Morgan Plus Four

When it comes to quintessential British sports cars, none are more retro-exclusive and elegantly evocative of the grand old days than those of the Morgan Motor Company. It was, after all, the very first car purchased by the ultimate Anglophile, Ralph Lauren, when he first became a success; and, even more tellingly, he still owns it today. Morgans, while continuing to be built mainly from a combination of ashwood, aluminum, and leather, are nonetheless representative of the very latest in engineering and a hell of a lot of fun to drive — while offering a more exclusive-seeming and much more gentlemanly experience at a fraction of the price of the other cars on this list, amongst which it can doubtlessly hold its own. Do not expect the Plus Four — the follow-up to the Plus Six Morgan launched in 2019, though all but indistinguishable from Ralph’s ride of 50 years ago — to keep morgan-motor.com pace with an Italian supercar. Its BMW-sourced 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline four-cylinder engine delivers a relatively modest 251 hp and a top speed of 149 mph, but that’s hardly the point of a Morgan. It simply exudes exponentially more class, out of all proportion to its price tag. For a hand-built British motorcar that wouldn’t look out of place in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, it nonetheless can emit a serious growl when the pedal is pressed with extra verve. When our friend Duncan Quinn drove one around London’s Mayfair recently, people popped their heads out of shops and restaurants all down the street to see what looked to stately yet sounded so menacing when provoked. The sheep’s clothing in this case is impeccably tailored by Savile Row.