Morgan Reveals Its Most Powerful Car Ever: The Supersport 400

It’s been a little over a year since Morgan launched the Supersport, and it’s already giving the rear-wheel-drive sports car a beefier version. The Plus Six replacement now comes in a more potent configuration that dials BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter engine up to 402 horsepower. That’s a notable 67-hp increase over the standard car, while torque remains unchanged at 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters).

The gorgeous British roadster, with interchangeable soft and hard tops, weighs the same as before, tipping the scales at just 2,579 pounds (1,170 kilograms). That figure places it in the same featherweight class as the Mazda Miata RF. With significantly more power than before, the sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) drops by 0.3 seconds to 3.6 seconds. Flat out, it can reach 180 mph (290 km/h), making it slightly faster than the regular Supersport.

Morgan does more than install a more powerful engine and call it a day. The Supersport 400 gets a new set of forged 19-inch wheels with a classic five-spoke design, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires. Elsewhere, functional vents integrated into the front wings help the six-cylinder BMW engine breathe better.

The Bavarian-sourced B58 engine is also said to deliver a beefier soundtrack thanks to a new exhaust developed specifically for the hotter version. Additionally, 24-way adjustable dampers come as standard equipment.

Downsides? There are a few. As with the non-400 model, Morgan’s most powerful production vehicle is offered exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Aside from the lack of a manual, it’s also on the expensive side. Prices start at €138,958 in Europe, before any country-specific taxes.

Morgan has already launched a 3D configurator in the UK, where you can spend time spec’ing out the Supersport 400. It starts at £112,965 in its home market before taxes, and buyers can easily add more than £31,000 in extras, including a limited-slip differential.

You can also opt for an anodized aluminum shifter to replace the standard unit sourced from BMW’s parts bin. It’s arguably worth the premium, as the retro-styled shifter complements the interior’s vintage British sports-car vibe. The BMW piece in the standard Supersport is far too modern for this type of analog-focused interior and sticks out like a sore thumb.