New Morgan Midsummer: Meet the ravishing roadster with Pininfarina polish

Morgan’s hand-built Barchetta showcases an exquisite collaboration between an artisanal car manufacturer and Turin’s world-famous design studio. Find out why each example takes over 250 hours to construct…

You could say Pininfarina wrote the book on automotive design. And whilst the likes of Bertone, Giugiaro, and Zagato might protest, you wouldn’t be far wrong – from Ferrari’s Daytona to Alfa Romeo’s GTV, Pininfarina has penned many of history’s prettiest autos.

Taking that wealth of design expertise and applying it to a classically British formula has produced some pretty spectacular results. There’s no debating which brand underpins the Midsummer’s elegant form, but its real appeal lies in the carefully crafted details. 

Limited to just 50 units, each Midsummer is loosely based on Morgan’s already handsome Plus Six model, with no less than 250 hours of coachbuilding and craftmanship invested to take things to the next level. Each buyer then has the opportunity to tailor the machine to their exacting taste, with a special one-to-one design consultation ensuring each example is totally unique.

Outside, the most prominent changes include enlarged signature headlights, a special aero shroud sitting atop the horseshoe-shaped grille, and a lengthened tail designed to ‘accentuate the elegance of the car’. 

More subtly, the wings have been re-sculpted to benefit aero, while hand-formed stainless steel lower sills tie the whole design together with a decadent mirror finish. New 19-inch lightweight forged wheels sit at each corner, shedding a useful 3kg of unsprung mass and wearing Michelin’s accomplished Pilot Sport 5 rubber to maximize traction. 

Those lucky enough to pilot Morgan’s Midsummer will first be greeted by a distinctly maritime-inspired cabin. Lashings of sustainably sourced teak adorn the doors, dash, and transmission tunnel to offer an air of solidity that’s absent in many modern car interiors. Equally, the superb analogue gauges with off-white faces exude a character that current TFT screens could never dream of matching. Although, a standard Sennheiser audio system is one contemporary concession that music lovers will surely appreciate.

As for the driving experience, well it’s certainly no slouch. BMW’s familiar 335-bhp straight six has just 1,000 kgs to propel, so you do the maths… Selecting sport mode on the 8-speed automatic gearbox and mashing the accelerator results in a circa 4 second sprint to 60 mph – impressive for something that looks like it was running around when Winston Churchill was in power.  

The handling should also belie the Midsummer’s antique aesthetic. Adjustable Nitron shock absorbers are tailored specifically for this unique application. Morgan argues that the bespoke Barchetta continues ‘the raw and visceral driving experience’ that is now synonymous with the brand.  

That just leaves the name. Contrary to what you might expect, it’s not a reference to the Shakespearian drama but, rather, the scenic Midsummer Hill that Morgan’s Malvern factory sits next to.

If this marriage of obsessive attention to detail and unparalleled design flair has got you reaching for your wallet, you’re out of luck: despite the £200,000 price tag, each example is already accounted for. Still, as the first-ever car to bear a unique Pininfarina Fuoriserie emblem, buyers should see a handsome return on their investment in years to come.  

What are your thoughts on this vintage design collab? Has Morgan struck the right balance between old and new?

Hero image credit: Morgan