The Morgan Motor Co has demonstrated the capability of the all-new Plus Four in its inaugural competitive event, the 2021 Race of Remembrance held last month. Both the manual and automatic variants of the car, which have been kept as close to the road-going model as possible, were entered, completing the demanding 12hr endurance race successfully.

Run by Mission Motorsport, Morgan’s nominated charity partner, the event — held at the Anglesey Circuit in Wales — is the culmination of the charity’s sporting year and raises awareness for the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations. A remembrance service as much as a race, it pauses on Remembrance Sunday for everyone involved to commemorate the fallen.

The manual Plus Four was driven by ‘accomplished Morgan racing drivers’ Shane Kelly, Tom Richards, and Tony Hirst, along with Car Magazine journalist James Taylor. In the automatic variant, Mission Motorsport beneficiaries Lionel O’Connor, Linda Noble and Steve Binns joined Superbike editor John Hogan. Mr O’Connor, a single-leg amputee, proved the competency of the automatic transmission, setting lap times on par with the experienced drivers in the manual car.

Meanwhile, Mr Binns made use of the bespoke hand controls — the first time such a system has been fitted to a Morgan.

The cars were run by Mission Motorsport beneficiaries, the Morgan Motor Co, and students at the University of Wolverhampton (UoW), working in collaboration and continuing a five-year relationship between Morgan and UoW, with direct recruitment opportunities for graduates. This relationship forms a crucial part of Morgan’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) programme, supporting education and training.

Steve Morris, Morgan’s chairman and CEO, said: “The all-new Plus Four represents a huge leap forward for Morgan. For it to finish its first-ever race so successfully was brilliant to witness, even more so when we consider how closely related this race car is to the road-going vehicle.

“It is fantastic to support the work of Mission Motorsport and the amazing event that is Race of Remembrance, but also for Morgan as a company to pay its respects to those who have served in the armed forces.”

The University of Wolverhampton’s Shane Kelly said: “The race marks the culmination of months of work for students on the Motorsport Engineering course, converting a production Morgan Plus Four into a race-ready vehicle. It is testament to both the underlying capability of the car and the students’ hard work that we achieved such a positive.”