Morgan Plus Four Is Brand's First Four-Cylinder Turbo Car

Following a single teaser from last week, Morgan has unveiled the all-new Plus Four sports car. We are using the term all-new with a purpose here as the vehicle shares just three percent of its components with its predecessor and the name change from Plus 4 to Plus Four comes to reflect this.

Riding on Morgan's new aluminum-rich architecture, the two-seater effectively becomes the brand's first car to use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It's the familiar 2.0-liter turbo-four from BMW, which in this application generates 255 horsepower (190 kilowatts) and up to 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque.

The unit grants the new Plus Four with the same performance as the previous Morgan Roadster, or 0 to 62 miles per hour (0 to 100 kilometers per hour) in just 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph (240 kph).

Morgan says it has recalibrated the engine mapping to allow optimum driveability and response, and there's also a button on the center console that activates the Sport Plus mode. It sharpens the throttle response, "releasing a whole new dynamic character from the car." In terms of pure numbers, the manufacturer says, the engine output is comparable with the outgoing Morgan Roadster, but real-world performance and dynamics "have been taken to a completely new level."

The new generation of the sports car is also the first to come with a selection of two different transmissions from the factory. BMW's 2.0-liter turbo can be mated to either a standard six-speed manual or an optional eight-speed automatic gearbox. Morgan also promises a fuel consumption of up to 40 miles per gallon (7.0 liters per 100 kilometers) combined.

Interestingly, Morgan is organizing an alternative event to the Geneva show, where it will promote the new Plus Four. It is taking place at the Morgan factory in Malvern, UK, and the automaker had just last weekend to drive the car from Geneva to its plant after the cancelation of the show because car transporters are not allowed to drive on Sunday in continental Europe.

Order books for the new sports car are already opened with prices in the UK starting at £62,995, which equates to about $80,600 at the current rates.