Who would say. Always dedicated to the production of sports models that seem to have "stopped in time", sometime in the 30s of the last century, Morgan decided it was time to "go off the road". In order to do this, he joined the company Rally Raid UK (with extensive experience in the Dakar) and the result was the Morgan Plus Four CX-T.
Based on the Plus Four, which despite inheriting the look of its predecessors, is a completely new model, the Plus Four CX-T shares with it the 2.0 l TwinPower Turbo from BMW that develops 258 hp (190 kW) and 400 Nm (350 Nm with manual box).
That said, the changes that the most adventurous of the Morgans were subjected to are limited to those necessary for the purpose of being able to travel off-road — which were not few —, giving it a clearly distinct appearance.
Until the end of the world… and beyond
Obviously, to prepare the Morgan Plus Four CX-T to walk on “bad paths” it was necessary to increase its ground clearance. So Morgan equipped it with an EXE-TC suspension that increased it to an impressive 230mm — more than the vast majority of “our square” SUVs and almost twice as much as a “normal” Plus Four.
The spoked wheels also disappeared, giving way to new wheels and tires specially designed for all terrain. We can also see that the front bumper has been trimmed considerably to improve the ever-important angle of attack. However, the front bumper is far from being the most significant change the Plus Four has undergone in this transformation.
The scalloped front bumper has improved the entry angle.
To start with, the Plus Four CX-T received an external roll-bar where four auxiliary headlamps appear. This is joined by the bags placed on the side of the hood, but the highlight goes to the completely new rear section!
Much less retro and with a look closer to the vehicles of the Mad Max saga, the new rear of the Morgan Plus Four CX-T was developed in order to accommodate two jerricans, an aluminum toolbox, two spare tires and even two Pelican waterproof bags.
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For anyone who fears that the Plus Four CX-T's lack of all-wheel drive could hurt its off-road capabilities, Morgan has already said it has a “solution”. The British roadster turned to BMW's xDrive rear differential, which received “tailor-made” software.
In “Road” mode, the differential is fully open, benefiting the behavior on asphalt; in “All-Terrain” mode, the differential closes at 45%; finally, in “All Terrain – Extreme” mode the differential is fully locked, sending the same amount of torque to both rear wheels.
By now the big question you should be asking is: how much does the most adventurous Morgan cost? It doesn't get cheap, with the price rising to 170,000 pounds (about 200,000 euros). Part of this price — three times higher than the “normal” Plus Four — is due to the fact that Morgan will only produce eight units of the Plus Four CX-T, which it's actually asking to be used in a rally raid.