Small-volume British automaker Morgan announced Tuesday the existence and details of an in-development halo car, which the company will reveal in 2019.
Morgan so far alludes to the model only using the “Wide Body” name that it has given the new chassis on which the car will ride, which it describes as a “bonded aluminum fabricated” frame. This chassis is a tad wider and twice as stiff as the aluminum chassis that underpinned previous Morgan flagship models. Morgan states that though the new vehicle will occupy the same place in its lineup as the outgoing Plus 8 and Aero 8, though the Wide Body will be neither a replacement for nor successor to these models.
“We are excited to be launching the ‘Wide Body’ car in Morgan’s 110th year, and over the coming weeks and months, we will be releasing further details,” said Morgan’s technology director (and not deceased Monty Python member) Graham Chapman.
“The 2019 launch of this car is the culmination of several years of unprecedented investment in Design and Engineering for Morgan. This has produced the most advanced development programme in Morgan’s history, the results of which we cannot wait to share with our customers worldwide,” Chapman added.
Official details of the model corroborate with those specified in a report on the vehicle from late October, which alleged a wide, bonded-aluminum chassis to be the basis of this Morgan. This lends credence to the report’s other claims, which added that the Wide Body platform as we know it will accommodate both internal combustion engines and space for batteries, so the model may be future-proofed as well as the Three-Wheeler. At launch, the Wide Body is alleged to utilize a forced-induction inline-six, potentially from BMW like the V8 powering the Plus 8 and Aero 8.
Performance of 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds and a top speed exceeding 150 mph are reported to be expected of the Wide Body. Though Morgan promises more information on the vehicle in the coming months, the market launch of the vehicle will reportedly not occur until the mid-2020s.