The Morgan Supersport is finally coming to America, and it’s arriving with a consolation prize under the hood. While European buyers get BMW’s beloved 3.0-liter B58 inline-six with 335 horsepower, U.S. customers will settle for a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 255 hp. That’s not a typo, and it’s not the familiar B48 either — it’s the B46, BMW’s lesser-known emissions-compliant variant that has quietly powered American-market cars for a decade.
The gap between European and American spec is brutal. Eighty horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque left on the table, all because Morgan couldn’t justify the cost of homologating the European-tune B58 for what will be a tiny-volume car in the States. Small British manufacturers don’t have the margins to chase EPA paperwork for a few hundred sales.
The math gets worse when you look across the Atlantic. Morgan just launched a Supersport 400 in Europe packing 402 hp from that same inline-six. American buyers are staring at a 147-horsepower deficit compared to the top-spec car they can’t have.
Still, context matters. The Supersport weighs a targeted 2,520 pounds — roughly what a Mazda Miata RF tips the scales at, and actually 60 pounds lighter than the European version thanks to the smaller engine. That puts 255 hp in perspective. This isn’t a two-ton grand tourer gasping for breath; it’s a featherweight roadster with a power-to-weight ratio that should still feel lively.
The transmission situation won’t help Morgan’s case with purists. Every Supersport, regardless of market, comes exclusively with an eight-speed ZF automatic. No manual option. For a car wrapped in hand-formed aluminum panels that evokes the mid-century British sports car tradition, the absence of a third pedal feels like a betrayal of its own aesthetic.
Then there’s the price: $119,995 before tax and destination. That’s BMW M4 Convertible money, fully loaded. The Morgan appeals to a completely different buyer, obviously — someone who wants 1950s roadster charm built on a modern aluminum platform with a proven German drivetrain. But $120,000 for a four-cylinder automatic is a tough sell no matter how gorgeous the bodywork.
Morgan brought the car to market in the U.S. under the FAST Act’s Replica Vehicle legislation, which lets low-volume manufacturers sidestep the full crash-testing gauntlet that would otherwise make a car like this impossible to sell here. NHTSA has signed off.
Demand apparently isn’t a problem. Morgan says fewer than 50 build slots remain for the 2026 model year, and the car hasn’t even made its North American debut yet — that happens next month at Monterey Car Week. Production starts in August with deliveries following in September. California buyers, however, are locked out entirely. Morgan isn’t offering the car there, almost certainly due to the state’s additional emissions requirements.
The Supersport joins the Plus Four in Morgan’s U.S. lineup, which also runs the B46. Morgan has become one of BMW’s most interesting powertrain customers, quietly building an entire range around Bavarian engines while wrapping them in coachwork that looks nothing like anything from Munich.
Whether the American Supersport is a clever exercise in lightweight engineering or a compromised version of a better European car depends entirely on whether you can forget what’s available on the other side of the ocean. Morgan is betting its customers won’t dwell on the comparison. At $120,000 with fewer than 50 slots left, it appears they’re right.
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