Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/02/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yup, Yup, Yup. Definitely a cult object. There seem to be quite a few similarities between Antique Electronic Supply, Morgan, and Leica. There's nothing--I mean nothing--like a Morgan. You love it or you don't. It's basically a throwback to 1930s car construction, right down to the wooden framing. Packards are gone, Rileys long lost their diamond-shaped windows, but you can still drive a handbuilt Morgan. One of my fondest memories is flying along (and at times we were airborne!) in a Plus 8 on a winding back road. Most fun I've ever had with my clothes on. Yeah, it takes forever to have one built, they're expensive, you get a huge backache after long drives, it has all the headaches of vintage British car maintenance, Toyotas makes more sense, yadda yadda yadda. Sound familiar? Antique Electronics Supply has an interesting mixture of new and new old stock equipment. You can buy old tubes there, new capacitors, restoration materials, etc. Sadly, US manufacturers stopped making tubes, but they're still produced in China (where RCA sold its tube-making equipment back in 1976) and Eastern Europe. Given enough demand, it makes sense to manufacture a run of 2A3s or 300Bs. And Leica? It all depends on scaleability. If Leica manufacturing can be scaled economically to match the increasingly minute demand, then why not? For those who want a new Summilux ASPH, what's a wait? If LHSA wants a run of a camera, then place the order and get the small run. Fully electronic Leicas seem as silly as IDrive in a Morgan. So I'm still shooting with my M3, listening to my '54 mono H.H. Scott 99 Amplifier with matching tuner and Jensen Imperial coaxial speaker, and (when the weather clears) taking a spin in the '57 Dodge. Super XX, anyone? Jim Shulman Bryn Mawr, PA -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of A. Lal Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 1:01 AM To: 'Leica Users Group' Subject: RE: [Leica] Morgans Ok chaps. At the risk of prolonging an off topic thread, I really must ask a naive question. What is so special about this marque and why does it appeal? Is it perhaps a cult object? Akhil (Utterly Mystified in New York) > > Joseph, > > Hot diggity! I'm not the only Plus 8 owner here! :-) > > Mine's a 1998 as well, but I only waited three years. The > allocation for > the Far East must have been the culprit. Do you have a 3.9 or 4.6? > At least waiting all that time, you got a car with stainless valances > and bulkhead, and all the Superform alloy wings. The long-door is > a much better car than a 1990. > > John (Collier), > > Morgan is doing quite well today after a couple of years fighting with > the debt service on the new Aero 8 assembly building. The "new" > traditional V-6 Roadster, replacement of the Plus 8, has filled the > order books and saved the day. The Aero 8 shop is now being > used for final assembly of both cars. > > ON topic, you could say that Morgan has survived precisely because > it does not chase trends, but concentrates on what it does best and > what others can't. In spite of the pundits here, Leica may do best by > following a similar path. > <http://gallery.leica-users.org/album25/LUG4?full=1> > > William > > At 12:34 PM 02/19/2005 +0800, you wrote: > >on 19/2/05 10:54 am, Mike Durling at durling@cox.net wrote: > > > > > Morgan hand makes cars and it takes two years to get one > after you order it > > > IIRC. > > > >If this is the case I have to say Morgan have come a long > way. I ordered my > >Plus Eight in 1990 and did not take delivery until 1998. > > > >Joseph > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 14-Feb-05 > > _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information