Morgan Motor Company and Pininfarina S.p.A. present Midsummer, a celebration of coach-building by two of the longest-established coachbuilders in the world. Created in recognition of the heyday of European barchetta designs, this special – limited to just 50 examples – represents the shared vision of Morgan and Pininfarina, who have collaborated to reinterpret and celebrate the timeless Morgan silhouette.
A Morgan special project based on the familiar running gear of the Plus Six, Midsummer demonstrates the flexibility of Morgan design whilst simultaneously showcasing the rare craft skill of the artisans who hand form every element of the distinctive body. Midsummer is based on Morgan’s latest CX-Generation Bonded Aluminium Platform and features a six-cylinder turbocharged engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
Massimo Fumarola, Chief Executive Officer, Morgan Motor Company, said: “We are incredibly proud to present Midsummer, a limited-run special project that celebrates two centuries of coachbuilding and represents the embodiment of Morgan’s core values and the pinnacle of craft skills of its talented workforce.
Unconventional
“Midsummer is dedicated to enthusiastic individuals who will enjoy an unconventional, sensory, and analogue driving experience. By identifying and re-interpreting Morgan’s admired ideals, Midsummer turns our legacy into a charming, sophisticated, and timeless aesthetic.
“The success of Midsummer demonstrates what is possible through collaboration with like-minded individuals, and it has been both memorable and rewarding to work with Pininfarina to help bring this special project to life. Pininfarina, underpinned by an incredible legacy of coachbuilding and design, has introduced the latest design and visualisation expertise, as well as fresh ideas at a time when Morgan is on its own exciting journey.
“It has been a pleasure to welcome new and existing customers to see Midsummer ahead of the public reveal, and we have been overwhelmed by the positive reception achieved so far. This unique example of coachbuilding, which exists between art and design, goes to the heart of what Morgan does best. With two traditions, two cultures, and two hundred years of experience united by a deeply held belief in the principles of craftsmanship, that heart beats stronger than ever.”
Midsummer celebrates more than two centuries of combined coach-building experience between Morgan and Pininfarina. Its barchetta design celebrates an iconic European body style and demonstrates the flexibility of the timeless Morgan silhouette, while the exposed style and sensory character give Midsummer’s occupants a greater level of connection to machine and surroundings.
More than 400 individual layers of sustainably sourced teak are skilfully laminated together to create sculptured wooden structures which surround the cabin and create a distinctive shoulder line. The panels for each hand-formed aluminium body take more than 250 hours to create.
Midsummer is limited to just 50 examples, all of which have been allocated to customers following a series of exclusive preview sessions.
Midsummer is adorned with the ‘Pininfarina Fuoriserie’ badge, an absolute first for a production car.
Giuseppe Bonollo, SVP Sales & Marketing, Pininfarina, said: “Alongside Morgan, we take great pride in spearheading the Coachbuilding movement. This remarkable collaboration blends Morgan’s 115-year coachbuilding philosophy with Pininfarina’s nearly 95-year tradition of designing and crafting bespoke vehicles. The already unique legacy of the two car makers, once combined, produces an unparalleled result in our industry. Through the seamless synergy between our teams and the shared passion of both brands, a new masterpiece emerges, blending British heritage with the timeless Pininfarina design. The forthcoming Midsummer, adorned with the ‘Pininfarina Fuoriserie’ badge, an absolute first for a production car, is destined to attain cult status.”
Elegance
Midsummer’s presence is most evident in the rear three-quarter angle. From this angle, the proportion, new surfacing, and shoulder line are most apparent. Midsummer’s delicate yet exaggerated proportions imbue an eccentric elegance, reminiscent of iconic Pininfarina designs and evocative of an era of late 30s and early 40s automotive design. New surfacing, particularly noticeable on the front and rear wings, gives a subtle preview of the evolving Morgan design language. Midsummer also introduces a shoulder line to the instantly recognisable side profile of a Morgan, made possible by the introduction of exposed wooden structures and required as one of the defining elements of a barchetta style.
