Unless you are die hard car aficionado you probably haven’t heard much about the Morgan Motor Company yet they are one of the largest British owned car making manufacturers still operating today. Morgan was founded in 1910 and they still work out of the little red brick building they originated in. Recently Morgan has dug deep into their fabled past to produce a new three wheeler. It is the first of its kind in years.
If anybody can produce a three wheeler it is Morgan, who carved their expertise in them back in the early days of roadsters and speedsters. Their light weight and strong grip vehicles did quite well in the early days of racing. Not that this knowledge didn’t come at a price, seeing as how they learned rather quickly that a three wheeler with one wheel in front tends to tip over on tight turns. So the obvious way to solve this was to put two wheels in front and one in back. The result is a great, stable, fast performance that Morgan has not produced since 1952.
By all means a true speedster, this baby has open sides and a sliver of a windshield, thus the recommendation that you wear goggles and a helmet. It can zoom as well. Weighing in at about 1,000 pounds it can reach 60 in 4.5 seconds and maxes out at 115 mph.
The best part? Unlike many of its European counter parts, the little gem is legal here in the United States. The three wheel design gives it a motorcycle classification which makes it exempt from federal automotive emissions and safety standards. Sure this isn’t good for the environment or the rest of us, but if you are an auto enthusiast you should be thrilled.
The classy retro design goes all the way back to before World War 2. It sports an exposed, forward engine with thin, nineteen-inch wheels. While the exterior looks like something out the 1930’s, the inside is quite advanced. It sports a two liter, V-twin engine that produces 120 hp.
So what is the downside? Try noise, lots and lots of noise. If you ever wanted people 4 blocks away to notice your sporty new speedster then this will do the trick. And rightly so since this little gem is both elegant and sleek. If loud makes for a mean ride this car is the meanest around.
There is one other major downside to this ride, the first run of 500 has already sold out, meaning anyone who wants one will have to wait for them or buy them as used cars. Still, in a world where the car industry is going retro, Morgan out does them all by going way back to this feisty ride.
Jeff Jordan lives and writes in Southern California. He writes about education, pop culture and automobiles. Used car dealerships are a good place to find your next ride.
