Morgan cars in singapore (Plus Six, Plus Four)

[StreetFight3r]

Morgan is a British automobile maker that makes some very unique, vintage-inspired cars. It’s also very likely that many readers would have never heard of them. But you can now buy them in Singapore as the cars are now being sold here by NB Auto, from a modest facility tucked away in Tuas, along Benoi Crescent. 

We spoke to the firm’s director, Douglas Ng, on why there was a decision to become the dealership for such a niche product. He explains that his family had always held great enthusiasm for old-school British sports cars, and he was also heavily influenced by his father in this aspect. When the idea of actually importing and selling Morgans here came up, the family decided that it was worth a shot as an additional facet of a number of other businesses that they already manage. 

“Before this, others have imported Morgans into Singapore on their own before, and every one of them was by a car enthusiast who wanted something special in their collection,” Ng tells us. 

Yet the process of getting them in officially was a complicated affair, not helped that it was all conducted online as it happened while most of the world, including Singapore, was in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

Weeks worth of video calls to England and plenty of discussions with homologation officers from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority were what Douglas had to deal with for months to get all the official paperwork approved.

“As you can see, Morgan cars are quite unique, so it’s hard to apply the LTA’s standard assessment criteria to them. Some of the brand’s models cannot be homologated here because they stray too far outside the rule,” Ng explains. “For example, the famous Morgan Three Wheeler, powered by a front-mounted Harley-Davidson engine, will not pass muster here because it has no doors, and is technically a motorcycle rather than a four-wheeled car. Yet thankfully the operations guys at the LTA are also real car enthusiasts that took a real interest in making it work for the models that can be imported here.”

Currently, Morgan only has two models in its catalog that can legally be sold in Singapore: the Plus Six and Plus Four, two identically-bodied cars with different engines. The cars are still made in Malvern, Worchestershire in England, and the company has a history going back more than a century. The chassis may be all metal, but on top of that the cabin is built on a painted ash-wood frame for that authentic vintage feel.

The two drop top automobiles are a throwback to an earlier age of motoring, with nearly no storage space, a manually folding roof, and doors so small that you don’t really expect them to offer much protection from side impacts. There’s actually no boot space in the Plus Six and Plus Four at all. A round hatch at the rear looks like it could cover a cargo space, but it’s actually the access panel for rear axle maintenance. 

The cars do fully modern drivetrains however. 

The Plus Six uses the engine and transmission from the BMW Z4 M40i. The 3.0-litre turbo inline six cylinder engine with 335 horsepower sends power to the rear wheels through a BMW automatic transmission with no traction control or electronic stability assistance. Meaning that if the car skids or spins its wheels from a poor launch, it’s all up to the driver to rescue it. The whole car weighs just 1,075kg. In other words, it’s a very light car with a very powerful engine, and can be yours from S$415,888, before COE. 

The identically shaped Plus Four is a little less scary, with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo BMW engine with 255 horsepower in the front. The manual version goes for S$325,888 before COE, while the automatic costs an extra S$10k. 

“We’re not big name car dealers,” says Ng. “While it’s easy to set up shop along Leng Kee Road and hope for customers to walk in, the nature of a Morgan and the kind of cliente it attracts wouldn’t allow that business strategy to make any sense at all, and we’re taking baby steps as we move along.”

NB Auto currently has one Morgan Plus Six already on display, with the Plus Four expected to make its way here soon. The facility is also able to offer full servicing, and Ng says that the Morgan HQ in England has been very supportive in helping them to establish the place. “As they are not a big company themselves, getting parts flown over or documentation endorsed is a surprisingly quick process, as they have nearly no hoops to jump through or complicated supply chain issues that larger carmakers may face.”

For now though, Ng reveals that HQ has given him a “modest sales target” to meet for the first year of operation. It’s not a car for everyone, but there is enough interest amongst the well-heeled car nuts here, as well as in neighbouring countries, that are interested, and that should give some legs to the enterprise for some time yet. 

https://www.carbuyer.com.sg/morgan-cars-singapore-price/

richard hammond has one too the morgan plus 6

the dealership reminds me of perodua albeit a more atas one

niche brand bt we have enough rich ppl in sg for it to succeed

din even know we have morgans in sg...

none in the used car pages

morgan plus 4

fancy cars but not so suitable for us average drivers

thou i reckon if u collect rolexes then u have space in ur garage for this

[StreetFight3r]

[kobayashiGT]

25 minutes ago, StreetFight3r said:

Morgan is a British automobile maker that makes some very unique, vintage-inspired cars. It’s also very likely that many readers would have never heard of them. But you can now buy them in Singapore as the cars are now being sold here by NB Auto, from a modest facility tucked away in Tuas, along Benoi Crescent. 

