MORGAN RE-IMAGINED
It may be unusual for us to pilot vintage vehicles, but we’re not accustomed to machinery that’s only three years old, either. However, Greg Garland’s 3 Wheeler, known as a ‘Five- Speeder’ within the Morgan Three Wheeler Club, offers anything but a modern driving experience.
A lot of it is similar to the Twenties threewheeler to which this new Morgan pays homage. There’s the same tapering tail, black-spoked wheels and split exhausts that run either side of the bodywork. Then, of course, there’s the vee-twin up front. It’s difficult to appreciate, given it’s roughly the size of a rucksack, but this near-two-litre air-cooled, dry sump twin from American motorcycle engine manufacturer, S&S, has almost twice the displacement of Pete’s MAG engine and feels far more potent.
Entering the Five- Speeder is reminiscent of squeezing inside the original, though things alter quite a bit afterwards. Being wider, there’s a chunky transmission tunnel between the occupants and less exposed metal, with lavish helpings of stitched hide on the dashboard and body sides. Contrasting this is the basic black steering wheel and exposed screw heads for the various switches and gauges.
Starting the modern 3 Wheeler might be easier, but there’s still a sense of theatre to using the ‘ bomb release’ starter, donated from a Eurofighter combat aircraft. Release the flyoff handbrake and we’re away.
Although heavier than Pete’s Aero, Greg’s 3 Wheeler is nonetheless a featherweight tipping the scales at just 585kg, so the S&S engine isn’t at all overworked. There’s lots of power at low revs, however there’s a coarse quality to the vee-twin at these speeds, encouraging the driver to keep the engine spinning quickly – made easy by the slick gearbox that’s shared with the thirdgeneration Mazda MX-5. The clutch is heavy with a short travel, but allows for seriously quick changes once the driver is suitably acclimatised.
There’s so much about this Morgan that is driver-focused that you have to remind yourself at times that it’s almost brand-new and not a sports car dating back to the Fifties. The booming soundtrack is partly responsible for this – it comes alive above 4000rpm, overtaking anything else that had previously been assaulting the senses. More so, though, it’s the wind hitting your forehead, the closeness to the floor – much more so than in Pete’s Aero – and the elbow hanging out of the car that makes it feel so sporting.
The 3 Wheeler may be easier to drive than Pete’s Aero, especially so for those more accustomed to Eighties hot hatches, but that’s not to say that it cannot come unstuck from the road. There are no electronic aids to act as a safety net, which the driver will readily discover should they attempt to take off from a standing start too enthusiastically, overwhelming the single rear wheel’s ability to find traction by doing so. Likewise, the skinny front tyres mean that there’s never the feeling of abundant grip – it’s best to resist the urge to push too hard coming out of a corner.
Suspension comprises independent wishbones at the front with a single trailing arm at the back. The ride is firm but not uncomfortable – in fact, it’s surprising just how compliant it is, given how close your backside is to the ground. The unassisted steering is nicely precise and delivers ample feedback – it’s light at the straightahead but weighs up nicely as you corner, the mudguards visibly turning in full view ahead.
Morgan investigated the possibility of electrifying its modern 3 Wheeler with its 2016 EV3 prototype, but Greg feels that something would have been lost had it proceeded. We suspect he’s right; the S&S engine causes the whole body frame, seat squab and steering wheel to vibrate as it accelerates and this is central to the driver engagement. Without it, this Morgan would not only lack the inherent business of the original three-wheelers, it also wouldn’t feel ‘alive’. It’s such a shame, then, that that this chapter must draw to a close as a result of the S&S engine’s Type Approval ending. Still, it’s proof, were it ever in doubt, that age is certainly no barrier to classicdom.