Morgan confirms Super Sports three-wheeler

Morgan Super Sports three-wheeler

Exactly one month ago I blogged the wonderful news that the British car company Morgan planned to reintroduce its classic 3-wheeler design for the 21st Century. Now further details have emerged of the new 2011 Super Sports and I'm delighted to see that they have kept it true to the original. Of course a few compromises have had to be made for modern driving, such as the provision of roll-over hoops but by and large it looks just like the Morgans of the '20s and early '30s and is all the better for it. Even the engine, although an American Harley-Davidson design, can claim to have links to the original motorcycle engines from the likes of JAP, Matchless and Anzani that were used in the original Super Sports (below) and which were also V-twins.

The combination of a modern, compact fuel efficient engine with decent power levels combined with a car that weighs a mere 500 kilograms should make for thrilling yet economical driving. Morgan are to be applauded for sticking with this simple approach to motoring, one that boldly flies in the face of modern car design where everything is bulkier and busier and which instead harks back to earlier, leaner times that other car makers are only just beginning to cotton on to.

I like the "get-in-and-drive simplicity and reliability" mentioned in the article and Morgan's sensible idea to keep things basic. I'm also pleased to see that the price is likely to be a more reasonable £25,000 and not the frankly ridiculous £46,000 that was bandied about to begin with. It may be a tiny niche but this may well be the best way to experience motoring as it was 80-odd years ago without all the attendant worries and shortcomings of a classic car. Time to start saving up those pennies!

Classic car firm Morgan building new three-wheeler after gap of 60 years

Classic car firm Morgan building new three-wheeler after gap of 60 years

Morgan is by far and away my favourite motor manufacturer so it was with great interest that I read of their intention to start building again a modern version of the car that started it all 100 years ago.

The reasons I like Morgans so much are innumerable, but of course the classic styling plays a large part(!). Some of their models, such as the Roadster, have remained visually unchanged since the 1930s (in fact, the 4-4 is still on sale new today, having first been introduced in 1936!). However Morgan is also a forward-looking company, ready to take on the big sports car manufacturers with vintage-inspired offerings like the Aeromax, Supersports and the new EvaGT - not to mention looking to the future with the LIFECar project. This translation of Art Deco styling onto a modern performance car appeals to me very much, and shows what can be done with that art movement's design ethos even today.

The re-introduction of the 3-wheeler should appeal to both new and old Morgan fans alike as it could be both a lightweight runabout or a fun track day and hillclimb sportster. This is another admirable trait of Morgan (still a family-owned business) - the ability to look to its past to add to and improve its existing range of vehicles. The future of the sports car is undoubtedly low weight and smaller engines and the 3-wheeler epitomises that belief. It will be another welcome model harking back to a Golden Age of motoring and as the design incorporates the single wheel at the rear there are no stability associated with that other famous 3-wheeler, the Reliant.


Morgan, from being very much a quaint Olde English niche manufacturer ridiculed for using wood in the construction of its cars (and it still does - why not? Treated and reinforced properly it can be surprisingly strong.), which used to have delivery times of 4 years or more, is now a much more modern concern. It still hasn't lost sight of what has made it survive for the last one hundred years and I feel sure that it will carry on the same principles for another hundred at least.