A Morgan Plus Six Model body takes shape. Pic credit Morgan Motor Cars.
By David Marks of MEWA in Darling, Western Cape
In the May 2024 issue of WoodBiz Africa, I wrote an article about the extraordinary engineering of the De Havilland Mosquito. This World War II British fighter-bomber proved that timber, when laminated into thin, curved shells, can become an exceptionally stiff structural material.
The Mosquito’s fuselage behaved less like a wooden frame and more like a smooth and stiff structural skin, distributing loads across its entire surface. Since authoring the article, I have done deeper research into the application of timber engineering and geometry in unlikely places and encountered the small British sports car manufacturer, Morgan Motor Company.
A timber car frame made by coach builders sounds like something between horse-drawn carriages and steam engines, very charming perhaps, but mechanically obsolete!
Morgan Motor Company
And yet, in a quiet factory in the English town of Malvern, the Morgan Motor Company has been building sought-after sports cars using a structural frame made from ash timber for more than a century.
Think about it. The modern automotive industry is obsessed with aluminium alloys, carbon fibre and electronics, and timber is used in high-end models as a decorative veneer or dashboard trim!
Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/april-2026-issue-58/21/