Morgan Motor Company reveals its new all-electric prototype
The Morgan XP-1 is the British manufacturer’s latest attempt at electrifying its iconic hand-crafted lightweight sports machines

British car manufacturer Morgan has survived by serving a niche. Founded 114 years ago, Morgan’s aesthetic approach is glacial at best, remaining trapped in producing a midcentury evocation of the classic small sports car. However, this approach has served the company very well for decades, and its current Plus Four and Plus Six models hew closely to that original template. Long waiting lists and a rabid, loyal following attest to its success.
Sure, there have been design diversions, such as the streamlined Aero Coupé, but the Morgan maxim has remained remarkably steadfast in the face of rapid changes in car culture. The current Morgan Super 3 marked another notable diversion; although this epic three-wheeler has its conceptual origins in the Morgan V-Twin, the first of which was built way back in 1911, it’s a very modern looking machine, minimalist, purposeful and for the absolute purist.
This is the Morgan XP-1, a prototype research machine that takes the Super 3 and adds the most crucial contemporary ingredient: electrification. Even micro-sized manufacturers like Morgan need to get in line with the electrification process, and the XP-1 Project is the first indication of how that might look and go.
Morgan describes it as a ‘test bed for design, manufacturing, and engineering evaluation’, a way of ensuring the company’s core qualities and characteristics can be translated into the EV era. A two-year development programme lies ahead, with many crucial areas to cover, including weight – the Super 3 comes in at a feather-light 635kg, less than many EV batteries – and drivability.
‘We are in no doubt that we can ensure future electric Morgan sports cars retain the core appeal of our current range,’ says Matt Hole, Morgan’s chief technical officer, ‘… they [have to be] fun to drive, lightweight, handcrafted and bespoke.’ A unique combination of battery and motor has been developed for the prototype, giving the engineering team the ability to try out a wide range of driving modes and dynamic feel. Revised aerodynamics will further help efficiency, with a bespoke interior display that’ll allow different approaches to the user interface to be tested.
It's not the first EV from the Malvern-based company. In 2009, it built a solitary example of the Plus E, an electrified version of the evergreen Plus 4 developed in collaboration with Zytek Automotive. Six years later it showed the EV3 three-wheeler at the Geneva Motor Show. This was the XP-1’s true forerunner, and although production was slated for 2017 the project peaked too soon and was eventually cancelled.
We’re confident that Morgan can finally make this monumental shift, as long as it takes advantage of newer developments in battery tech that can keep weight down to manageable levels. As for how far you can travel, the open-air, low-slung and loud Super 3 isn’t exactly geared up to be a comfortable long-distance GT; perhaps a shorter range for the XP-1’s eventual successor will be a blessing rather than a curse.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Morgan XP-1, prototype only, Morgan Motor Company, Morgan-Motor.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Watches & Wonders 2025: preview Richemont’s latest innovations, on show at the Geneva watch fair
Discover eight enticing timepieces from the luxury group, showcased this week at the Geneva fair
By Simon Mills Published
-
Masters of midcentury modern design and their creations spotlighted in new book
‘Mid-Century Modern Designers’ is a new book from Phaidon celebrating those who shaped the period and their notable creations, from furniture to objects
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Drafting nine international artists, Gucci’s ‘90 x 90’ project transforms its silk scarf into a creative canvas
Part of Gucci’s ‘The Art of Silk’ initiative, the project sees nine artists riff on the Italian fashion house’s most memorable motifs, from lush depictions of flora and fauna to its signature horsebit
By Jack Moss Published
-
Meet the final drivable prototype of the Telo MT1 pickup truck, shaped by Fuseproject
The Telo MT1 is a modestly scaled EV that turns the traditional all-American approach to pick-up truck design on its head
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
EV start-up Halcyon transforms a classic 1970s Rolls-Royce into a smooth electric operator
This 1978 Rolls-Royce Corniche is the first fruit of a new electric restomod company, the Surrey-based Halcyon
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
China’s Leapmotor pounces on the European car market with its T03 city car and C10 SUV
Leapmotor’s tiny electric city car could be just the tonic for cramped urban Europe. We sample the T03 and its new sibling, the fully loaded C10 SUV, to see if the company’s value proposition stacks up
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Wallpaper* takes the wheel of the Bentley Blower Jnr for a rich automotive experience
Hedley Studios has shrunk the mighty Bentley Blower into this all-electric, road-legal barnstormer. We take it to the streets of London
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
We are the world: Pininfarina’s ‘Orbis’ taps Papal support for an eco-friendly agenda
The Orbis is a ‘symbolic object’, a gift to Pope Francis from the Italian design agency at a time of political upheaval and social fracture around all aspects of sustainability
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The exclusive Callum Skye EV reveals its interior style ahead of a 2025 launch
The Skye is a bespoke sporting EV with a lightweight ethos and an unconventional design. The forthcoming car now has a fully finished interior
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
La Vie en Rose: can the Jaguar Type 00 reset the narrative surrounding the brand’s reinvention?
This is the Jaguar Type 00, the first physical manifestation of the reborn brand’s new commitment to ‘Exuberant Modernism’. We take it for a semiotic spin
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Revived Scout Motors reveals two all-electric utility vehicle concepts
As Scout throws the covers off its debut Traveler SUV and Terra truck concepts, Wallpaper* speaks to its chief design officer Chris Benjamin about the reborn brand
By Jonathan Bell Published