my pleasure. always happy to talk morgan.
suspension remains unchanged today, except for the aero 8.
oh - in the the rear, they did change from lever shocks to telescopics in 1991.
Rack and pinion steering bega as early as 10/83 (as an option, later became standard equipment)
Compared to an MGB or a Honda, yeah, the +8's all handle pretty much the same, which is to say, stiff. Suspension travel is about an inch, 2 at best. Some like to discuss camber in the front - there are camber plates that can be used to adjust this for racing - but with the sliding pillar suspension, camber changes (the wrong way) as the body rolls. with so little spring travel, it is a minor issue
for casual driving. Basically, there is a lot more suspension there than chassis. 8)
There is a ton of stuff available for suspension and engine mods. Some of it is cheap if you're a wrench, most of it is not.
The narrow-bodied cars turn-in a little quicker if you're into autocross driving. They are also lighter.
The biggest difference in comfort is the switch to the long-door design in 1997, but unfortunately this corresponded with the introduction of air bags.
I am 6'2, 280 lbs, and I fit into the early models OK. It's a little tough getting in and out, but once seated its pretty pleasant. Yes, the later models are a tad roomier, but I wouldn't make that my first priority for selecting a morgan.
I would add this, too. The +8 is generally a businessmans car, and the +4 and 4/4 models are generally the emchanics and engineers cars. I'm speaking within the Morgan culture, here. There are some very notable exceptions, of course.
The aluminum block 8 cylinders can be modified - but it is expensive. The fastest car I've driven -ever- was a +8 with about $80k of engine and computer work. The fastest car on the Morgan racing/autocross circuit is a guy by the name of John H. Shealey, III - in your neck of the woods, actually. (relative of yours?) It is a race-specific turbo 215, PROPANE fuelled.
The second-fastest Morgan on the circuit is a 1500cc 4/4 with about $10K of engine mods and some custom suspension tricks. There are some very close contenders with the TRiumph engine, and some who use lotus variants of the 1600 cross-flow. Obviously, a lot can be done with the kent engines. heck, Fiat twin-cams were stock for a while, and those are DIRT cheap. Don't tell anyone I suggested it though.
My point: if you want a +8, you want a +8. If you want the ultimate in Morgan power, cost be damned, you want a +8. But if you are the type who wants to get your hands dirty with less than infinite cash, you might consider a +4 or a 4/4.
By the way, if you do have infinite cash, my shop is at your disposal. <laugh>
My *personal* opinion is that the earlier +4's with the higher-profile body seem to have a bit more "british soul" than the low-body cars. Incidentally, I have seen a couple people who put the 215 in a +4.......
One other thing - when you talk about Morgans, originality doesn't count for much (within a certain limit). Mixing parts between morgans is always fair game without criticism from the club. Adding major parts from other british cars is generally accepted, but slightly frowned on. (i.e., an MGA engine in a 4/4) Inserting something like a chevy or ford v-8 would take Bill Fink's reputation to be accepted, although some others have done it. Smaller bits - bugeye bumperettes, MGA wind wings, weber carbs, carter fuel pumps - are all fair game as long as they are done well.
I don't know if that's too much information. Hope it helps.
Hi Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
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