1931 Morgan Supercar Project
Background Information
When our small Charity (Banana Enterprise Network) started the journey to save historic Grade 2 listed “Rock Hall” in Farnworth in January 2020, little did we know what we would discover along the way. Rock Hall was built in 1807 and is the last remaining link to Farnworth’s industrial paper-making past. It was owned by a pioneering papermaker called Thomas Bonsor Crompton whose paper mill was situated just a few metres from Rock Hall.
He also owned a 12 bedroomed mansion called Vale House (which had a separate office and stables too), which was metres away from Rock Hall and the paper mill. Vale House and the paper mill were demolished sometime before 1980.
In 2020 we were given a copy of a photograph showing two men with a car, parked outside Vale House. We believe that the vehicle was kept in the stable area of Vale House and that one of the two men was the owner of the former paper mill (which became a bleachworks in 1894). We are still trying to identify the men in the photo. However, thanks to Morgan Motor Company and a member of the Morgan 3 wheeler club, we identified the car as being a 1931 Morgan Super Sports, fitted with a J.A.P, LTOWZ overhead-valve, water-cooled, V-twin engine which apparently, was the most powerful engine available on a production Morgan at that time. The registration series ‘VU’ was issued in Manchester between July 1930 and March 1932.
Our search for the Morgan car began and after extensive enquiries and the help from various people/organisations, we eventually found one of the owners who owned it sometime in the 1960’s. We traced his family but sadly they couldn’t give us any details of what had happened to the car after their father had sold it many years ago. We were advised that the Morgan car we were looking for, had probably been scrapped because there has been no evidence whatsoever of its existence since the 1960’s (which is apparently unusual as they do pop up every now and then at classic car shows or are mentioned in magazines or on social media, or are owned by Morgan club members etc.).
Time went by and then a few weeks ago, an amazing thing happened. We were contacted by someone who made us aware of a Morgan car which is in need of renovation (believed to have all original parts). It has a similar registration number beginning with VU. It isn’t the Morgan we were looking for, but it’s the same model, top of the range Morgan from the same year (1931). The current owner has had it since the 1960’s and has offered it to our Charity after we expressed an interest in buying it. Now the race is on, to raise the funds needed to purchase it, collect it and store it safely until we can raise further funds to complete the restoration work.
We have just 12 weeks to raise £12,000 to buy the car, collect it and store it, otherwise it will be sold to a private collector and may not even stay in the UK.
The Restoration Project Idea
Our idea is to purchase the rare Morgan car and then work with carefully chosen partners, including specialist Morgan 3 Wheeler enthusiasts and local people from Farnworth, to restore this amazing car back to its former glory.
The project will help to build the skills of local people involved in its restoration and would be an asset for the Farnworth community as well as our Charity. We intend to use the restored Morgan to give local people living in Farnworth (listed in the top 10% most deprived areas of the UK) the opportunity of experiencing a ride in this historic car. It could be taken to classic car shows and could even be used commercially for film work, or as a wedding car or a ride could be booked for birthday/anniversary treats, to help generate income to pay for ongoing maintenance costs.
The Cost
The Morgan car has been independently valued at £11,000 in its current state. We believe that it has most of the original parts. The restoration cost would be no more than £15,000 (according to a Morgan specialist) if it can be completed as a skills building project (by a college, local group or University maybe?) which would be overseen by Morgan experts. The total cost of the project would be no more than £26,000. As, the car is so rare, we have been informed that it would be worth around £38,000-£40,000 once restored, so it is a very good opportunity.
We are hoping to raise funds for the restoration cost from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) as it could be included in the bid we are re-submitting in 2023 but there is no guarantee of success. We are also looking at applying for funds from the NLHF to purchase the car (if we cannot raise the money beforehand) in an interim funding application that we are hopefully submitting in early January 2023.
What we are looking for?
We are seeking partners to work with us on the project along with corporate and individual sponsors who can help us to buy the car, collect it and store it safely until further funds can be raised to begin the restoration.
Sponsorship benefits will vary depending on the amount of financial investment offered and will be discussed with each sponsor. This is a unique opportunity for companies to promote their Corporate Social Responsibility and a great opportunity for local partners to work with us on the project. We would like to make a documentary about the restoration, so that could also be a great skills building experience for local people.
Contact
If you would like to partner with us on this unique project, or you would like to help us to buy the Morgan car, please email Jayne@bananaenterprise.co.uk. Thank you for your support!
