It’s easy to feel cynical when every other new car debut feels like it’s for a limited-run ultra-expensive ego-soother for the Miami set. The perfect seventh Ferrari or fifth hypercar for the sort of person whose ensuite sink is carved out of pure onyx. Sic semper insipidus. However, every so often, something costly and exclusive comes along that’s simply rather neat. This is the Morgan Midsummer Coupé, and it’s fantastic.
The story of the Midsummer Coupé starts two years ago, when Morgan and Pininfarina teamed up on an entry into the boutique segment of cars without traditional windshields. An old-school barchetta with two tiny wind deflectors and gorgeous wood surrounding the cabin aperture, it’s one of the few cars to pull off this sort of treatment without seeming a bit gimmicky. Maybe it’s because Morgan’s image is deeply traditional, and this cut-down look is pure golden age of sports car racing. It’s not the most practical arrangement for locales known for summer showers or swarms of insects, but it has a certain nostalgic appeal.
However, upon seeing the topless Midsummer, one customer had a question: Could Morgan and Pininfarina make a proper coupe? Something we haven’t really seen from the marque since the Aero Coupe bowed out in 2016. It turns out, Morgan and Pininfarina could, and the resulting Midsummer Coupé is stunning enough that eight other clients hopped aboard.
I mean, just look at it. It may be inspired by the Midsummer roadster, but this split-window coupe is a stunner all its own. The door handles perfectly sandwiched between glass and sheetmetal, the stripe of brightwork down the center of the car, the proportions, it’s all just so good. Even the ribbon of brightwork surrounding the lower body simply works here, a touch of art deco for the road.
The way that fixed canopy sits gives the Midsummer Coupé some serious presence, enough that you might miss just how much has changed over a standard Supersport. The winders, the grille, the valence, the hood, all of that’s new. It would’ve been easy to overdo such a comprehensive raft of changes, but it’s all just lovely. Simply magnificent.
Oh, and if you thought the new coachwork was good, wait until you see the interior. Panoramic roof panels shed light on a bewitching mix of teak, aluminum, and leather. In the right lighting, it all looks so incredibly inviting. There’s a warmth here that carbon fiber just doesn’t offer, an architectural feel that carries forward themes of Morgan’s traditional use of ash in their cars’ construction.
Unlike in the days of old, however, the engine in the Midsummer Coupé isn’t made of coal and lead. It’s the same sort of turbocharged twin-cam aluminum affair you get in a BMW M340i mated to the ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic. The gold standard of automatic gearboxes. While Morgan hasn’t disclosed a specific output, it crosses the 400-horsepower mark in the Supersport 400, which should be good for proper modern pace.
The only glaring flaw I can find in the Midsummer Coupé at a glance is that Morgan only plans on building ten. Admittedly, the market for a hand-built boutique sports coupe with proper old-school looks is rather small, but I’m delighted to exist in the world at the same time as this.
Top graphic image: Morgan
There are a couple of minor details that don’t quite hit right for me, and I would really prefer something not BMW or automatic under the hood… But damnit if I don’t love it anyway.
It is pretty cool to look at but I’d be afraid to drive it anywhere. I agree with Hugh that steering wheel looks out of place.
That steering wheel spoils the whole thing, and the squared-off top of the grill in the rounded shell is a bit puzzling.
It actually reminds me of the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic more than any Morgan, not that there is anything wrong with that.
I think they were planning on doing the half moon grille and then thought better of it to avoid copyright infringement. I agree the grille makes it look like it is a grand theft auto copy of another car.
I don’t think VW could get them for using the same design they have been using since 1950 or whenever the switched from the Flat Rad design.
My first thought was “huh, they built a Truffade Z-Type.”
I’m going to say it: MEH.
They really blew it on the name. A fixed-head coupe like this should be the Midwinter.
That said, I get a bit of Citroen Traction Avant vibes from it, combined with the obvious Bugatti Atlantic influences. But I don’t care how good the autotragic transmission is, a retro sports car like this should have 3 pedals.
I was going to say Bugatti Atlantic in the back, Lotus 7 from the front.
Not Lotus 7, maybe MG TF