Morgan Supersport 400 – Morgan's best guns for Porsche's 911
Morgan's given its BMW M engined Supersport a power boost and a chassis upgrade to take on the best from Germany
Most of our qualms and criticisms of the Morgan Supersport surround its B58 twin-turbo straight-six engine, which while possessed of a satisfying belly of torque, doesn’t follow that up with a zing of upper rev range punch. That car has ‘just’ 335bhp and right from the off, knowing the B58’s potential, it was only a matter of time before Morgan upped the ante. Now it has, with the Supersport 400, the most powerful and, says Morgan, the most driver-focused of its models to date. Sounds good to us…
Though it’s not just the engine that’s been fettled, that’s what we’ll discuss first. The B58 (01) engine now produces 402bhp, at the same 6500rpm threshold as the standard Supersport delivers its maximum figure. Torque is unchanged at 369lb ft at 1250rpm, delivered to the rear wheels via the same ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Performance figures are strong, with the 0-62mph sprint down from 3.8sec to 3.6sec and the top speed increased to 180mph from 166mph.
Morgan hasn’t specified whether hardware changes have been made to the engine to free up the extra power. Knowing the B58’s inherent strength and potential, it could be the work of a well-executed map. Morgan proudly works extremely closely with BMW in what is a very healthy powertrain partnership. What is new is the high-flow Active Performance Exhaust, designed to give it a ‘more pronounced and purposeful soundtrack’, addressing one of our main gripes with the Supersport as it sits.
In terms of its chassis, the Dynamic Handling Pack (usually optional) that includes 24-way adjustable Nitron dampers is now standard on the Supersport 400 and features revised valving and spring rates. Nonetheless, as we’ve discovered in the normal Supersport with that box ticked, how it behaves will vary enormously depending on how you have it set up. The car also features revised geometry to aid in improving body control and stability at high speeds and lateral loads. The limited-slip differential however remains an option, which costs £2425 on the standard car.
There are a few visual changes too, inside and out. On the outside, the new standard-fit 19-inch Sportlite alloy wheels are the first thing you see, which reduce unsprung mass – they still come fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Get up closer to the Supersport 400 and you’ll clock the revised front apron and wing vents over the front wheels, looking more purposeful and serving the function of evacuating high-pressure hot air from the front arches. All told, with the hardtop in contrast grey and the new five-spoke wheels, the old hardcore Morgan Plus 8 GTR springs to mind.
There’s a bit of change inside too – a big detail change for those familiar with Morgans over the last few years. Yes, the weird BMW shifter is gone. Its existence was justified by the exorbitant expense associated with engineering and homologating a custom item but the customers and critics have spoken, and Morgan has invested. The Supersport 400 now has a proper, bespoke aluminium shifter… as an optional extra. There’s also the option now of Alcantara trim in the cabin and plenty of 400 badging inside and out, plus a bespoke 400 stitch inside.
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Order books are open now and no, the 400 won’t be all we see from Morgan for the foreseeable. The Malvern marque promises a ‘broader product programme’ that we’ll see more of over the coming 18 months, with ‘a series of bespoke and limited-run collections’. That probably doesn’t mean a Supersport 500 is on the way, more that it’s leaning into the lucrative world of customisation and individualisation, that it already does so well.
