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MEET THE MORGAN 3 WHEELER
For car enthusiasts, there’s nothing like a good ride. More than high-tech gadgets, fuel economy, and internet connectivity, the ability to hammer the gas around a series of tight turns is arguably the hallmark of an excellent driving day. For many, however, the act of getting behind the wheel has become nothing more than a necessity or chore in our modern lives. With the joy and freedom of a really good drive often lost to the sounds of blaring horns and shouted swear words, there is something calming about a vehicle design that begs only for the open road. Safety components, navigational features, and other amenities are obviously important elements in current makes of cars, but it’s refreshing to see the return of some of the wilder automotive designs of yesteryear. Designs that were meant to take the curve of a banking turn like an attack aircraft rather than a track car. For dedicated petrolheads and thrill-seekers, the recent run of the resurgent Morgan 3 Wheeler may be just the thing to fulfill these wilder automotive dreams.
According to notable British WWI fighter pilot Albert Ball, a drive in a Morgan 3 Wheeler was “the nearest thing to flying without leaving the ground.” Ball, who famously met his end during a dogfight with the German ace known as the Red Baron, was one of the 3 Wheeler’s earliest patrons, even having purchased a Grand Prix three-wheeler shortly before his death in 1917.
Morgan designs at that time featured very similar handling and power-to-weight ratios as those of Ball’s wartime aircraft, as well as padded leather interiors. With much of early motorcar history often more closely connected with its horse-drawn past than its aerial counterpart, the Morgan 3 Wheeler allowed for some of the derring-do and excitement of air travel to find its way to the ground.
The 3 Wheeler was produced by the Morgan Motor Company until 1952. A recent 10-year run from 2011 to 2021 revitalized the design and quickly became a favorite of the custom-build crowd in the years since its reintroduction. Modern iterations are, like their forebears, lightweight two-seat roadsters comprised of three wheels (two in front, one in back). They feature an open canopy with no doors that is centered on an aerodynamic, wooden bullet chassis.
More than 10 feet long, with a 92-inch front wheelbase, the custom Morgan 3 Wheeler strikes a daring silhouette on any roadway. It reaches a speed of 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds, a fact that is sure to stifle any performance doubts stemming from its unorthodox design. The 3 Wheeler’s impressive acceleration is due mainly to its utilization of a V-twin, S&S motorcycle engine, cleverly mounted at a 180-degree turn—a feature that helps significantly with cooling at higher RPMs.
Morgan 3 Wheelers offer a truly one-of-a-kind driving experience, allowing capable drivers a thrill perhaps as close to the early days of air travel as can be found on the ground. While the current line of Morgan 3 Wheelers ended production this summer, there are plans to release a next generation successor sometime in 2022, and the company is sure to keep the design going in future years.
While other brands and designs have come and gone in the century since, the Morgan Motor Company is still hard at work providing car enthusiasts with the same unique and exciting driving experience that caused a stir on the motorways of the early 1900s.
See the Morgan 3 Wheeler in person at …
Eastern Shore Luxury Cars
29721 Frederick Blvd.
Daphne, AL 36526
(251) 270-5977
easternshoreluxurycars.com