Moving to the side profile, the existing Morgan wing shape is apparent yet introduces subtly manipulated lines. Changes to the wings have been informed by aerodynamic requirements, most notable in the ‘lift’ in front of both the front and rear wheels, the steeper lines of which help to keep turbulent air away from the panel. The aerodynamic optimisation has leveraged the unique competences of Pininfarina in this field. Featured on the above-mentioned panel is the positioning of the Pininfarina Fuoriserie badge (See page 7). The front of the wings and the nose are unique to Midsummer, their volume is concentric to the shape of the wheels, respecting a key design philosophy of simple primal geometry, yet differentiating it from other Morgan models.
The lightweight forged 19-inch wheel has been designed exclusively for Midsummer. Weighing just 10 kilograms – a reduction of more than three kilograms from the weight of the equivalent 19-inch Plus Six wheel – is achieved thanks to extensive finite element analysis and electing to forge rather than cast the wheel. Despite being lightweight, the wheel exudes a sense of solidity.
Hand-formed stainless steel lower sills give conclusion to the wings, providing a sense of volume and providing an ‘undercut’. This feature is inspired by early Pininfarina designs, whilst its stainless-steel finish allows the vehicle to take on the colour of its environment, integrating with its surroundings.
Origins
Felix Kilbertus, Chief Creative Officer, Pininfarina, said: “The design of the Midsummer is the product of an immersive journey between two brands, building on the essence of Morgan’s DNA, encompassing its centenary heritage, company culture and a remarkable community of passionate devotees. This endeavour was also a rare and unique opportunity to investigate our own past with the fresh eyes of a new generation of designers, and to rediscover our company’s very origins in coachbuilding. While Pininfarina’s spirit of constantly looking forward is most manifest in the aerodynamic solutions directing airflow over the cabin or in the functional ventilation elements, the innate sculptural sensitivity of the Italian tradition shapes the low and essential silhouette, producing a beautifully surfaced and sensationally proportioned roadster, celebrating the ideal of light-hearted motoring.
“Complementing and learning from each other, the two teams engaged collaboratively across all stages, from an inspirational “what if..?” in an English ‘Pub’ to colour and material discussions over Italian coffee – and many more encounters in between. Refining all aspects of design, a fully digital development phase based on Pininfarina’s extensive expertise in VR/AR modelling and visualisation blended seamlessly with the art and craft of truly hand-built automobiles.”
Visible Wood
One of the most impactful elements of Midsummer is its use of wood on the exterior of the body. Whilst wood is commonplace within Morgan sports cars, its role has remained exclusively within the body frame of each vehicle, acting as a ‘buck’ for aluminium body panels to be hand-formed over. This use means it has always been hidden from view.
Midsummer’s barchetta style provided an opportunity to utilise wood to create a shoulder line, accentuating the perimeter of the cockpit and visibly showcasing the skill of Morgan’s craftspeople. This application pays homage to Morgan’s long-established relationship with wood, a key desire expressed by Pininfarina at the earliest stages of the project.
The number of hand-formed elements of Midsummer is higher than other Morgan models and features greater complexity. The hand-beaten aluminium body panels take more than 250 hours to produce. As such, each vehicle will take longer to progress through Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road factory when production commences in the third quarter of 2024.
As ancient as the solstice tradition is its geographical namesake, Midsummer Hill, which forms part of the Malvern Hills – a sprawling hill range that is woven into the very fabric of Morgan. It is from the summits of these hills that – looking in a westward direction – you can see the hamlet of Moreton Jeffries, birthplace of HFS Morgan in 1881. Looking east is Malvern College, where the first Morgan car was invented. And of course, Pickersleigh Road, the historic home of Morgan since 1914.
Midsummer’s first public debut is anticipated at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, held in July.
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