The new Morgan Supersport - Interview Jonathan Wells, Chief Design Officer, Morgan
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00:00Today is a really big moment for not only just Morgan, but for the team of designers and engineers and craftsmen here,
00:06that over the last several years have been imagining what a new flagship product could look like.
00:10In 2018 we said goodbye to the Aero family of cars.
00:14The Aero is our more contemporary performance-orientated vehicle at the top of the range.
00:18So for some years we've been imagining what a new body, a new shape could look like on top of our CX platform.
00:24And what started off primarily as a styling and as a visual study has gradually evolved to become a fundamental ground-up redesign.
00:32There's obviously some consistency with Morgan, which we're all very proud of.
00:36Every car we build is fundamentally very lightweight, it's entirely handcrafted, and it sits on top of a very modern platform.
00:43The focus for any Morgan is to offer a really unique and exciting driving experience.
00:47So Morgan coach build their cars. Essentially what that means is that we create a handcrafted body on top of a very modern platform beneath.
00:55The body is structurally independent to the platform. So there's two entities that we need to consider.
01:00With Supersport we totally reinvented that platform.
01:03It still uses a bonded aluminium chassis structure, but all of the geometry has been totally redesigned.
01:09There's a great deal more inherent chassis in the structure,
01:12and all of the corner geometry has been changed to give much more on-road compliance.
01:17The ability to put the power down much sooner.
01:19That means essentially we end up with a much faster car.
01:22So for us as designers and engineers we have to consider aerodynamics, the body structure, and all of the finishing and detailing.
01:29One of the biggest influences on vehicles design is its aerodynamics.
01:33And very early on we realised by lifting volumes up behind the front wheels and the rear wheels,
01:38not only do we control the way the air detaches from the surface, we also create this more theatrical elongated proportion.
01:44We then took an attitude towards celebrating all of the engineering function and all of the craftsmanship within the aesthetic of the car.
01:52The way the vents are positioned is where they need to be, they're not placed there as decoration.
01:56And there's very much an honesty to our approach in everything we've done.
02:00With modern day requirements for legislation, and of course with modern day requirements for performance and for safety,
02:06Morgan, like any other company, embraces modern technology.
02:09It's something we actively pursue to deliver within our cars.
02:12However, for us and for the team here, we don't want the primary focus to be the technology.
02:17When you get into a Morgan, you're not dazzled by a large LCD screen.
02:21You have beautiful handmade dials that look almost like watch faces, but the technology is all there.
02:26It's hidden technology.
02:28You're able to appreciate the materials, the leather, the environment,
02:31but when you want to connect your phone, listen to music, take phone calls, it's all there and available to you.
02:37We do want to communicate some of that technology in the overall vision of the car, though.
02:41But rather than blending some of their old craftsmanship and the traditional techniques with this modern technology
02:47and risking becoming somewhat pastiche, we like to celebrate both.
02:51As you'll see on Supersport, it's sat on top of visibly technical underpinnings.
02:55The front splitter, the diffuser, the side seals, they're all serving a real purpose and we're celebrating that.
03:00But on top, we've lightly draped this aluminium body.
03:03It really is a joy designing at Morgan.
03:06What I like most is that we're not isolated in a white studio somewhere.
03:10We spend most of our time on the shop floor working with the guys that are hand-building these cars.
03:15And the art of the possible, what they discover in their craft, always directly influences the design.
03:20And every day there's a new idea or something new to experiment with.
03:23What we try to do with all of our cars, whether that's the Super 3 or the Plus 4 or the new Supersport
03:29or other things on our drawing board for future, is always just consider that principle of driving joy in everything we do.
03:36The way we work together, but also when you drive a Morgan.
03:39And actually, even before you drive a Morgan, you tailor your car to your own exacting specification.
03:44And we spend a long time with customers working out exactly how they want their car to be presented.
03:49All of these aspects together ensure that every Morgan is exciting and ultimately fun to drive.
03:54And I do believe we've got a lot more flexibility in design than some people might consider.