Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!tesla!jeff From: jeff@tesla.UUCP (Jeff Frey) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Message-ID: <139@tesla.UUCP> Date: Wed, 27-Jul-83 18:52:11 EDT Article-I.D.: tesla.139 Posted: Wed Jul 27 18:52:11 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 28-Jul-83 20:38:12 EDT Lines: 99 Mr Peter Morgan, Owner, Morgan Motor Cars Ltd Malvern Link, Worcs. Dear Mr Morgan, I just received delivery of my new Morgan Plus 8 and I must tell you it`s just the most fantastic car I`ve driven since who knows when. It also has the unbelievable telekinetic ability to make people who see it pass by lift their arms and wave, especially children under 14. I thought you`d like to hear a few comments about the car to enable you to better your product, if you care. 1. Dealer Service My nearest dealer is 3,000 miles away, give or take a few, which suits me fine since auto dealers generally rip you off anyway. 2. Dashboard I love all those round dials that have very easy-to-read big NUMBERs which mean something, especially when they work. They don`t work all the time because (a friend says) they have a magic incantation written on them that says "Lucas". It would be handy having the tachometer right in front of the driver if it hadn`t been calibrated for a four-cylinder engine, resulting in my driving at speeds not exceeding 30 MPH until I found out; and having the speedo right over in front of the passenger where I never have to worry about getting speeding tickets but the passenger can be impressed. 3. Climate control The climate control keeps me at a uniform 70F on 70F days, 90F on 90F days, etc. I am not including wind-chill factor. In this sense I assume the climate control is working as designed. The two-speed heater fan switch on the dashboard seems to have no effect on anything, although when I turned it on "high" once the sun came out. 4.Body The top is very convenient, taking only about one-half the time required to put the top on a 1984 Corvette. In any case this is largely an academic point since I never drive the car when I know it`s going to rain and leave the top home most of the time anyway. The rear visibility through the three-section rear window is excellent when the top is up but I can hardly see anything out of the tiny windshield then. Perhaps you can do something about that someday as it might affect safety. The leather strap across the hood is very functional in preventing the hood(s) from popping up at speeds exceeding 100mph. At least, I tried it once, and they didn`t pop up. The theft prevention represents an interesting new approach. Clearly any damage to the bodywork, window glass, etc., that might be done by thieves is completely prevented since there are no windows and (as I said) there`s usually no top either. I prevent theft of my radio by not having one. Radios are for bored Corvette drivers. The paint job was excellent, especially considering it was applied by brush. No orange peels (or brush strokes either). 5. Comfort The less said about this the better. 6. Drive Train I am appreciative of the efforts involved in fitting a 3.5L vee8 engine into the small body and am amazed that I can easily reach all the spark plugs and manifold bolts to periodically tighten them up (for the necessity for this, see (5)). I have yet to find the gearbox but the presence of something which makes the car go backward leads me to suspect there is one. You will recognize that with a 3.5L Vee8 in an 1800# car the necessity for traveling forward in any speed but Fourth is obviated. The ease of access to the prop shaft, rear axle, and rear suspension by removing the package shelf behind the seat is also appreciated, especially since the owner`s manual specifies greasing about thirty points every 1,000 miles and "Painting the rear springs with oil" at similar intervals. 7. Performance. When pressed--i.e., when using first, second, and third as well as Fourth, this car will blow anything else off the road at a stoplight, excepting, of course, motorcycles of 1000cc and up displacement. This in normal touring trim. I have yet to try it without the windshield although the possibility of the windshield removing itself has arisen on a number of these occasions. I knew you would appreciate these remarks. Yours sincerely, a satisfied owner.