If we asked you to draw the most British car currently on sale, the chances are you’d scribble down something that looked like a Morgan Plus 6. While its four-wheeled cars are now incredibly sophisticated beneath the skin, they still hold tight to the same basic shape the company laid down in the 1930s.
But maybe not for long. Morgan has just announced that it’s teaming up with legendary Italian design house Pininfarina to create a new coachbuilt sports car. Described as a “limited run of individual commissions” the cars resulting from the collab will harness Morgan’s modern platform tech and the coachbuilding skills of the team at its Malvern Link factory in England, but be designed largely by Pininfarina.
Autocar reports that the new cars will be roadsters, and says that the project is taking place independently of Morgan’s plan to introduce mainstream models with styling moved forward 20 years to the jet age, much like it evolved the 3-Wheeler into the Super 3. The new Pininfarina cars are expected to begin rolling out of Morgan’s factory before the end of 2024.
Related: Morgan Introduces First Super 3s To The U.S., Plans To Offer Four-Wheel Models By 2024
This isn’t the first time Morgan has been linked to Italy. The firm is currently owned by Italian investment group Investindustrial and eighteen months ago hired Massimo Fumarola, previously Lamborghini’s chief project management officer, to be its CEO.
“Coachbuilding goes to the very essence of creating a car and is something that we have nurtured and protected at Morgan,” Fumarola said. “We have found that to craft by hand and not through automation, and to let the heart of the creator shape a line or an object, is what allows the spirit of our company to shine through.”
The Italian exec also hinted that while Morgan might be famous for its retro designs, the company, and the cars resulting from this new project, would be firmly in tune with today’s eco-aware times.
“For us, coachbuilding has an ethical meaning too,” Fumarola continued. “By doing something with your hands, it allows you to fully understand and appreciate the raw materials, and in turn respect the environment in which they were created.”
