2025 Morgan Supersport | PH Review

New look, new underpinnings, new mission - is the Supersport truly a new dawn for Morgan?

By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 15 April 2025 / Loading comments

These seem like good times at Morgan. The Midsummer collaboration with Pininfarina feels like something that wouldn’t have happened just a few years ago. The Super 3 has brilliantly updated the three-wheeled formula, and the Plus Four continues to be raved about. Morgan has a line-up of cool, desirable, capable sports cars, albeit ones that could only have come out of Pickersleigh Road. Without losing sight of the core appeal or authenticity, Morgan has surely broadened its appeal considerably - a neat trick.

Now it aims to move the dial further with the Superport. Because this Morgan, on the new CXV architecture and with a hardtop, aims to be the everyday sports car of the range. No more sunny Sunday plaything; this aims to be a genuine Lotus Emira rival, for anything and everything that a six-cylinder, two-seat, rear-drive car at £100k or so is required to do. And given how successful Morgan has been in recent times conquering new territory, who’s to doubt them?

More so perhaps than most PH reviews, we must talk about the design first. It’s hard to think of anything that looks so different with the roof up as with it down as a Supersport. Or on and off, rather. Topless it’s all Hollywood hot rod, long bonnet and short tail with muscle oozing from every pore; cap on there’s the feel of a classic speed record racer, shaped for the wind to pass as cleanly as possible - while looking like nothing else in the process. To these eyes, the Supersport looks superb, and it’s definitely more convincing in person, though admittedly it’s easy to imagine a few less keen on the expanse of rear glass and new lights. Makes for great visibility, at least. And in standing out but (just) stopping short of showing off, the Supersport arguably offers a key advantage over more obvious sports cars.

The interior is certainly improved over a Plus Six, with some richer materials and funky new dials, though it feels recognisably Morgan in many regards. With the roof on it’s a bit of a clamber to get in (an Emira would be much simpler, for example), and the pedal box is cramped. While we won’t grumble about the gearlever (because BMW insists upon it featuring), neither the wheel nor the paddles feel special enough for a car that’s £125k as tested. As many will enjoy not having a central screen, surely, as there will be those who miss it; the volume dial which can double up to skip tracks works well enough, the Bluetooth is swift to pair, and the optional Sennheiser stereo is pleasingly powerful.

So you begin a journey part way convinced that a Supersport could function as a left-field 365-day sports car. There’s a boot, after all, and the newly positioned screenwash jets really do work. It’s an extremely easygoing car at low speed as well, eight-speed auto slurring and ride deft in that fine way lightweight cars with pricey dampers often are. We can’t speak for standard spec right now, but the way a Supersport glides on the Nitron dampers and forged wheels is extremely persuasive.

That said, there’s simply too much wind noise to make the Supersport viable as a long-distance tool. Morgan folk tend to be a hardy bunch, and against something like a Super 3 or an old Plus variant it’s borderline cossetting. But the bluster is inescapable, and a little bit irritating. The complaint feels a touch mean-spirited - refinement must be limited by the fact the tops of the doors can be entirely removed, letting the air rush in even with the roof on - but the fact is a Supersport is prevented from cruising really well. Whether or not that matters will depend on the buyer’s perspective, of course. Some may see it as a fair trade for a cool design feature. Just don’t expect a true hardtop experience, even with the lid on.

Elsewhere, especially on a really good road, the Supersport immediately demonstrates its advantages over a Plus Six. This is a keener, tauter, much more confidence-inspiring sports car than that was, with sharper steering, better body control, and more grip - plus a friendlier feel once beyond the limit. Alongside that evocative view out of the windscreen, usefully compact dimensions and more than ample performance, the new Morgan is a bit of a dream in the right scenario. Granted, that right scenario is a deserted mountain road near Barcelona that could double as a tarmac rally stage - it would have been joyous just to cycle it - though this is undoubtedly a better driver’s car than what came before. You feel better connected to what the Supersport is doing, through the steering and the seat, so there’s confidence despite increased capability. The Plus Six never quite encouraged the same exploration.

There are one or two gripes, though. The brake pedal of our test car was very hard to modulate, long, and a tad wooden in its travel, which was a shame given outright power is substantial. The newly introduced ESC Sport doesn’t really permit very much freedom; not the end of the world when it’s dry, everything off works fine, and the Supersport feels fundamentally friendly, though maybe nice for grottier weather. Arguably, too, a limited-slip diff should be standard fit; the new Michelin Pilot Sport S 5s feel great, until one of them spins up out of a bend. It’s a clumsiness at odds with the precise overall driving experience.

There shouldn’t be any surprises to be found under the bonnet, as the 340hp BMW B58 3.0-litre straight-six turbo is as found in the Plus Six. There are definitely still pleasing characteristics: mid-range muscle is generous, it revs enthusiastically enough, and acceleration has that relentless quality that comes with low mass and plentiful power. But even with an optional sports exhaust, the soundscape was a lot more ‘turbo’ than ‘straight-six’; not unappealing, chuffing and whistling with every throttle application, though not exactly emotive. Or as exciting as a Plus Six. Odd. Maybe it’s improved with the roof off.

It’s no surprise at all to discover the Supersport is crying out for a manual gearbox. The auto is broadly fine, though sometimes a tad dim, overzealous in Sport+, and too sleepy left in Comfort on a good road. Neither the paddles which click like a mouse nor the lever encourage the driver to take control, either. Given BMW now has a manual that pairs with this engine in a rear-drive roadster, it’s surely only a matter of time before there’s a Supersport Speedster, complete with a six-speed, LSD, and Moto-Lita wheel to take advantage of its improved chassis and more driver-focused feel.

It’s a tricky car to sum up, then, the Supersport. Because on the one hand, it doesn’t really move the Plus Six very much closer to being a day-in, day-out sports car. A drive-thru would be a nightmare, and having to manually remove a roof given our fleeting fits of sunshine would be frustrating. And it isn’t insulated enough as a hardtop to rival the best coupes. On the other hand, this is a usefully improved version of the old car, an impression that would surely only be strengthened with a back-to-back drive, which (let's not forget) kicked off a brilliant new era for flagship Morgans in some style. This one moves that on further, with a distinctive new look on top. So taken as a Plus Six Supersport, this is a great Morgan. But it doesn't quite manage to be the whole new thing it was pitched as.

SPECIFICATION | 2025 MORGAN SUPERSPORT

Engine: 2,998cc straight-six, turbocharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 340@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@1,250rpm
0-62mph: 3.9sec (claimed)
Top speed: 166mph
Weight: 1,170kg
MPG: 36.8
CO2: 175g/km
Price: £102,000 (price as standard; price as tested £126,211, comprising Copper Metallic for £1,956, Body-coloured hardtop for £4,194, 19-inch Aerolite wheels for £4,800, Chocolate pebble two-tone leather for £480, Box weave oatmeal carpet for £600, Heated seat for £420, Morgan logo headrest embroidery for £336, Walnut and Aluminium veneer for £1,495, Sennheiser Premium Audio for £3,600, Connectivity Pack for £330, Active Sports Exhaust for £3,000, Dynamic Handling Pack (Nitron dampers and anti-roll bar) for £3,000