Described as a ‘celebration of coachbuilding and timeless style’, the Midsummer is limited to just 50 units – all of which are already sold
British purveyor of traditional sports cars Morgan and iconic Italian design house Pininfarina have collaborated to produce a new model named Midsummer’, a special project based on Morgan’s latest bonded aluminium platform and powered by a BMW-sourced six-cylinder engine and gearbox as found in the production Plus Six.
Production of the Midsummer starts this year and will end in 2025, with the car set to make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
Just 50 examples are to be made, with each already sold for an undisclosed sum after a series of exclusive preview events for prospective customers. Each of those buyers will take delivery of a hand-finished barchetta-style sports car complete with lengthened rear end, hand-formed stainless steel lower sills, bespoke forged alloy wheels and aerodynamically optimised versions of the trademark Morgan front wings.
Other bespoke design elements include a number of exposed wooden structures – a part of Morgan’s traditional construction method that usually stays hidden under its models’ bodywork. Morgan says more than 400 layers of sustainably sourced teak are laminated to create these elements, extending into the car’s leather-trimmed cabin.
New hand-made analogue dials feature in the wood-shrouded instrument binnacle, while new signature headlights finished with silver inserts set off a fresh look for the unique car.
Its not all an exercise in coachbuilt fanciness, however, as the Midsummer has been developed to be as ‘raw and visceral’ as other Morgans. New higher-profile Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres help with grip, working in tandem with adjustable Nitron dampers to keep the driver in control. A target dry weight of just 1,000kg is quoted, some 114kg less than the closely related Plus Six.
Exact power figures have not been released but the BMW B58 twin-turbocharged straight-six delivers 335bhp and 369lb ft of torque in its Plus Six application; that car manages 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, so expect Midsummer to be even quicker.
“Midsummer embodies Morgan’s 21st century coachbuilding philosophy and showcases the talent and capability of our engineering and production teams,” said Matt Hole, Morgan chief technical officer. “To achieve such a striking design has required immense craft skill, blended with industry leading technology, that surpasses that of any previous Morgan.”
