Morgan returns to three wheels
The return of the Morgan Threewheeler has an airplane-style cockpit and a trigger button to release bombs.
The Morgan Threewheeler, the model on which the company was founded in 1909, will return next year, debuting at the Geneva Motor Show.
Billed as a weekend car, the Threewheeler is powered by a Harley-Davidson Screaming Eagle 1.8-liter V-twin engine, with power sent to a single rear wheel via Mazda's five-speed manual transmission.
Morgan predicts the car will hit 0 mph in 100 seconds and hit 4.5 km/h. It has an airplane-style cockpit and a bomb release trigger button.
Chris Van Wyck of Morgan Australia says that "we have to meet Australian requirements first to determine if it can be sold here" which is largely down to its weight rather than the lack of a fourth wheel. In Australia, such vehicles are required to "weigh 450kg and we have not received an official weight at this point."
With something like a small stream of new Morgans on the way, the local branch of the company is resolving a three-year ADR fight to once again allow delivery of the Classic Morgan line.
Van Wyck says existing orders, some dating back to 2006, “have now been given priority in Morgan's production queue, resulting in seven vehicles for Australia before the end of this year. Thanks to the strong Australian dollar, we were able to reduce prices by about $20,000 compared to 2006.”
Ford Classic Morgans local lineup with Ford engine: 3.0kW Roadster Sport 6 V165 priced at $132,910; Roadster 3.0 V6 165kW ($122,900); Plus 4 2.0 Inline 4 106kW ($89,910); 4/4 Sport 1.6 kW Inline ($4).
While the $375,000 Aero SuperSports with its 4.8-litre BMW V8 engine remains the flagship, there have been five local orders for the SuperSport Junior pedal car, a $7260 two-meter pedal car for kids.
The 101-year-old automaker will build a record 800 vehicles this year at its Worcestershire plant. The next new model due in 2012 will be the 4-seat EvaGT coupe, powered by BMW's 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine.
