MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Last Edit: Jun 13, 2018 5:50:45 GMT by MiataMark
1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Love the pics, more please! Good fodder for Motorpunk there, Morgan is a real departure from the rest.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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I am about to put mine up. I really would have worn an RR top if I knew another RRer backed the magazine!
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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I am about to put mine up. I really would have worn an RR top if I knew another RRer backed the magazine! I did post to the initial thread to see if others were going, would have been good to meet you. I was in the group that did the first tour (grey top and trousers, glasses, almost bald). |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jun 10, 2018 10:17:36 GMT
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Ah, I ended up knowing a few faces down there in the end, and then bumping into more people! i was also on the first tour! I was the Asian lad in black but scruffy jeans, green top and a Barbour jacket, hanging out with a Chinese bloke called Mankee Cheung (the same bloke who wrote/writes for PPC), and also Mark from Garage Sinister; I met him previously for M3 matters but he did the work to Rich's Alfa for the 'ring trip.
If it's OK can I put my stuff on your thread to avoid cluttering the General Board? I'm happy to keep it separate otherwise for a new thread.
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2018 13:40:31 GMT by ChasR
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Jun 10, 2018 10:32:54 GMT
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Ah, I ended up knowing a few faces down there in the end, and then bumping into more people! If it's OK can I put my stuff on your thread to avoid cluttering the General Board? I'm happy to keep it separate otherwise for a new thread. Post them here would be good to keep it in one place, I only took about 40 shots will sort out some more later. |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Jun 10, 2018 14:40:22 GMT
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The rest of my images with some commentary, I can't say I remembered everything that was said so if others want to correct me or add more info please do. We were given an access all areas tour of the factory and as it was a Saturday there was nobody about which I guess was good in some areas and bad in others. The only place we didn't get to go was the paint shop. First area was the chassis build area, they split the range into aluminium (Plus 8, Aero 8) and steel (4/4, Plus 4, Roadster) chassis cars (there has never been a wood chassis).  This is an aluminium chassis, riveted and bonded,that is made externally ( I did know the name of who makes it but have forgotten). Compared to this  Other bought components are the engines BMW  BMW 4.8 V8, the last of the naturally aspirated big capacity V8's, Morgan have got the last ones. or Ford  1.6, Sigma, or 2.0, GDI, 4 cylinder or American Cyclone 3.7 V6's (these are mainly V6's). Note that they are able to logo them as Morgan.
 random arty shot of some wire wheels Next was the assembly shop (I think that's the right name), final assembly before paint and trim.  B&W shot could be any time in the last 100 years or so...  I was a bit disappointed to learn that the wings aren't made on an English wheel or similar but are bought in hot metal mouldings. However the bonnets  Start out as a flat sheet of metal and are hand rolled, with the louvres put in by hand and eye with these  The bodies are fully ash framed   4/4(?) looking good on wire wheels in bare aluminium. We then moved onto the body shop, where the ash frames are made up and skinned in aluminium   The inner wings of all Morgan's ever made were formed on this press  From there to the trim shop, which smelt of leather...  Plus 8 anniversary model, despite Morgan being able to offer pretty much any colour most are finished in Green, Black, White, Blue or Red. There was a special order car for China finished in Baby Pink Then it was final fit and PDI  This was going to France (70% or production is exported, Germany being a big market)   3 wheeler looking good, of all the 3 wheelers around the place none of them looked the same. Love the close together headlamps on this one, which may or may not be legal. There are lots mof differences between markets relating to legislation, e.g. position of rear lights.   I think this is a run-out Aero limited edition model, whether you like the colour or not it was striking. 3 Wheelers, these were meant to be a short production run but popularity has been such that they are still in production. The chassis and bodies are made elsewhere and the engines/wheels come from the US for assembly at Malvern. Gearbox is from a Mazda MX5.   Belt drive!   A brilliant trip out and somewhere I wanted to visit for years. |
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2018 15:02:14 GMT by MiataMark
1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,410
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Jun 10, 2018 14:51:07 GMT
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Excellent photo's! My wife is from Malvern and her cousin used to work at Morgan, we never got a tour organised and now he's left! We're hoping to visit family etc down there soon. Do they do a "normal" tour?
