Creating ‘restomods’ is an automotive phenomenon that is fast becoming a craze.
This is a trend whereby modern mechanicals are installed – by specialist garages or savvy DIY mechanics – into an old classic, yielding a car that’s better to drive than the original ever was.
But what if you could buy a brand-new restomod, straight off the showroom floor, that is backed by a 30-month factory warranty? This is essentially what you get in a Morgan.
Founded in 1909, the ultra-niche British sportscar maker has clung to its original recipe more closely than arguably any other marque on the planet. It is almost as though time has stood still for the brand.
The Morgan Plus Six we are reviewing here looks little different to a 1955 Morgan Plus 4, and that is the allure of the retro-laced roadster in an era when virtually all new vehicle offerings appear to be electronics-laden, identikit clones of each other.
Although the Plus Six looks little changed from its seven-decade old ancestor, things are not quite as they seem, as the vehicle is underpinned by a modern aluminium architecture introduced in 2019. The drivetrain is virtually identical to a new BMW Z4. That said, the aluminium bodywork is still cloaked over an ash wood frame, in keeping with Morgan’s traditional construction formula.
Propulsion for the Plus Six is provided by BMW’s lovely B58 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engine mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic, which slingshots the 1,075kg (minus fluids) Morgan from zero to 100 kph in just 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 267 kph … should you have access to a racetrack.
Adding to adrenaline levels, the Plus Six makes do without traction control and stability control – features we nowadays take for granted – so it is all down to the driver to ensure the car does not end up wrapped around a tree or other object.
Virtually everything about driving the Plus Six is a throwback to a bygone era. The push-button door handle reminds me of the archaic Hindustan Ambassador in which I learnt how to drive, while the window opening mechanism (actually, there’s no mechanism) is plain laughable. Using a little knob integrated into it, the window pane slides horizontally. At least in theory. The pane was jammed slightly open in our test car, so there was no way to seal it shut or open it fully. That is old-school British quality control for you.
Once under way, the first thing you need to get used to is having such an expansive bonnet stretched out in front of the windscreen as the seats are perched virtually over the rear axle. Fortunately, the headlamp pods and raised wheel arches are visible from the driver’s seat, making it easy to accurately place the car on the road. On the minus side, the tiny door mirrors are useless, so lane-changes are largely an exercise in guesswork.
Tap into the grunt of the BMW-sourced turbo motor and you instantly discover that this is a genuinely fast car. It is also notable is that the B58 engine sounds far better in the Morgan than in any BMW offering. It rises from a deep bassy rumble to a cultured rasp as you work through the rev range.
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The Plus Six is ultralight and has a low centre of gravity, which is favourable for its dynamics as there is minimal inertia for the chassis and brakes to overcome. The Morgan feels taut and agile up to a point, but there is a slight disconnect between car and driver, and it is unsettled by mid-corner bumps, so you may not be inclined to push it to the ragged edge. As mentioned earlier, there is no electronic safety net to rescue you if you get it all wrong.
The charismatic Morgan is fun to drive on the right roads and it elicited more thumbs-ups and approving stares from other motorists and bystanders than any supercar I’ve driven over the years. On the flip side, it is noisy, harsh-riding and awkward to clamber in and out of, so only masochists will entertain the thought of using it as a daily driver. Build quality is also patchy, so parting with half a million dirhams for the Plus Six will make sense to only a select few.
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
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