Morgan Factory Tour

48 liverymen, freemen and guests visited the Morgan Car Factory in Malvern on Friday.

Introducing the visit, Past Master David Dewing anticipated that furniture makers would find many similarities in the process of bespoke car making to bespoke furniture making. We were then handed over to knowledgeable guides who took us in small groups around the factory complex which is located on the original Morgan site of 1909.

From the museum housing some of the important cars tracing the evolution of the marque we visited the various original workshops where the assembly process takes place. Most parts are bought in from various suppliers and each car is assembled as a “kit” generally by one man at each stage.

So in the chassis shop engine, gearbox and package configurations are assembled into a lightweight high performance structure. In the wood shop skills much akin to furniture making are utilised in producing a light but strong frame from seasoned ash from which the exterior body panels and trim will eventually be hung. In the tin shop aluminium panels are skilfully crafted to produce the body ready for the paint shop. This area was out of bounds to us in order to preserve a dust free temperature controlled environment. In the trim shop another 30 man hours are devoted to trimming with the finest automotive leather. After a road test each vehicle is returned to a pre-delivery inspection area where each car undergoes rigorous inspection and polishing before delivery to the owner.

Finally back through the museum to a lunch where we were encouraged to place our orders – many of us purchased on that day – a £2.50 model was all we could aspire to!

This was an eye opening tour where we were pleased to see traditional transferable skills being taught and utilised alongside modern technology to produce a world class product.

Following this some of the group were able to enjoy a visit to nearby Stanbrook Abbey with afternoon tea kindly donated by liveryman Mike Clare