Are there many Modsports Morgans out there prepared for circuit racing.
There use to be some fabulous semi space framed Morgans,using lightweight panels and racing tyres,many where used in the 1970/80s in the National Modsports Championship.
I remember a couple of very fast Morgans appearing at Brighton Speed Trials and a Goodwood Sprint some years back.
That is a good question, it would be interesting to know where they ended up.
I can remember John MacDonald's supercharged modsports Plus 8, Patrick Keen's modsports Plus 8, Chris Cooke's modsports 4/4 (described by a commentator at Bentley Drivers Club Silverstone as the one that looked like a "rabbit blancmange") and a 4/4 owned by Peter Askew. There was also one built by Dave Rutherford.
I am not sure where they are now but no doubt there will be others out there who can help.
Mary Lindsay wrote:That is a good question, it would be interesting to know where they ended up.
I can remember John MacDonald's supercharged modsports Plus 8, Patrick Keen's modsports Plus 8, Chris Cooke's modsports 4/4 (described by a commentator at Bentley Drivers Club Silverstone as the one that looked like a "rabbit blancmange") and a 4/4 owned by Peter Askew. There was also one built by Dave Rutherford.
I am not sure where they are now but no doubt there will be others out there who can help.
Meanwhile I will make some enquiries.
A couple of the names sound very familiar,it would be nice to see pictures of these cars and get the specs.
There was a V8 Morgan Modsports that gave out some serious BHP and handled well around the UK circuits,but I am going back a few years ago to Wiscombe Hillclimbe and Castle Combe.
Some of the small 4 Pots achieve good results,especially if they have a spaceframe and lightweight panels.
Can pics be put on this Forum of any modsports Morgans.
John Macdonald's Supercharged +8 is no more , the engine is somewhere in Scotland and the car has been substantially rebuilt , almost back to standard. John thinks that the owner could be open to offers for the engine though.
The Patrick Keen +8 came originally from the Stapleton Bros , after they stopped racing the +4 that may (or may not) have been TOK 258 (it was registered AHX 92B from memory , which is none too good nowadays) The +8 originally came with chronic overheating problems and very little front end strength as there were no valences (like the SLRs) Patrick replaced the valences with a tubular frame which took care of the strength issue, but never did really solve the overheating. It was very light and incredibly quick while it lasted, and Patrick was a true sport and always accepted it with good grace.
The Stapletons went on to build another +8 , and this one was much more "standard" in concept, full weight body , no space frame (but with a formidable engine) and this one took part in the Brands 500 (?) which was I think the very first true International outing for a +8 .
Then there is the Rob Wells "funny car" with its full removable body shell and tubular frame , there are a large number of illustrations of this car around in the various books.
We should not forget the +8 originally owned by Brian Haslam, but later driven by Robin Gray under the Lawrencetune banner, and now owned by Tony Howard .
I suppose then the gap left behind these 1970s cars was filled by people like Graham Bryant and his +8 , which is now a Class A car of course.
I will leave others to comment on the 4 cylinder cars, which I don't remember as well.
Didn’t some of the 4/4s originate from Alan Kennedy ?
As there were no races in UK I think most went to race abroad, or to the hillclimb / sprint events.
I think John Milbank still has his lightweight 4/4 and keeps it in Denmark.
I bumped into Graham Murrell at the Folkmog event at Stratton Motor Co last week and he was reminiscing about Bryan Harvey who had a lightweight 4/4 that he towed behind a green +8
I remember Graham Bryants Morgan Monster,he did several Sprints with me when I had the Ex BL/TP Recce Car TR8.
Is this car still around and if it is it would be nice to see him out to play in this new HMSA race series www.historicmodsportsandsaloons.com
Which Morgan 4 pot does the Brighton Speed Trials and Goodwood sprints,that got to be quite a quick Morgan in the last 2/3 years.
Also did a chap named Jake Alport,a Harley Davison dealer from Surrey have a Space framed V8.
John MacDonald’s RUP 10 M is now owned by Ally Hunter from Scotland who raced it at the Knockhill Morgan Challenge race in the invitation class
In 2007, it has a smaller super charger from when John had it but it still makes an incredible sound I also saw the car a couple of months ago down at
Steve Barnes (Vintage Sheet Metal) having a normal Morgan style bonnet fitted and doing away with the one piece bonnet, it’s now Red, Andy is right the car
has been rebuilt and from memory the car looks far more std than when I last saw it in the late 70’s. There was also a maroon Mod Sports Morgan racing at Cadwell in 2007 in a general sports car race owned by Mike Sedgwick.
"MMC3"/"MMC4", the ex Libra Modsports lives in Europe since a long while, now in the ownership of Jo Kaufmann, a swissman.
I saw it last weekend in Hockenheim, where we raced the ex "24h-Plus-8" of Christian Bock against some other interesting Mogs, i.e. Keith Ahlers Moss-Box (fabalous and fast drive as always!), the ex Nesbach Mog-Championsship-winning car of ca. 1995/6 (the one with the illegal suspension;-), a very quick 3-wheeler and of course MMC3/4, which blown the engine after some quick outings.
MMC4 was mistakely introduced as the "ex-works car", which it is of course not!
The Modsports Morgans of Mike Sedgwick and Jo Kaufmann,how radical are they,BHP and any lap times around the UK.
We are going to compete in the invite race for the HMSA Historic Modsports and Saloon Race,July 5th at Mallory Park organised and hosted by our MSCC.
Would it be possible for any of our Modsports Morgan Sports Cars to enter,it would certainly fill the grid up and help the HMSA in their first fun race.
I havent a clue who is entering,but Tony Oliver is the Comp Sec,so any enquiries will go through our MSCC Comp Sec.
The John Mac supercharged+8 is definately in many parts and spread throughout Scotland, although what remained of the car I believe has been re-constructed into a semi-road/competion car the left over parts less the supercharger are in my garage.
I remember being passed very quickly by Rob Wells in MMC3 at Silverstone (scary & yellow)!!!
It could be interesting to see if many Modsports Morgans enter the HMSA Historic Modsports and Saloon Association race at Mallory July 5th.
The Morgans would do well against some of the other Classic marques,especially with the latest development in V8 and 4 pot engines.
Does anyone yet know if they are entering the race with their Morgans,Tony Oliver our MSCC comp sec has all the regs and entry forms.
I also saw the car a couple of months ago down at