Driven: Morgan Supersport Is a Bold Leap Forward

Car and Driver

21-05-2025

Morgan is a company where change is gradual. In the brand's 116-year history, its cars have enjoyed an impressively consistent look and feel. Where many of its competitors ballooned into mass-production automakers, Morgan remained a small outfit producing hand-finished sports cars. Its long-running Plus Four still looks the same as it did in the 1960s, and its frames are still constructed from ash wood, in the same way they have been for decades.
The brand's new flagship Supersport changes things though. A revised update on classic Morgan design combines with an all-new chassis, a trusty BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, and subtly integrated technology. In Morgan terms, it is a complete overhaul of the brand's vision, dragging it kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
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Morgan
As the replacement for Morgan's previous flagship, the Plus Six, the Supersport's bloodline is a storied one. The Plus Six was in production from 2019 to this year, and itself was the successor to the Plus 8. One of Morgan's longest running and most lauded models, the Plus 8 was a V-8-powered muscle sports car, produced initially from 1968 to 2004 and then again from 2012 to 2018. The Plus 8 originally made use of a Land Rover 3.5-liter V-8 and, upon the car's second run, switched to the BMW 4.8-liter V-8 in 2012.
That British-German partnership continues to this day. The Supersport gets motivation from BMW's silky inline-six. It's the same engine the Plus Six used, and it's a variation of inline-six utilized in BMW's own Z4 M40i, as well as the Toyota Supra and Ineos Grenadier. It's good for 335 horsepower, helping propel the Supersport to 62 mph in a claimed 3.9 seconds. The B58 bolts to the near-ubiquitous ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, which can glide efficiently through the gears all the way up to 166 mph. It is not stats or headline figures that Morgan trades off, though; the goal here is fun and driver engagement.
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Morgan
It's a common misconception that Morgan uses wood in its chassis. Wood does still play a part in the Supersport's underpinnings, as the frame is made from ash wood that's hand-planed in Morgan's own factory. But the Supersport's CXV bonded aluminum chassis is its most modern yet. It's said to weigh 225 pounds, including the front and rear subframes; Morgan reckons the chassis increases overall torsional rigidity by 10 percent, which is boosted a further 10 percent when the optional hardtop is installed.
There's also a revised steering setup. The steering ratio is sped up by 13 percent, which should make smaller inputs more pronounced. The car's most impressive figure, though, is its overall weight. Morgan claims the Supersport comes in 2579 pounds. Compare this with a Porsche 718 Spyder RS at 3167 pounds, and you'll understand part of the reason why the Supersport is so attractive.
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Morgan
The Supersport's style is another major reason why it's such a compelling car. It's a stunning piece of design, perfectly nodding to Morgan's past with its long, sweeping fenders and dramatic grille and circular headlights. But it modernizes the whole package with a cleaner flair that is at once retro and contemporary. The traditional hood louvers have been deleted, with a vent instead incorporated into the nose. The fenders have new, flatter angles to them, while the signature rear end tapers elegantly, concealing a rear trunk (the Supersport is the first new Morgan to have one in over a decade). Open it and you'll see a section of the frame's lacquered ash. A small detail we love is the company's in-house "HFS" font used for the raised Morgan lettering, which tapers down with the slope of the rear end.
The Supersport's interior is equally considered, with cleverly integrated tech. It is the first Morgan to feature hands-free calling, while the center console has a handy storage tray for a phone, which can be inductively charged while you use it for navigation. There is no large touchscreen display here; it is still a Morgan, after all. Instead, you get analog dials and a small digital speedometer, which is easy to read and takes nothing away from the driving experience.
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Morgan
While the overall look is more contemporary, the car is still coachbuilt. Many of the panels, including the hood and fenders, are hand-beaten to shape by skilled workers in Morgan's factory, while the ash wood frame is carved, planed, and assembled under the same roof. The center console can be optioned with a number of finishes from ash to walnut and birch wood, all made in-house.
The only downside with the interior is the BMW gear selector and paddle shifters. They feel cheap and look out of place in the otherwise bespoke-feeling cockpit, but they're necessary to operate the BMW powertrain.
This doesn't matter when you're on the move. Morgan spent a lot of money ensuring this is the most dynamically capable car it has ever produced, and it doesn't disappoint. You quickly adjust to the unorthodox driving position, which has you sitting back behind the long hood looking out over those dramatic fenders and through the flat, short windshield. Around town, it is comfortable and easy to drive. Keep the transmission in automatic mode and it's happy in traffic—while the transmission can jump around between gears when stopping and starting, it does the job well. Our example is fitted with optional Nitron 24-position manually adjustable dampers. Set to 15 clicks off the harshest setting, the Nitrons are firm but absorb the U.K.'s notoriously pothole-ridden streets well.
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Morgan
Get up to speed on the back roads and the Supersport comes alive. The steering is quick with an intuitive, natural feel that is a joy when navigating long bends and tighter hairpins alike. The braking is involving, requiring more pressure than many synthetic-feeling sports cars. Acceleration out of corners is perhaps the most surprising part of the Supersport. It is a seriously quick car, with plenty of torque and a great sound from Munich's inline-six. You'll dispose of second and third gears quickly, with Sport mode providing impressive throttle response and quicker shifts. It isn't as potent a Porsche 911, but it can be pushed nearer to its limit on the street.
This, of course, makes it more fun. The Supersport still demands plenty from the driver, involving you in the process and exposing you to the elements while you're at it. It is a simpler machine than many of its contemporaries, boasting just enough modern tech and practicality to make it usable. But like Morgans before it, it is more exciting and dramatic than the average machine, feeling special from the moment you open the tiny doors. In that sense, the Supersport hasn't exactly rewritten Morgan's playbook. Rather, it has subtly shifted the goalposts, bringing things forward without losing its time-honored identity in the process. Because of this, it might be the best British sports car on sale today.
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Morgan
Specifications
Specifications
2025 Morgan Supersport
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE (C/D EST)
Base: $113,000
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2998 cm3
Power: 335 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 369 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 99.2 in
Length: 161.8 in
Width: 71.1 in
Height: 50.8 in
Curb Weight (C/D est): 2750 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.5 sec
100 mph: 9.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.0 sec
Top Speed: 166 mph