My Hero? It’s Grandad’s Old Moggie!

A childhood hero may be a film or music star, a sportspersonality or even a family member. For whatever reason, when we’re young there’s always someone or something that stands out as being so untouchably cool, and admirable.

Forever a car enthusiast, my childhood hero was always somewhat out of the ordinary. My first-ever memory, as far as I can recall, was exploring my grandad’s garage aged two or three. What’s so important about this? Well, for me, it was the first time I distinguished cars as
something more than just an everyday tool.

For in this garage were a few motorcycles of which I have no real memory, an Austin 7 Cambridge Special and a 1956 Morgan Plus 4. Eventually, I would learn to drive in the very same Austin 7. However, the Morgan in its Bugatti Blue paintwork with Lotus Yellow wheels caught my eye more than anything had done before.

Somewhere, there are photos of this occasion, maybe lost with the memories of those motorcycles. Despite not even having started school I was utterly captivated by this bizarre and wonderful machine.

Naturally, being in the family, I got to visit the car throughout my childhood. If I was lucky, my grandad and I would take it out for a spin and perhaps attend a local car show. Whatever the occasion, it was very special to me. A real sign of getting older was not being afraid of the car when it would backfire on numerous starting attempts.

But why did the car continue to be so captivating? In 2009, it was taken to be breathed on by the late Chris Lawrence – the very same man who took Morgan to success at Le Mans in 1962. Our previously sedate Morgan Plus 4 was converted to full Lawrence Tune specification with specs matching those of the Le Mans-winning TOK 258 Plus Four Supersport.

To test the new twin Webber carburettors, four-branch exhaust manifold, racing camshaft and numerous other modifications, we took the car to the very first Bring Your Own Vehicle Day hosted by The Guild of Motoring Writers. We covered hundreds of miles across scenic country roads, blasting down stretches of motorways and stopping for the occasional roadside repair. Although a passenger, I enjoyed that car more than ever that day. At the age of seven, I could never dream of driving something that I looked up to so much.

Fast-forward almost 15 years, and I am now fortunate enough to find myself able to get behind the wheel of the very same car – the car that I had spent hours in the passenger seat of, hours cleaning and polishing and still more hours just looking at it.

They always say “never meet your heroes” and most people agree with this. But I had already met mine and was well acquainted with it. However, the driving experience was extremely different to anything I had experienced before.

Firstly, the huge steering wheel sits so close to your chest that you must drive with your elbowsat 90 degrees, just to turn it. Secondly, I’m a slim six-footer and there’s a remarkable lack of space for me in the cabin. Thankfully we don’t have the roof up very often so getting in and out is much easier, but still bordering on the undignified.

We can’t forget that the Morgan dates back to 1956 and effectively has a race car set-up. As a result, every gear change must be calculated with the utmost precision. Don’t feel like double de-clutching? Tough! If you don’t put the effort in, the car lets you know!

With a fire-breathing set of Webers, you can’t drive how you’d expect. She only responds to but delicate throttle movements. Should you wish to slow down, you must inform the drum brakes a few weeks in advance. With all that said, when you get it right, the car is an absolute dream to drive. It encourages and exudes a bygone era of motoring that I am so fortunate to have now sampled.

If you’re sympathetic enough, you get the most rewarding results. Each gear change is satisfactory, especially on the way down. The torque from the tuned engine is so incredibly tall and with enough top-end power to get you in trouble if you’re not careful!

I’ve driven more than 50 different cars, and this is one of the only ones that I feel I can truly connect with. My grandad’s now in his mid-80s and I can return the favour and take him to car shows – we’ve just swapped seating positions, but we’re still in the same car.

Originally published in the Summer 2023 Newsletter.