Just as it did in 1935, Morgan is fundamentally changing the design, the underpinnings and the engine of its much-loved three-wheeler and is hoping the market will follow. Some things never change though; the wind in your hair, flies in your teeth and an uninterrupted 180-degree view of the road unwinding ahead.
Nor does the giant-killing aspect of Morgan driving. On the rolling road to Ledbury Road from Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road home on the slopes of the distinctive Malvern Hills, a classic Porsche 911 comes up behind. He’s closing fast, I think, before changing down to third, zapping through a series of short open curves and the 911 has disappeared. Not conclusive, of course, but it shows how stable and confidence-inspiring this tricycle can be.
Gone is the previous version’s motorcycle-style, air-cooled V-twin engine jutting from the front, replaced for this all-new machine by a three-cylinder, liquid-cooled Ford unit as used in the top selling Fiesta and Focus (although not turbocharged in this installation). The 1.5-litre, 118bhp/110lb ft triple is mounted in line with its crucial, vibration-reducing front mounting hidden behind a weird, scarab-like engine cover.
It mates to a Mazda five-speed gearbox as was used on the outgoing 3 Wheeler (why change transmission perfection?) along with the same belt-drive rear as before, with a few modifications here and there, all draped with Jonathan Wells’ singular and striking design.
In its decade-long production run, the previous 3 Wheeler became Morgan’s single-most produced car in the company’s 114-year history. But can this iteration perform the same feat?
History is repeating itself here, and it hasn’t been altogether kind to the Ford-engined Morgan F-type, which was produced between 1935 to just after the Second World War. These and the other four-cylinder Morgans sold well into the post-war market for economy motoring, but they simply weren’t as glamorous as the JAP- and Matchless-engined V-twin three-wheelers, even if they were easier to maintain, cheaper and more practical to run and, in many ways, better to drive.
Climb aboard
There are no doors, so you jump over the low body side and hook your heels into the aluminium spar that runs across the floor, then slide down under the steering wheel. It looks cramped but there’s plenty of room, but your elbow juts outside the bodywork, which dictates wearing a jacket on all but the warmest days.
There’s an almost pseudo-military feel about the interior, with the grey anodised aluminium digital central displays, along with big flick switches for various functions which include a heater (a bit of a three-wheeler first there), heated seats (brilliant) and fog lights. Down in the footwell, the aluminium body sides have a swaged X shape just like Second World War jerrycans, while the appealingly basic motorcycle-vinyl upholstery is tough, comfortable, and not at all sweaty.
While the pedals and the steering adjust horizontally (and vertically in the case of the steering wheel), there are various sizes, dishes, and styles for the Mota Lita steering wheel to suit tastes and body sizes.
Even in this standard car, I found it fairly simple to find a comfortable driving position, although the seat feels too high, thanks, I’m told, to regulations concerning the H-point (hip to seatbelt anchorage relationship) and the driver’s field of vision. Apparently, there is a possibility of reducing the height of the seat as an aftermarket option.
As I prepare to drive out of Morgan’s visitors’ centre, a 3 Wheeler burbles into the car park, its V-twin engine filling the air with a characterful cackle. A little piece of me dies at the sound; can a production Ford engine ever match its charisma?
I engage first in the short-throw Mazda gearbox and bring up the clutch, marvelling at the sublime balance of the pedals and their perfect heights as I pull away.
Where the previous 3 Wheeler had a tubular steel frame, the Super 3 has a monocoque body using Superform aluminium panels which, in the manner of the early Lotus Elise, are glued and rivetted together in the most modern way. At the wheel this gives an impression of solid, rigid construction and interior space.
On the road
Around the suburbs of Malvern Link the most noticeable thing is the exemplary ride quality, which is a vast improvement over the previous car. Large (20 inch) front wheels with 130/90/R20 Avon tyres are not only great looking things which could have been borrowed off a vintage Delage or even a modern Rolls-Royce (“A Rolls-Royce on Morgan wheels,” grins Toby Blythe, Morgan’s marketing manager), but they also soak up the bumps, including sharp-edged ones.
