Morgan, a company perhaps best known for not introducing new cars, showed off a new car just outside the Pebble Beach Concours and promises to bring a new car to market every two years. At this point the Morgan EvaGT is a concept, but the production version will be the first of Morgan’s ambitious product push. Morgan is even taking orders for the 2+2 sports car, and says it will enter production in 2012.
Unlike the historic, ash-framed Morgans, the EvaGT is a fully modern sports car. A bonded aluminum structure shared with the rare Morgan Aero SuperSports helps keep the curb weight down to a claimed 2755 pounds. Powering the EvaGT’s rear wheels is a 306-hp BMW inline-six. (It is unclear whether this is the new single-turbo engine or the older twin-turbo.) Acceleration to 62 mph is said to take 4.5 seconds and the top speed comes in at 170 mph. But, as Morgan tells us, the EvaGT is also about fuel efficiency and will achieve 40 mpg on some undisclosed cycle.
We didn’t immediately think Morgan when we first saw the EvaGT. Without the company’s usual large, round headlamps, the waterfall grille takes on a Bugatti look. The proportions are decidedly pre-war, though, with the enormous hood giving way to a comparatively small passenger compartment. Morgan says that the price will “be competitive for a car of this class,” but we’re not sure that even the most modern Morgan fits into any class in the automotive landscape.
