H.F.S. Morgan built his first three-wheeler in 1909. The final Morgan three-wheeler with the now-iconic V-twin engine up front was made in 1946, and the last of the 20th century production three-wheelers to roll out of the Malvern factory was a four-cylinder F4 in 1953. However, Morgan aficionados tend not to refer to the cars by their engine types, but rather to the number of forward gears they possess, so the twins are two-speeders and the F2/F4 are three-speeders. Well, why buy a Morgan and then do things the same way as everybody else...?
However, that was not the end of the Morgan three-wheeler story, as the car in these pictures clearly shows. But while the Malvern company stunned the automotive world when it exhibited the brand new M3W (Morgan Three-Wheeler) at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, this story really starts with a guy called Pete Larsen in Seattle at the turn of the century. Larsen made a living from building retro sidecars for Harley-Davidsons and was keen to buy a Moto Guzzi-powered Triking. When his search proved fruitless, he decided to build a Harley powered trike for himself, called it the Liberty Ace and put it into limited production.
That is rather glossing over the years of hard work that went into developing the Ace, but we need to move the story swiftly on to 2009, when Larsen's project had caught the interest of various people at Morgan. They were no longer able to make Morgan cars drive through all the legislative hoops required to sell them in the USA, and that had got some of the management team thinking seriously about reentering the market the company had left back in 1953 – a three-wheeler would be classed as a motorcycle rather than a car, and so subject to different (and much less onerous) rules.
Bu hikaye Classics Monthly dergisinin February 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Classics Monthly dergisinin February 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
REINVENTING THE PAST
This may well be the newest car you ever see featured in Classics magazine, but we hope you'll agree that Morgan's 21st Century return to three-wheeled motoring is pretty close to being an instant classic.
AN MG RARITY
The MkIII and MkIV Magnettes have forever lived in the shadow of their illustrious forebear, the Z-Type Magnette. Sales were never strong and scrappage rates were high, but fans are now seeking out and cherishing the few that remain.
Out on the road again
I was in a great rush as usual when I checked out the Allard P1 late one evening, only to find that the lights wouldn’t come on main beam.
A CHEEKY CHAPPY
The Austin A30 and later A35 are tiny by today's standards, but back in the 1950s they were everyday transport for many a family. With all the charm of a puppy they had a tendency to worm their way into owners' affections, and Ray Lewis' lovely 1957 example is no exception to this rule.
Light Fantastic
We revisit Audi’s cleverly engineered lightweight loss-leader. Just don’t mention the A-Class.
Prized Companion
Originally the second prize in a national driving competition for lady drivers, this Escort XL is now a cherished family heirloom.
Exhausting Gentry
At the beginning of August I was in Denmark attending the 2017 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix and as usual this was a brilliant event.
Major Minor Screen Problems
The last few weeks have been taken up with fettling the Minor’s wipers, as the motor was running too hot, despite smoothing the bends in the outer and replacing the grease with EP90 oil.
10 Things You Need To Know About... Bmc 1100/1300 (1972-1974)
For a car that was Britain’s best seller for most of its 12-year production run, the BMC 1100 and 1300 are remarkably scarce with survivors being just a tiny fraction of the two million plus cars that were produced between 1962 and 1974. Built in both Cowley and Longbridge, demand for the 1100 was so great that even after Longbridge started building the Austin version in late 1963, the Cowley plant had double shifts working to build enough cars.
Project MGF
Last month saw us going right through the MGF’s cooling system and since then I’m happy to report that the garage floor seems to have remained bone dry.