We spoke to the firm’s director, Douglas Ng, on why there was a decision to become the dealership for such a niche product. He explains that his family had always held great enthusiasm for old-school British sports cars, and he was also heavily influenced by his father in this aspect. When the idea of actually importing and selling Morgans here came up, the family decided that it was worth a shot as an additional facet of a number of other businesses that they already manage. 

“Before this, others have imported Morgans into Singapore on their own before, and every one of them was by a car enthusiast who wanted something special in their collection,” Ng tells us. 

Yet the process of getting them in officially was a complicated affair, not helped that it was all conducted online as it happened while most of the world, including Singapore, was in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

Weeks worth of video calls to England and plenty of discussions with homologation officers from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority were what Douglas had to deal with for months to get all the official paperwork approved.

“As you can see, Morgan cars are quite unique, so it’s hard to apply the LTA’s standard assessment criteria to them. Some of the brand’s models cannot be homologated here because they stray too far outside the rule,” Ng explains. “For example, the famous Morgan Three Wheeler, powered by a front-mounted Harley-Davidson engine, will not pass muster here because it has no doors, and is technically a motorcycle rather than a four-wheeled car. Yet thankfully the operations guys at the LTA are also real car enthusiasts that took a real interest in making it work for the models that can be imported here.”

Currently, Morgan only has two models in its catalog that can legally be sold in Singapore: the Plus Six and Plus Four, two identically-bodied cars with different engines. The cars are still made in Malvern, Worchestershire in England, and the company has a history going back more than a century. The chassis may be all metal, but on top of that the cabin is built on a painted ash-wood frame for that authentic vintage feel.

The two drop top automobiles are a throwback to an earlier age of motoring, with nearly no storage space, a manually folding roof, and doors so small that you don’t really expect them to offer much protection from side impacts. There’s actually no boot space in the Plus Six and Plus Four at all. A round hatch at the rear looks like it could cover a cargo space, but it’s actually the access panel for rear axle maintenance. 

The cars do fully modern drivetrains however. 

The Plus Six uses the engine and transmission from the BMW Z4 M40i. The 3.0-litre turbo inline six cylinder engine with 335 horsepower sends power to the rear wheels through a BMW automatic transmission with no traction control or electronic stability assistance. Meaning that if the car skids or spins its wheels from a poor launch, it’s all up to the driver to rescue it. The whole car weighs just 1,075kg. In other words, it’s a very light car with a very powerful engine, and can be yours from S$415,888, before COE. 

The identically shaped Plus Four is a little less scary, with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo BMW engine with 255 horsepower in the front. The manual version goes for S$325,888 before COE, while the automatic costs an extra S$10k. 

“We’re not big name car dealers,” says Ng. “While it’s easy to set up shop along Leng Kee Road and hope for customers to walk in, the nature of a Morgan and the kind of cliente it attracts wouldn’t allow that business strategy to make any sense at all, and we’re taking baby steps as we move along.”

NB Auto currently has one Morgan Plus Six already on display, with the Plus Four expected to make its way here soon. The facility is also able to offer full servicing, and Ng says that the Morgan HQ in England has been very supportive in helping them to establish the place. “As they are not a big company themselves, getting parts flown over or documentation endorsed is a surprisingly quick process, as they have nearly no hoops to jump through or complicated supply chain issues that larger carmakers may face.”

For now though, Ng reveals that HQ has given him a “modest sales target” to meet for the first year of operation. It’s not a car for everyone, but there is enough interest amongst the well-heeled car nuts here, as well as in neighbouring countries, that are interested, and that should give some legs to the enterprise for some time yet. 

https://www.carbuyer.com.sg/morgan-cars-singapore-price/

richard hammond has one too the morgan plus 6

the dealership reminds me of perodua albeit a more atas one

niche brand bt we have enough rich ppl in sg for it to succeed

din even know we have morgans in sg...

none in the used car pages

morgan plus 4

fancy cars but not so suitable for us average drivers

thou i reckon if u collect rolexes then u have space in ur garage for this

I wonder each year how many can they sell?

