Since 2019, the Morgan Plus Six has been available in the same retro look. The British niche brand collaborated with Pininfarina to produce a limited-edition in an effort to liven things up. The exquisite hand-beaten aluminium body of the barchetta-style Midsummer took more than 250 hours to build. There will only be 50 of these two-seater sports cars made; all of them have already been sold.
It’s breathtaking from almost any perspective. Pininfarina drew inspiration from designs with extended back tails from the 1930s and 1940s. The traditional windshield on Midsummer has been replaced with two aerodynamic panels that are reminiscent of vintage barchettas. Turn signals and daytime running lights are now integrated into those larger, circular headlights compared to the Plus Six.
Another vintage feature that enhances aerodynamics is the disc-like wheels, which allow air to flow over the car’s sides more smoothly. Tires from Michelin Pilot Sport 5 are fitted around the alloys. Additionally, Morgan reduced weight with this 19-inch forged wheel by about 6.6 pounds when compared to the Plus Six’s regular wheel. Weighing in at just 22 pounds, this new wheel has a retro aesthetic. Before you add fluids, the entire automobile weighs only 2,204 lbs.
Applying all that teak takes more than 30 hours, so it’s not just body shaping that takes time. There are 120 layers of teak on each door card and a minimum of 126 layers on the dashboard. Morgan notes that the interior is more robust than it would be if larger wood pieces were used because hundreds of layers of hand-formed laminated teak were used.
The Midsummer and Plus Six share the same engine and gearbox, making them mechanically equivalent. With peak outputs of 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, this 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder BMW powers the rear wheels via a standard eight-speed automatic transmission. Its bulbous gear selector, which seems especially out of place in the Midsummer’s art deco cabin, has also survived the transformation from BMW. Without disclosing performance data, Morgan stated that they should be quick given the target weight of less than 2200 pounds.
Pricing isn’t being officially disclosed, but owners paid anywhere between $152,000 and $190,000, depending on how the cars have been configured. Production starts this year and will end in 2025. Midsummer’s public debut is taking place in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Although the barchetta penned by Pininfarina is no longer available, Morgan says it’s accepting proposals from customers for other special projects.
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