1964 Morgan Plus 4 SLR

1964 Morgan Plus 4 SLR in Driving Dreams, Documentary, 2016

Class: Cars, Racecar — Model origin:

00:30:05 Background vehicle

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
s13a ◊ 2022-06-21 16:19	258 TOK ✓ Taxed Tax due: 1 March 2023 Vehicle make MORGAN SL12 Date of first registration July 1997 Year of manufacture 1961 Cylinder capacity 1991 cc Export marker No Vehicle status Taxed Vehicle colour GREEN Doesn't look like a typical Morgan. Is this a special version?
dsl ◊ 2022-06-22 00:13	Best version of complicated story I can assemble. It starts with TOK 258, a 1956 a +4 Supersports with normal body (green) which was bought by tuner/racer Chris Lawrence in 1956 and raced in mainly club events successfully for several years. With (I think) encouragement from Peter Morgan, it was entered in 1962 Le Mans with a white streamlined hardtop driven by Lawrence and Richard Shepherd-Barron to 13th place and a class win. In light of this success, Lawrence with John Sprinzel (famous for his race/rally exploits in MG Midgets and owner of a sporty London dealers) developed this streamlined SLR body at their London workshop for racing Morgans. 4 bodies were built, 3 going on Morgans, and the 4th fitted to a TR4. This was revealed at the 1964 Racing Car Show. The 3 Morgans all survive today - 491 HYO (red), SLR 500 (unpainted aluminium) and 258 TOK (green as seen here, and the second one built - the plate is a deliberate reversal of Lawrence's older racer). None of them raced at Le Mans, and there are fakes/replicas, but this seems the genuine article. The plate date may mean 258 TOK was built on an older car, although 123 TOK series never issued, so its original plate is unknown. All 3 were at the 2013 Monza event used in this film. Similar story here.

Author

Message

s13a

◊ 2022-06-21 16:19

258 TOK

✓ Taxed
Tax due: 1 March 2023

Vehicle make MORGAN SL12
Date of first registration July 1997
Year of manufacture 1961
Cylinder capacity 1991 cc
Export marker No
Vehicle status Taxed
Vehicle colour GREEN

Doesn't look like a typical Morgan. Is this a special version?

dsl

◊ 2022-06-22 00:13

Best version of complicated story I can assemble.

It starts with TOK 258, a 1956 a +4 Supersports with normal body (green) which was bought by tuner/racer Chris Lawrence in 1956 and raced in mainly club events successfully for several years. With (I think) encouragement from Peter Morgan, it was entered in 1962 Le Mans with a white streamlined hardtop driven by Lawrence and Richard Shepherd-Barron to 13th place and a class win.

In light of this success, Lawrence with John Sprinzel (famous for his race/rally exploits in MG Midgets and owner of a sporty London dealers) developed this streamlined SLR body at their London workshop for racing Morgans. 4 bodies were built, 3 going on Morgans, and the 4th fitted to a TR4. This was revealed at the 1964 Racing Car Show.

The 3 Morgans all survive today - 491 HYO (red), SLR 500 (unpainted aluminium) and 258 TOK (green as seen here, and the second one built - the plate is a deliberate reversal of Lawrence's older racer). None of them raced at Le Mans, and there are fakes/replicas, but this seems the genuine article.
The plate date may mean 258 TOK was built on an older car, although 123 TOK series never issued, so its original plate is unknown.

All 3 were at the 2013 Monza event used in this film.

Similar story here.

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1964 Morgan Plus 4 SLR