Morgan’s AR Plus 4 is old, new, and powered by Cosworth

Morgan Motor Company, Malvern’s finest purveyor of sporting motor vehicles, has unveiled a new sporting motor vehicle at the Silverstone Classic event.

Of course, the word ‘new’ means something rather different in Morgan-world: this is, as you’ll have spotted, a Plus 4, the two-seater convertible named for golf trousers and celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.

But the AR Plus 4 does have a new engine: one made by Cosworth, no less. From Ford Escorts to BAC Monos, cars with Cosworth engines are generally worth a second look.

Here, the 2.0-litre Cossie unit develops 225bhp, making this the most powerful two-litre Plus 4 in its very long history. Though Morgan hasn’t released performance figures, a kerbweight comfortably under a tonne – thanks to extensive use of aluminium - should spell decent performance: expect a 0-60mph run somewhere around six seconds, and a top speed of some sort.

The ‘AR’ in the name denotes not that this is a Plus 4 aimed at the hitherto neglected pirate market, but that it’s the work of Morgan’s AR motorsport division. Each car will be hand-built and set up by AR’s technicians, with Morgan promising ‘capable and exhilarating performance’ on road and track.

To which end the AR Plus 4 features a new suspension system, including adjustable shock absorbers, and new brakes. Whether the latter are fashioned of carbon ceramic or, say, vintage mahogany remains unclear.

There is much wood and leather on board, while Morgan boasts a ‘new interior focuses on enhancing driver interaction’. If you’re expecting iDrive and Spotify streaming, you’re in rather the wrong century: this is still very much a sports car from the old school.

Just 50 AR Plus 4s will be built, with prices starting at £55,000. That’s Porsche Boxster GTS money for something significantly less powerful, slower, but with precisely 300 per cent more caddishness. Would you?