Morgan may be seen as one of the last remnants of a bygone era of British motoring, but the company has pledged to launch a new model every two years from 2010. The first is the EvaGT, a four-seat coupé, which will be unveiled in full this August.
Details are scant at this stage, though the teaser shot indicates that the EvaGT takes more than a little inspiration from the stunning
Morgan Aeromax. Unlike that car, the EvaGT is designed to seat four occupants; though as Morgan refers to it as a family car, perhaps we shouldn't expect much in the way of rear legroom...
Morgan will continue to utilise BMW power. It plans to fit the turbocharged straight-six petrol engine found in BMW '35i' models, boasting peak power of 306bhp with maximum torque of 295lb.ft. Morgan will offer six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes and, as you'd hope, the EvaGT will be rear-wheel drive.
Low weight is a priority of the engineering team. The predicted kerb weight is 1,250kg, achieved by the extensive use of aluminium. A 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds is expected, along with a 170mph top speed, yet Morgan also reckons that 40mpg and 200g/km of CO
2 are possible.
The first viewing of the EvaGT will be at the 60th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California on 15 August this year. Morgan will be taking deposits of £5,000 and production of the first 100 cars will begin in the middle of 2012. An actual price has yet to be released, but the company says that it 'will be competitive for a car of this class.'
Shane O' Donoghue - 11 Jun 2010
