Whoever asked Morgan to build a beach car, you win spring break

Every Morgan is made by hand, but for certain special customers, the boutique British firm will raise its command of retro-inspired coachbuilding to the next level. This Riviera-ready beach cruiser, known as the Spiaggina (“beach,” in English), might be the most unusual example yet.

From the nose to the windshield all is as one would expect of a British sports car that hasn’t changed in generations, but beyond this point, the roadster has been totally redesigned for a life of sun, sea, and sand.

There are no doors, for a start, and the rear bodywork has been cut back as low as possible. Shade is provided by an aluminum canopy, which swings upwards on both sides to allow up to four passengers easy access to the wonderful interior, finished in tan hide and white basketweave.

Morgan’s woodworking skills have been put to use beyond the car’s traditional bent-ash frame, with a dramatic teak arch supporting the canopy at the rear and more of the same material forming a yacht-style decking in the trunk area. The back seats fold completely flat, and there’s a hinged trunk opening to accommodate a couple of longboards.

Finishing touches include an almost nautical dashboard with a white leather–rimmed wheel, a polished, gated shifter for the automatic transmission, and an under-dash storage net.

The Spiaggina was created for a U.S. collector in 2022 and “built on a version of the well-established steel chassis that underpinned Morgan sports cars for more than 80 years.” It’s powered by a four-cylinder two-liter GDI engine mated to an auto ‘box for easy coastal cruising.

It’s a spectacular send-off for Morgan’s traditional, steel-ladder platform, soon to be replaced by bonded-aluminum construction, but the Spiaggina won’t be the end of the company’s skunkworks projects. We’ve already seen how Morgan’s first aluminum chassis was used in the limited-run Aero 8, Aero Max, and Plus 8, while the latest Superformed platform which underpins the Plus 4 and Plus 6 was deployed for the off-road ready CX-T. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

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