The Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company was established in Britain in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan. The company built it’s early reputation with their three wheeled vehicles. Morgan began his career as a railway apprentice, but in 1906, and with the encouragement of his clergyman father, opened a garage in Malvern Link.
After three years Morgan designed a lightweight chassis for a three wheeled vehicle that would employ an air cooled vee-twin engine. A tiller was used for steering.
Morgan built this first car in 1909 with the help of engineering master, William Stephenson-Peach. This new small vehicle with two wheels in the front and one in the rear could be called a car or it could be called a motorcycle. In essence it was a hybrid. Because of it’s extremely light framework the vehicle took on it’s reputation for speed.
For well over 100 years the Morgan Motor Company has been building fascinating sports cars in the English spa town of Malvern. Morgan cars gained international fame for their unique blend of charisma, quality materials, craftsmanship and performance.
The Early Morgan Cycle Cars
The vehicle described above was called a “Cyclecar” which was a motorcycle engine and a two speed transmission put on a lightweight chassis. Morgan came out with this small vehicle many years before the craze hit it’s peak in the early 1920′s.
The first Morgan three wheelers allowed people with modest means to purchase a motorized vehicle. In a way it was a vehicle for the masses in Britain the same as what Henry Ford accomplished in the U.S. with the Model T. The Morgan Cyclecars were considered the best engineered and most successful of all Cyclecars of the era. By 1915, just six years after the first one was built, the Morgan Cyclecar won many auto competition awards including over twenty gold medals. An interesting side note is that after World War One Morgan was one of the first manufacturers to resume full production mainly due to the simplicity of the car’s design.
The New Morgan 3 Wheelers
In April 2012, the new Morgan 3 Wheeler was show cased at the New York International Auto Show by Manhattan Motorsports. Morgan had not been present at this large American car show for ten years. The car shown there was the first US specification Morgan 3 Wheeler in the USA. The Morgan 3 Wheeler was ultimately voted one of the “Hottest Cars Of The Show”. Nonetheless, some would ask the question…Is it a car, is it a motorcycle or is it a trike?
In May 2012, Manhattan Motorsports took delivery of Charles Morgan’s Superdry Edition Morgan 3 Wheeler and prepared it for its first major American test. This 3 wheeler was driven across the U.S., all the way from New York to Los Angeles by Charles Morgan and his wife. This unique promotional drive covered 3000 miles. Keep in mind that this type of road trip across America meant that the Morgans faced heat, sunburn, cold, wet weather, constant vibration, wind, and a fairly cramped space.
An interesting side note is that Morgan produced 3 Wheelers exclusively since their inception until 1952. The company’s first four wheel vehicle was the 1936 Morgan 4/4 Series I.
The Superdry Edition
What is the Morgan 3-wheeler Superdry Edition?
Clothing brand Superdry and heritage car manufacturer Morgan Motor Company have joined together to create 200 of these exclusive edition sports car which is a modern take on the traditional style.
The Superdry and Morgan project is one of a kind . These two iconic British brands joining forces brings together Morgan’s excellent engineering along with Superdry’s skilled design. The end result was the Morgan three-wheeler – Superdry Edition! The Morgan fits perfectly with the “Race Retro” aspect of many Superdry designs.
Visit the Morgan Museum and Factory
A visitor center and museum feature exhibits about the company’s history from Edwardian times until the present day, developments in automobile technology, and a display of automobiles. There are also guided tours of the factory. During your factory guided tour see skilled craftsmen at work as they hand make the Morgan automobiles. Morgan boasts that traditional car manufacturing combined with exciting cutting edge technology creates a tour like no other!
You may also enjoy the AutoMuseumOnline articles on the links below…
The 1931 Morgan Aero Super Sports
A Real Classic / The 1967 Austin Mini Countryman
2013 Morgan 3 Wheeler Specifications
The Morgan Company have reinintroduced the 3 wheeler model shown in this article. It is powered by a 2 litre S&S Vee twin engine. It’s a two cylinder vehicle and the engine delivers 80 HP. The car’s torque peaks at 3,250 RPM.
Ventilated disc brakes to the front, independent front wishbone suspension.
The tires are 19 inch and 3.5 inches wide. Exhaust pipes run along the sides of the car. If the engines been running and you’re stepping in or out of the car one needs to make certain not to get burned on the hot exhaust pipe.
The Morgan 3 Wheeler is built with safety in mind with reinforced tubular chassis and twin roll bars for the driver and passenger.
The modern version of the Morgan 3 Wheeler has been offered for sale at asking prices of $40,000 plus.
(Article and photos copyright 2014 AutoMuseumOnline)