[Ct3833]

17 minutes ago, kobayashiGT said:

I wonder each year how many can they sell?

This type if car is not meant to be sold by volume, key is must sell thats all😀

[1fast1]

Is the one with Z4 M140i engine available in manual? 

[Lethalstrike]

Same engines as GR Supra. 😁

[1fast1]

40 minutes ago, Turboflat4 said:

Is the one with Z4 M140i engine available in manual? 

Called Douglas. No. Only zf8 speed. With B58 engine. 

But the plus 4 (with B48 engine) has a manual. 

They are considered AD although apparently still in nego with LTA for recognition. 

Still in talks with a workshop here for warranty. Not specified which workshop but it may be in collaboration with a former McLaren engineer (I don't think I should disclose the name here). 

The plus 6 has been homologated successfully. 

Cars quoted without coe as they're all on Indent basis so coe prices will fluctuate. If it's been your dream to get a car not bundled with coe, go for it. We love to complain about that on this forum don't we? 

Douglas seems like a nice guy on the phone. One of the first 12c owners in sg, we were chatting about our ownership experience. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Turboflat4

[Jamesc]

Chassis made of wood.

Go thru ponding the whole car will be rotten.

[Genes]

Not anymore

[Lethalstrike]

1 hour ago, Turboflat4 said:

Called Douglas. No. Only zf8 speed. With B58 engine. 

But the plus 4 (with B48 engine) has a manual. 

They are considered AD although apparently still in nego with LTA for recognition. 

Still in talks with a workshop here for warranty. Not specified which workshop but it may be in collaboration with a former McLaren engineer (I don't think I should disclose the name here). 

The plus 6 has been homologated successfully. 

Cars quoted without coe as they're all on Indent basis so coe prices will fluctuate. If it's been your dream to get a car not bundled with coe, go for it. We love to complain about that on this forum don't we? 

Douglas seems like a nice guy on the phone. One of the first 12c owners in sg, we were chatting about our ownership experience. 

Wah fast hand fast leg.

I love the exterior design, and for the fact that they went with proven powertrains from BMW. 

But my gripe for the interior is that Lotus Evora-ish steering wheel and the typical BMW gear lever. If they can redesign these 2 pieces to match the neo retro theme, it would be a much more compelling package. They already done that for the handbrake, so might as well...

[Mkl22]

not that i can afford it... but my gripe is British made. you get unreliability for free.😂

[1fast1]

34 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

not that i can afford it... but my gripe is British made. you get unreliability for free.😂

Hey I resemble that remark! 😂

[boonhat_91]

Been watching The Crown recently, have to say this design is quite charming.

[Karoon]

The design goes well with that blue metal colour. Looks.... charming. 

[shrjun]

Basically an expensive autobox BMW without the  ' reliability ' . 

[Ct3833]

 

.......The 3.0-litre turbo inline six cylinder engine with 335 horsepower sends power to the rear wheels through a BMW automatic transmission with no traction control or electronic stability assistance. Meaning that if the car skids or spins its wheels from a poor launch, it’s all up to the driver to rescue it. The whole car weighs just 1,075kg. .........

335hp at 1075kg, the power to weight ratio is impressive. But the car has no traction control, it will take some real skill of the driver to steer himself out of situation in case of an emergency. I am not sure if there is ABS, wont be surprised if there isnt.

[Ct3833]

9 hours ago, Jamesc said:

Chassis made of wood.

Go thru ponding the whole car will be rotten.

any crash test result to prove the body rigidity? I cannot afford to own one, so must throw spanner  😀

[flat6]

31 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

 

.......The 3.0-litre turbo inline six cylinder engine with 335 horsepower sends power to the rear wheels through a BMW automatic transmission with no traction control or electronic stability assistance. Meaning that if the car skids or spins its wheels from a poor launch, it’s all up to the driver to rescue it. The whole car weighs just 1,075kg. .........

335hp at 1075kg, the power to weight ratio is impressive. But the car has no traction control, it will take some real skill of the driver to steer himself out of situation in case of an emergency. I am not sure if there is ABS, wont be surprised if there isnt.

My 930 has no ABS,  no traction control, no electronic stability assistance, no power steering, not even airbags. Rear engine and rear wheel drive.

It has seat belts and turbo. 🙂

Edited April 6, 2021 by flat6