Morgan is getting its boots muddy.
Designed “explicitly for overland adventure”, the Morgan Plus Four CX-T is an ultra-limited creation that looks like a regular Plus Four and an Ariel Nomad got busy in the servant’s quarters of a stately English manor.
Just eight will be built, priced from £170,000 before on-road costs – equivalent to about $320,000 in Australia.
Morgan says the CX-T harks back to its early days, when its cars (which looked suspiciously similar to its modern products) competed in all-terrain endurance races.
Outside, the CX-T is obviously a more purposeful beast than the regular Plus Four.
The rear has been totally overhauled with storage for spare wheels, fuel, and and off-road recovery equipment, while the cabin is ensconced within in a roll-cage. There are spotlights hidden behind leather covers, saddle bags on the flanks, and removable side panels.
Morgan’s changes are more than just skin deep. It’s teamed up with Rally Raid in the UK to overhaul the underpinnings for off-roading.
That means you get 230mm of ground clearance, a wider track, and modified wheel arches to give the chunky off-road wheels and tyres space to work.
There are unique coilover assemblies with internal bump stops, and bespoke bushes for the lower suspension arms are designed to be more durable over rough terrain.
Underbody protection comes courtesy of bash guards for the engine, rear chassis, mid-section, and rear undertray, and there’s a unique side-exit exhaust to create more ground clearance.
Power comes from a BMW-sourced 2.0-litre BMW turbocharged inline-four engine with 190kW of power and 350Nm of torque.
It’s fitted with a variation of BMW’s xDrive differential on the rear axle capable of 45 per cent or 100 per cent locking based on drive mode, but there’s no all-wheel drive.
Inside, the CX-T has a raft of minor tweaks to make it more rally-ready. There’s a phone mount integrated into the dash, a map light, and extra storage. The cabin is far from sparse, though, with leather seats and plush detailing.
Each CX-T will be different based on what owners want. Some are being kitted out to carry bikes, others surfboards.
