Natural Ash

In the history of cars, there are quite a few designs and material choices that are pretty far outside of what most of us consider normal. DeLorean made its famous time machine entirely out of steel; this was a very weighty decision for a car that was marketed as an American answer to Italian exotics. Campagna makes the BMW-powered T-REX three-wheeler, a reversal of all of those oddball European three-wheelers that speed enthusiasts can really sink their teeth into. Renew Sports Car in Florida explored a high-concept vehicle when they built their 2016 Miata-based sports coupes out of cannabis hemp. And while Mother Nature might have provided an ultra-strong material for the Renew’s resin body, Morgan Motors has always given us wood in the ash frames of their world-renowned British motor cars.

Morgan’s earliest cars were actually an interesting combination of the three rationales of the cars mentioned above. They built powerful, sporty, three-wheeled runabouts for the purpose of quick city driving and exhibition races that featured extremely strong, yet incredibly lightweight natural ash frames. This tradition continued through all of Morgan’s concurrent four-wheel designs all the way up to today. The modern Morgan Aero 8 and more traditional Morgan Roadster 3.7 feature BMW-powered chassis, and in 2011, Morgan reintroduced a classic three-wheeler with a 1930’s aesthetic to rival Campagna’s ultra-modern T-REX.

Especially writing for CocoMats and My particular love for Morgan vehicles has been a longstanding point of contention with my grandfather, who insists that his 1932 Mercedes Roadster is the far superior vehicle. However, through the magic of social media our newfound ability to keep in touch with nearly everyone we’ve ever met, I have discovered a fellow Morgan-lover in the fatherhood of a childhood friend. Hopefully someday soon I’ll be able meet up with her and her father and do a side-by-side comparison of British wood and German steel. It will definitely be hard not to play favorites with the Morgan.

-Trey Fennell