before. Less front camber, more rear toe-in. It feels more precise.
Get the limited-slip diff. £2,425. Do it. The rear tires break traction too easily otherwise.
There’s an old-school feel to the ride now. Some jiggle over imperfect surfaces. That’s just the dampers being stiff. Click them down if it annoys you. Best places? Sweeping A-roads or well-kept B-roads. Nowhere else really fits.
Steering is light. Quick. 2.4 locks. Linear response. It tells you exactly what the front wheels are doing. The balance is traditional high-power roadster stuff. You point it. You light the fire. It drives the car for you. Like a Ferrari 812 shrunk down to toy size. Except steady.
“Who else makes a car with these specifications?”
No one. That’s the answer.
There is noise. Wind and road. A Porsche won’t sound like this. A BMW won’t shake quite this hard. But this car feels it. That vibration connects you to the asphalt in a way isolated luxury cars cannot replicate.
Value is the real story here. People spend half a million pounds on restomods for cars from the 1960s. This brand-new Morgan costs less. The 400 gets packages as standard that used to cost extra. It has more character than the base model.
It is blisteringly fast for its price.
It’s not the smoothest thing on the road. It won’t wrap your comfort in cotton wool. It is raw. Hand-built. Bespoke. Whether it ends up being your third car or your only car doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you get to drive something that truly refuses to be average.
