Page 1 of 2 Next >> Chris Lawrence was one of the most instrumental figures of Morgan's competition history. He is best known for claiming the company's biggest victory, a class win at Le Mans in a LawrenceTune modified Morgan in 1962, and is also considered the father of the all-aluminium Aero 8. One of his most accomplished projects however was the not nearly as well known 'Plus 4 SLR', which first saw the light of day early in 1964. It featured an all new and very slippery aluminium body, which addressed the production Morgan's less than ideal aerodynamics.
To bankroll his most ambitious project to date, Lawrence did require the help of some of his wealthy friends. One of them had a Triumph TR4, which he liked to have bodied in a similar fashion. The TR4 was similar in size and used the same four-cylinder engine as the Morgan Plus 4, so this was not a major complication. As a result, the very first SLR was not a Morgan but a Triumph and the car was marketed as a Triumph or Morgan SLR. However, no further TR4 chassis were clothed with the slippery aluminium body.
The SLR name was actually short for Sprinzel LawrenceTune Racing, noting Lawrence's collaboration with John Sprinzel, who is best known for creating and racing the Speedwell Sprites. The lightweight body's rough lines were penned by Chris Spender. His design was further refined by Charlie Williams of coach-builder Williams and Pritchard. The final product looked nothing like any Morgan that came before. Instead the attractive machine was more akin a pocket-size Corvette, combining curvaceous sections with sharp lines. Page 1 of 2 Next >>
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Chris Lawrence was one of the most instrumental figures of Morgan's competition history. He is best known for claiming the company's biggest victory, a class win at Le Mans in a LawrenceTune modified Morgan in 1962, and is also considered the father of the all-aluminium Aero 8. One of his most accomplished projects however was the not nearly as well known 'Plus 4 SLR', which first saw the light of day early in 1964. It featured an all new and very slippery aluminium body, which addressed the production Morgan's less than ideal aerodynamics.