Behold, the exquisite and extremely exclusive Morgan Midsummer. It’s the result of a collaboration between the British sports car maker and Italian design house, Pininfarina, a pair that have more than two centuries of coachbuilding experience between them.
The Midsummer is billed as a reinterpretation of the simple yet timeless Morgan silhouette. The design is said to be inspired by classic open-top, two-seat racing cars – known in Italy as ‘Barchetta’ – and meant to evoke the elegance of cars from the 1930s and 40s. But there are also elements from Pininfarina’s own forward-looking design language.
The body is made of hand beaten aluminium panels that take more than 250 hours to produce. Morgan’s signature round headlights and horseshoe grille are present and correct, but Pininfarina has added piano key-inspired louvres to the traditional long bonnet and subtly changed the front wings to improve aerodynamics.
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The elongated rear deck is one of the most noticeable differences between the Midsummer and Morgan’s other sports cars. Meanwhile, the lightweight forged 19-inch wheels, designed exclusively for the Midsummer, are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres with just the right amount of sidewall to create a classic aesthetic.
The wood used in Morgan’s cars has usually been hidden from view, with the aluminium body panels hand-formed over the top of an ash wood frame. However, the Midsummer celebrates the traditional craftsmanship by using wood for upper parts of the doors, keeping it visible.
That idea continues inside the Midsummer, with sculpted panels like the centre console hand formed using sustainably sourced teak wood. Each car features nine individually crafted wood sections that take more than 30 hours to create.
The interior also features analogue dials, designed exclusively for this project and all handmade in the UK. The off-white finish was chosen to match the car’s softer character, while the steering wheel has a forged aluminium centre and a Sennheiser sound system brings a more modern touch.
Underneath the hand crafted bodywork is Morgan’s latest CX-Generation bonded aluminium platform, a six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
Just 50 examples of the Morgan Midsummer will be made, each tailored to its owner’s requirements to ensure each one is unique. Production begins later this year, as Morgan celebrates its 115th birthday, and will continue into 2025.
Before you break-out your cheque book however, every single Midsummer has already been sold. The price tag remains a secret, but Morgan’s other special projects like the Plus Four CX-T cost over £200,000 and we could see the Midsummer commanding an even higher figure.
Click here for all the latest on the new Morgan Plus Four…