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GURSS: Meet Patrick Morgan
Written by: Jade Gurss   
11/24/2008
Mooresville, North Carolina
 
At age 29, Patrick Morgan is the owner of Dawn Treader Performance in Sywell, Northamptonshire, England. (Photo by John Kevans/Courtesy of Dawn Trader Performance) ยป More Photos

What career would you choose if your first driving lessons at age 14 were in a 1904 DeDion, a rare vintage car purchased by your grandfather for five British pounds in 1960 and then completely rebuilt by your father when he was 16 years old? What if your father was founder of one of the most successful engine design and manufacturing companies in the history of racing?

Patrick Morgan is the son of Paul Morgan, an engineer who teamed with Mario Illien to create Ilmor Engineering, which has designed and produced engines that have powered Formula One titles, Indy Car championships, more than a dozen Indy 500 victories and now two world titles in the P1 Powerboat Championships. Paul Morgan was tragically killed at age 52 in one of his beloved vintage warplanes, a Sea Fury, in May 2001.

At age 29, Patrick Morgan is the owner of Dawn Treader Performance in Sywell, Northamptonshire, England. DTP lovingly and painstakingly restores some of the fastest and most beautiful racecars on the planet.

“I am very lucky,” explained Patrick Morgan. “You couldn't have asked for a better upbringing. When I
was in my late teens, I discovered racecars. I was more of a motorcycle fan growing up. Once it bit, I was hooked.”

Morgan spent one year at university, but decided going racing was a much better option. Shortly thereafter, he found himself in the United States at the Ilmor Technology Center outside of Detroit, and a part of the trackside support team for the Ilmor-Mercedes CART series in 1997.

Morgan stayed with his late father’s company until 2003, when restoring famous and magical racecars seemed to better fit his quiet demeanor. He went from restoring them for his own collection to rebuilding cars for customers who want to collect or race historical cars.

“I have two Penske Indy cars,” said Morgan of his collection. “One is a PC19 from 1990 (driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and Danny Sullivan) and a PC26 (driven by Paul Tracy) from 1997, which is the last winning chassis built by Penske Cars in Poole, England. I guess if I were to pick favorites, these would be the ones. I just think they are the best looking racecars: low and wide with plenty of power.”


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