Even the rear tyre, which on a three-wheeler usually collects every bump and pothole, rides pretty well. It’s car-like in appearance and another Avon (185/55/R15) and an all-weather item, which proved to deliver the best combination of grip and sidewall stiffness.
Part of this great ride is down to the Super 3’s stiff front end, in which even the headlight mountings help increase rigidity, which allows the twin upper and lower wishbone suspension to do its job. The unassisted rack-and-pinion steering feels slow and requires a fair bit of wheel-twirling, but it is well weighted and feels positive.
The Ford engine might not sound as charismatic as the S&S unit, but the fuelling control is fantastic. You can trickle along at barely above idle speed and without changing gear the compact unit will haul itself up the rev counter from there.
Its red line is somewhere near 6,500rpm, but with a digital rev counter nearest the driver and almost hidden behind the steering wheel rim, it’s difficult to be sure. An analogue instrument would have been better here, as transients are better represented with a needle and a dial.
With all-encompassing front wheel arches and the high bonnet, you don’t get the charming view of the wheels bobbing up and down and the wishbones working as you do in the old car, but the view over the lovely little aero screens is compelling.
Speed up and the Ford engine gives voice. Crackling and yowling up near 6,000rpm, it really has its own character, and even though you have to go looking for it the effort is rewarded.
You also get to savour the drivetrain’s impeccable balance once more. Performance is modest, with a top speed of 130mph and 0-62mph in 7 seconds; it’s brisk but far from terrifying.
It’s the way you can access the performance that makes the Super 3 so appealing. The only distraction is the bevel box in the belt drive system which squawks, grates, and moans. With the rough-and-ready S&S V-twin this wasn’t such a problem, but the Ford’s low-rev refinement contrasts wildly, so owners might think the drivetrain is broken.
The brake pedal has a long travel, but it lines up perfectly with the accelerator pedal. Tip your right foot and blip the throttle as you down change not only sounds great but keeps braking smooth and risk-free.
The feeling of control is supreme, you can dance your feet around and move the car from gentle understeer to tyre-shrieking tail-out oversteer if you are so determined, although the manner in which it progressively loses and regains grip is fantastic.
For the most part, however, driving briskly on a dry, warm day, there was never a danger of this well-balanced car swapping ends or getting unsettled through corners. Along with Morgan’s current range of four-wheeled cars, the Super 3 has been through a comprehensive test and development programme and it shows.
Our verdict
Things I’d change are few, and minor in nature. The ugly plastic cover in the grille should be transparent to better show the power source and the engine’s rotating boss should be painted with a spiral like the propeller boss of a piston-engined fighter aircraft to lend some movement and interest to the front.
I’d also prefer a bit more initial grab from the brake pads, but not much, and perhaps a marginally faster steering rack as you need to swap hands on tight corners if you are driving really hard. I’d certainly not demand a turbocharger as many are likely to do; one thing this car doesn’t need is more power.
At $84,500 this relatively straightforward example is an expensive toy for the well-heeled, but I’d try other colours over this battleship grey, which does the bodywork no favours. I’d plump for the warm “lawnmower green” with yellow-tinted Perspex aero screens that appeared in some of the early publicity images.
Needless to say, you can buy a king’s ransom-worth of optional extras plus clothes and bags for your Super 3, but you should travel light for adventure. Even that’s simply nipping to the shop for a pint of milk, which you’ll be tempted to do in this remarkably well designed and engineered car.
The facts
Body style: two-seat, open three-wheeler
On sale: now, but waiting list is almost 12 months
How much? $84,500 as tested
How fast? 130mph (209kph), 0-62mph (0-100kph) 7sec
How economical: 40mpg (14.16 km/L) *claimed
Engine & gearbox: 1.5-litre three-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol, five-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive via toothed belt
Electric powertrain: n/a
Maximum power/torque: 118bhp @ 6,500rpm/110lb ft @ 4,500rpm
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
Warranty: 30 months