Tom
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Jun 10, 2018 15:00:36 GMT
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Excellent photo's! My wife is from Malvern and her cousin used to work at Morgan, we never got a tour organised and now he's left! We're hoping to visit family etc down there soon. Do they do a "normal" tour? Tom |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,410
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Jun 10, 2018 15:03:52 GMT
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Excellent photo's! My wife is from Malvern and her cousin used to work at Morgan, we never got a tour organised and now he's left! We're hoping to visit family etc down there soon. Do they do a "normal" tour? Tom Thank you muchly, I shall get one booked! Tom |
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Very nice, thanks. Just need ChasR to remove his digit now! |
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jun 12, 2018 23:36:53 GMT
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On the case georgeb ! Like Mark I arrived nice and early, and what a courtyard to be in!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (3 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Oh, you want a closer look? Well, it would be rude not to eh?  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (2 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (1 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr One thing that struck me was this very modern Aero 8! Sure, the two tone colours were nod to a the past but it seemed to hint at something a little more modern. A little a classically dressed librarian wearing modernly styled spectacles. I couldn't quite put my finger on it!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (5 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Inside seemed to reveal more clues! Like all Morgans, you head leather, old gauges, and wood, obviously, because Morgan! But hang on, what's a Parrot Asteroid Smart headunit doing in there! It's sacriledge! It works with the interior!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (6 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr It was then time to go inside into the building were Morgan first began! What was once Genesis for the creation of Morgan cars had now become a bit of a spectacle for us, along with the directors offices being to the left of the shot as well as a gift shop! A tea sir, You've got it! A beer, Of course, as long as it is a Morgan beer!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (8 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr But we couldn't wait around just admiring things on the surface! It was time to get stuck in! At this point, tdk went into the 'pitch'. OK, I'm being harsh. What followed was his experiences, his vision, a roadmap of what he saw as the destiny for the magazine that will become MotorPunk!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (9 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Are you not excited yet? Have a photo of a V8:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (10 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Still not? How about the chassis of a Plus 8?  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (11 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (12 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr You can pick any engine you want, as long as it's a Ford. Or a BMW unit:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (13 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Walking around the workshops did give a very traditional feeling! It was great to hear about the methods of construction, as previously discussed as well as the hours that went into the various parts of a Morgan:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (14 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (15 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (16 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Some things may be hot formed, yes. But that is not to say that Morgans are lacking craftmanship where it counts. Oh no!  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (17 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Some of you may think, Morgan; they enjoy their tea alot! This bench would certainly make you question that assumption:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (18 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr Mmmmmm, wood! Quiet in the back:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (19 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr This press for forming the inner wing woodwork from 3 planks of wood was certainly a talking point! No one can seem to verify the age of it! It is estimated the machines for these are now 80 years old! And yet here they are being used to form the wooden panels!;  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (20 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr The dashboard selectrion was certainly interesting to look at:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (21 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr But it was then time to go to the trim shop. The smells were familiar and don't the Morgans look splendid?  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (23 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (24 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (27 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr The Morgan may look like the newest thing in the shot thanks to the registration but there is nothing new about how it can pull itself off from the modern stuff by sticking with tradition:  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (28 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr  MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (31 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr But before we knew it, it was time to come home! And man, what a shattering day! Well for me with previous engagements it was! Do you want to see more pics? Take a look here: flic.kr/s/aHskCNTne9 MotorPunk Factory Tour 09.06.18 (33 of 33) by Charlieboy, on Flickr |
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Nice photos.
We were on the same tour I can see me in a few of the images...
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Top dollar, guys.
Thank you 😊
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tdk
Part of things
Posts: 958 
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Jun 13, 2018 13:50:33 GMT
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Thanks for sharing. We had an official photographer too and I'll post his pics later. It was great to meet you! What you got is not the standard, public, factory tour. We wanted a more intimate thing where you could get a bit hands on. The public aren't even allowed in that top room where we started/finished and the racers live.  So glad you guys liked it, I was sweating that no-one would turn up! Another fantastic thing is that just about everyone who attended bought a subscription to the magazine, too. You can do so here if you like - www.performancepublishing.co.uk/mp.htmlPS - The blue car with yellow roundel belongs to James who helped with the tour, he's 26. I was driving a poxy MK2 Cav at 26... |
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Jun 13, 2018 14:04:55 GMT
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I am about to put mine up. I really would have worn an RR top if I knew another RRer backed the magazine! *cough*  I couldn't make it to Morgan because who does stuff on a Saturday when us shiftwork slaves have to fox-picture go to curse-word work?  I'll have to console myself with my (hopefully) T-shirt and my unused by beautiful burned invitation stick souvenir. ...and the great write-up and pics form you guys, of course  |
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Jun 13, 2018 14:24:24 GMT
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PS - The blue car with yellow roundel belongs to James who helped with the tour, he's 26. I was driving a poxy MK2 Cav at 26... He was taking phone pics of the Porsche GT3 as well, he did say that being a car nut was practically a pre-requiste for working there. p.s. Is your wife pestering you to buy an expensive lens yet... |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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keyring
Part of things
Posts: 913
Club RR Member Number: 47
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Jun 14, 2018 22:30:43 GMT
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Thanks for sharing. We had an official photographer too and I'll post his pics later. It was great to meet you! What you got is not the standard, public, factory tour. We wanted a more intimate thing where you could get a bit hands on. The public aren't even allowed in that top room where we started/finished and the racers live. So glad you guys liked it, I was sweating that no-one would turn up! Another fantastic thing is that just about everyone who attended bought a subscription to the magazine, too. You can do so here if you like - www.performancepublishing.co.uk/mp.htmlPS - The blue car with yellow roundel belongs to James who helped with the tour, he's 26. I was driving a poxy MK2 Cav at 26... Subscribed! I really wish I could have made this, it looked an amazing tour, and as great as all the photos are, they definitely won’t do it justice or actually being there! Massively jealous |
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Jun 18, 2018 18:15:52 GMT
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I went on the Morgan factory tour a month or so ago, it was ace! Weekday, so got to see the cars being made too - quite an eye-opener!
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1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim
1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started.
1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
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tdk
Part of things
Posts: 958
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Jun 20, 2018 14:24:38 GMT
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Thanks for sharing. We had an official photographer too and I'll post his pics later. It was great to meet you! What you got is not the standard, public, factory tour. We wanted a more intimate thing where you could get a bit hands on. The public aren't even allowed in that top room where we started/finished and the racers live. So glad you guys liked it, I was sweating that no-one would turn up! Another fantastic thing is that just about everyone who attended bought a subscription to the magazine, too. You can do so here if you like - www.performancepublishing.co.uk/mp.htmlPS - The blue car with yellow roundel belongs to James who helped with the tour, he's 26. I was driving a poxy MK2 Cav at 26... Subscribed! Thank you! |
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I'll have to console myself with my (hopefully) T-shirt and my unused by beautiful burned invitation stick souvenir.
