A review of the Morgan Three Wheeler sports car, covering the development, important features and technical data of this the first model in the Morgan range.
In this article, I offer a nostalgic look at the Morgan Three Wheeler, one of an elite group of classic cars, which was manufactured during the period from 1911 to 1953.
1911 to 1930
Morgan Motor Company founder Henry Morgan introduced the single-seat Morgan Runabout, which was essentially a lightweight chassis and body with a powerful motorcycle engine added.
This three-wheeler, introduced in 1910, was later classified as a Cyclecar.
Although he initially presented a single and two-seater version of his Runabout at the 1911 London Motor Show, he had no doubt, after the show, that the two-seater model would receive greater demand.
Interestingly, it incorporated a two-speed gearbox without reverse gear.
The most common type of engine used was a JAP, V-twin, although others could be installed.
The Morgan three-wheeler quickly went on to participate in various forms of motorsports, notably at the Brooklands race track.
By 1914, Morgans had set several world records for different classes of Cyclecars, including victories on the race track.
An important milestone was when a Morgan three-wheeler won the International Cycling Grand Prix in France.
Based on this winning car, a new model, called the Grand Prix, was introduced to the Morgan range, and built during the period from 1913 to 1926.
World War I flying ace Albert Ball bought a Grand Prix with a modified bodywork, and this led to the addition, in 1920, of a new three-wheeled sports car, called the Aero.
Later, a Runabout version with four seats was introduced, which was later fitted with brakes on the front wheels.
In the late 1920s, after many successes on the race track, the Super Aero was launched, featuring aerodynamic body panels.
This model turned out to be a hit, both on and off the track.
In 1930, the racing driver, Mrs. Stewart, traveled over 100 mph in a Morgan sports car, on a race track near Paris, duly breaking the one-hour world record.
1931 to 1953
In 1931, the previous two-speed transmission was replaced by a gearbox that contained three forward gears and one reverse.
With the engines now supplied by Matchless, a new high-performance version of the Super Aero was introduced, called the Super Sports.
Both the Aero and Sports models used air-cooled or liquid-cooled engines, which were adaptations of the Matchless motorcycle engine.
These engines were placed in front of the front wheels, on a tubular steel chassis.
In 1933, a new model was presented at the London Motorcycle Show, and it was designated the F-Type.
The F-4 had a four-seat body on a new steel chassis and was powered by a Ford side valve engine, as used in the Ford Model Y saloon.
In 1935, the F-2, a two-seater model, was added to complement the F-4.
In addition, in 1937, a sportier version was introduced, called the F Super sports car, with wings and a bonnet with louvers.
These Ford-powered three-wheelers remained in production until 1952 and turned out to be one of Morgan’s most successful ranges of three-wheelers.
In 1936, the first four-wheeler Morgan, named 4-4 Series 1, was released in reference to the fact that it had four wheels and a four-cylinder engine, and ushered in the end of the three-wheeler.
However, the F-Type was still in production, primarily as the four-seater F-4 and the two-seater F Super sports car.
In 1946, the last batch of twelve twin V three-wheelers was produced and exported to Australia.
On the other hand, the F-Type continued to be manufactured on the same production lines as the 4-4, giving priority to exports.
Unfortunately, export sales began to decline slowly in the face of demand for four-wheel models.
Consequently, in 1950, it was decided to phase out production of the Morgan three-wheelers, with the last unit being built in 1953.
In the UK, tricycles were classified for tax purposes as motorcycles and as such were exempt from road tax.
Although it was an attractive proposition, it was not enough for the Cyclecars to stand up to the competition of cheaper and more comfortable small cars, such as the Austin 7.
As fate would have it, the three-wheeler Morgan took a complete turn and, in 2011, it was reborn, sporting a modern V-twin engine, along with other technological advancements.
This marked the end of the Morgan Three Wheeler
Perhaps this walk down memory lane could have answered, or at least shed light on, a possible question:
What Morgan sports car is it? You Favorite?
However, if this question is still unanswered, I will review, in some detail, in future articles within this website, the entire range of Morgan sports cars that were featured in the memorable era spanning from 1911 to 1996.
I hope you will join me on my nostalgic travels “down sports car memory lane.”