Typical car factory smells of oil and metal are absent in the Morgan factory in Malvern Link located in the idyllic South West of England. Rather the visitor breathes in a carpentry smell which is hardly surprising since, remarkably enough in the 21st century, these cars are made of wood. In 2009 Morgan Motors celebrates its centenary. It was founded in 1909 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan (H F S Morgan). A garage in Malvern Link grew into the first production facility of the Morgan Motor Company. Initially it produced three wheel vehicles powered through the rear wheel. These took off in a big way (figuratively speaking) after featuring in the London Motor Show and the immediate future of the enterprise was secure.

In 1927 the firm moved to bigger premises on Pickerleigh Avenue. The original garage no longer exists - a modern House stands on the site. Mark Ledington, marketing executive at Morgan, thinks that this is a "real shame". Morgan built the three wheelers until 1952. In 1935 the company also started to make four wheel roadsters that look nearly identical to the breathtakingly beautiful vehicles running of the production line today. The company is still under family ownership. In fact Morgan is the oldest family run concern in the automobile world. When H F S Morgan died in 1959 his son Peter took over at the helm. He in turn was relieved by his son, Charles, who is still in charge today.

The secret of the company's success certainly has something to do with this continuity. The other crucial ingredient is the craftsmanship that is a primary allure for Morgan's customers in this mass produced world. The first Morgan three wheel vehicle had a wooden frame and even Morgans most innovative car, the Aero (not to be mistaken for the chocolate bar), is based on a wooden construction. However, in this case, this frame is supported by an aluminium chassis. The new model is powered by a 4,4 liter V8 from BMW. This year an automatic will be available. Other external suppliers provide Morgan with wheels.

The use of wood as primary building material brings advantages and disadvantages. Every frame is different. The bodywork has to be fitted to each car on an individual basis by hand. Plus the varnish can only be dried at 60 degrees (as opposed to 120 degrees). This means the drying time is twice as long compared with more typical cars and this is a real bottle neck in the production process. This was recognised 10 years ago by Sir John Harvey Jones who thought that this was the major obstacle to increasing production of the vehicle (there is a very long waiting list for a Morgan).

When Sir John visited the plant output was restricted to eight cars a week. Progress has been made since then - the number is now 14. Morgan exports 100 cars a year for the German market. There is even a Morgan driver's club over there. Soon this distinguished vehicle will even be available with a fuel cell propulsion unit (which will not be made of wood). The British government is subsidizing this innovation to ensure a brighter future for the pride of the British car industry. For the driver of a new Morgan in Germany it only remains to find suitable Autoversicherung and fortunately there are many specialist providers willing to cover niche sectors of the market. An online Preisvergleich is a good way to look into this.

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