Published on: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Recently, our design and technology Sixth Form pupils visited the Morgan Motor Company situated in Malvern. This is a regular trip that gives them an insight into the manufacturing evolution of a much-loved British brand.
The Morgan Motor Company was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan, and these iconic sports cars have been hand-built on the current site since 1914. With very little change in the way they manufacture their cars, and indeed the rate at which they are made, approximately 850 cars are built each year.
The Sixth Form pupils witnessed the entire manufacturing process from start to finish, seeing how every Morgan is expertly built by craftsmen and engineers at the top of their profession. The chassis has the engine, gearbox, and electrical items fitted. Then handcrafted lightweight ash frames are added to provide strength and beauty to the structure, from which the exterior aluminium body panels and interior leatherwork are hung.
It was fascinating to see these traditional woodworking and metal-forming skills being applied to what is fundamental to a modern sports car. It was also interesting to learn how one person is solely responsible for the whole ash frame or the entire set of body panels, thereby taking not only responsibility for the quality of the car they are manufacturing but also a sense of ownership of the final product.
The cars are then spray-painted in booths to ensure that the paintwork is free of imperfections.
Our next stop was the trim shop. The leathers are sewn for the seating/cockpit trim, and the mohair hoods are made and then individually fitted to each car. Ash, aluminium and leather are all very much essential to the car's aesthetic appeal.
It was an impressive tour, which the Sixth Form enjoyed immensely. Morgan is very much about skilled craftspeople and engineers working together to create a unique mix of craftsmanship and the latest in-vehicle technology.
