Morgan reborn in Britain

This is the Morgan 3-Wheeler, which is about to hit the road again after being thought to be extinct for over 60 years.

The original 3-Wheelers were built by Morgan from 1911 to 1939 and were out to avoid car tax as they were considered motorcycles and not cars. Recent interest in the 3-Wheeler, as well as the potential need to offset the CO2 emissions of Morgan's V8-powered models, prompted the car's reveal last year, and the company is now getting into production.

“The Morgan plant currently has over 300 orders and plans to build 200 this year,” says Morgan Australian agent Chris van Wyck.

The 3-Wheeler is even simpler than India's Tata Nano, using a Harley-Davidson-style V-twin engine mounted in the nose and mated to a five-speed Mazda gearbox that sends V-belt drive to the rear wheel. tiny double cabin in the back. Morgan describes driving a 3-Wheeler as an "adventure" and deliberately targets the car for people who want something very different.

“From a design standpoint, the focus was on getting the car as close to the aircraft as possible while maintaining comfortable extra space for the driver, passenger and rear trunk. But above all, the Morgan three-wheeler is designed for one purpose only – to be fun to drive.”

It advertises sports car cornering grip and meets safety requirements with a heavy-duty tubular chassis, double roll bars and seat belts, but no airbags, ESP or ABS brakes. The lack of protective gear makes the 3-Wheeler unsuitable for Australia, even though it looks suitably retro with a number of body treatments including a Battle of Britain-style livery including aircraft markings.

“Three-wheelers are homologated for use on planet Earth, but, alas, with the exception of Australia,” says Morgan agent Chris van Wyck. "It will take more work and expense if it is ever available for sale here."