MOTHBALLED MORGAN RETURNS TO FORM
Barry Lain had always been fascinated by the three-wheeler Morgan, ever since he saw one tearing through the countryside in Norfolk when he was a boy. Years later, when he was attending a steam rally with his 1922 Bean, it was mentioned to him that there had been a Morgan three-wheeler offered for sale at the previous Beaulieu International Autojumble.
He followed up this lead and went to see KPF 20, which was still for sale in Haverhill, Suffolk. “What a wonderful sight it was in the dark,” he recalls, “with the garage lights throwing a glow over a dusty 1928 Morgan Aero standing just inside the double doors, with no engine in sight.” The JAP powerplant was inside the garage and, because it all looked to be mostly there, a deal was done.
The recommissioning of the car has recently been completed. “It really deserved to be conserved [rather than restored] and brought back to a sound condition, but preserving its patina,” says Barry. The car was surprisingly complete and not too worn out, but there appeared to be a lot of mud trapped in the nooks and crannies. First gear was badly worn, too, so perhaps it had been used in trials competitions.
“The chap who sold it to me had rescued it two years earlier from a man who had it hanging from the roof of his barn, probably since the ’60s,” explains Barry, who has the photographs to prove it. He would love to hear from anyone who can add to the history of KPF 20, which is a Surrey number dating from 1946 when, for some reason, it was re-registered. Email barrylain@btinternet.com