Three-wheelers have had their partisans in many countries, but it’s probably not a controversial statement to claim that Britain is where this peculiar breed of vehicle truly proliferated, at least initially. Bond, AC, Peel and the three-wheeler icon that was Reliant all came from the British Isles, thanks in not small part to legal and tax reasons. Most three-wheelers were designed to be cheap transport and/or workhorses, but Morgan carved out a niche with the sports trike.
After having worked for the Great Western Railways, Henry “Harry” Frederick Stanley Morgan (1881-1959) established a car dealership in 1904, selling Wolseleys and Darracqs in Malvern, Gloucestershire. For his personal transport, Harry Morgan bought a 7HP Peugeot motorcycle engine and designed a three-wheeler chassis to use it, as he felt safer on three wheels rather than two.
From the get-go, Morgan’s creation was in the “tadpole” configuration, i.e. with the twin-chain-driven single wheel in the back, front-wheel steering (via a tiller), sliding pillar IFS and the engine in front of the driver. The photo above is of this exact contraption, with Harry Morgan at the helm. It was 1909 and the little trike was as fast as any big four-wheel car on the road. People noticed and soon Morgan took the plunge, getting his father invest into the new Morgan Motor Co. to manufacture trikes with a sporting edge.
The basic Morgan design was improved upon gradually over the years, but never really gave way to a complete clean-sheet approach. The company, which remained 100% privately-owned, made plenty of money as it was, manufacturing fewer than 1000 chassis per annum and selling them for a much steeper price than most three-wheelers.
Morgans came in only one basic shape and size, but could be ordered in standard or deluxe trim, with one, two or no doors, for the track or the road, with or without rear jump seats, and they did evolve with time. A van version was even briefly fielded, but their excellent power-to-weight ratio and low centre of gravity made them especially well-suited for sporting events.
It wasn’t just a British thing, either. Between 1919 and 1936, a substantial number of cars were also made in France under license by Darmont, with some local adaptations (including a 500cc single-cylinder with a supercharger). A straight-up copy called Sandford was also marketed in France, manufactured by a former Morgan distributor. The most sincere form of flattery…
Speaking of which, Morgan never did bother with designing or manufacturing their own engines. Since 1910, J.A.P. was Morgan’s preferred engine maker, especially their 950-1100cc V-twins, also used in the famous Brough Superior motorcycles. Other makes included Blackburn, Swiss-made M.A.G. and British Anzani, always in this 0.9-1.1 litre bracket (taxed as 8-9HP). Some were side-valve, others OHV; both air-cooled and water-cooled designs were used. In the early ‘30s, sports trikes like our CC here typically used 990cc Matchless twins. Hence the “M” markings, which stand for Matchless, not Morgan.
This specific car appears to be fitted with the MX2 air-cooled engine with an OHV hemi head, producing 39hp. One major evolution with the Super Sport was the transmission: hitherto, Morgans drove their rear wheels via a twin chain system – essentially, a two-speed without reverse. In 1932, this was replaced by a 3-speed (plus reverse) single-chain transmission that was far more modern and user-friendly.
The ‘30s were a time of change for the firm, as trike sales started to dip rather noticeably. What compelled Morgan to design a four-wheeled car by the early ‘30s were second-hand Austin 7s and Morris Minors, whose undeniable qualities were making the more basic and family-oriented Morgan models increasingly uncompetitive. The deluxe/sporty three-wheelers carried on regardless, for a time at least.
The Super Sport, with those iconic Matchless twins jutting out of their front ends, were produced in ever-decreasing numbers until the eve of the Second World War. The model was not resuscitated afterwards.
In parallel, Morgan launched the F-Type in 1934 to try and revive interest in their more affordable three-wheeler designs. These had a new pressed steel chassis, featured Ford Y Type side-valve power hidden behind a radiator and a revamped “barrel” body with a distinctive rear end that better incorporated the spare tyre. Those were produced until 1952, after which Morgan let the three-wheelers go, seemingly for good.
To everyone’s surprise, the company re-introduced them in 2011 with a 2-litre S&S V-twin (as caught above a couple years ago, on the same street as its ancestor) – very much a 21st Century version of the ‘30s star trike, down to the “beetleback” rear end. The current model, produced since 2021, features a 1.5 litre Ford 3-cyl. mated to a Mazda 5-speed manual and is said to be able to reach the positively frightening top speed of 130mph.
Back in 1934, the Super Sport could make 70mph, which would have been scary enough. The controls are very prewar in here, with fuel/air mixture and ignition advance/retard controls on the steering wheel. And of course, you need a pair of red suede shoes to work those pedals.
Production data are hard to pin down, but the consensus seems to be that Morgan made around 1000-1500 units of the Super Sports between 1932 and 1939, not counting the French Darmonts. Rare beasts indeed, but the survivors are taken care of by a small but extremely dedicated fan base. The Morgan three-wheeler club was founded in 1945, so interest in these machines never really let up.
That might explain why Morgan went back to this rather unique design after a 70-year hiatus. For a company that prides itself in keeping traditions alive long past their point of irrelevancy, that was a master stroke.
Related posts:
Cohort Capsule: 1936 Morgan Three-Wheeler – The Chaste Version, by PN
Carshow Classic: 1936 Morgan 4/4 (And Morgan History) – Trying To Understand The Enigma, by Roger Carr
Lovely car. For me this is the definitive Morgan example with that lovely Matchless air cooled engine.
“The controls are very prewar in here, with fuel/air mixture and ignition advance/retard controls on the steering wheel.”
I believe the hand throttle is on the steering wheel as well, which makes things ‘interesting’ when the wheel is turned 180 degrees…
Front wheel drive through a Citroen 2CV gearbox, the new ones has a Motto Guzzi engine, beautifully made.
Interesting picture, the front suspension is clearly pure 2CV, so it’s not a Morgan. There are various kit / low volume designs of this kind, could anybody identify the make / model ?
I hadn’t noticed; I don’t know if the travel length is the same long one ( scary on this isostatic 3 wheeler ) or how it connects the compensation to the rear like on the Deudeuche.
There’s a lot more to Morgan three wheeler history than appears at first glance. This Super Sport is actually carrying some weather protection! Don’t recall seeing that before. Do these carry a spare anywhere, or is that abandoned as being so much dead weight?
I ever I win the Lotto one of the modern versions might come to my house .
As I age out and have pain lifting my leg over my Motocycle’s seat I keep thinking about tricks, most of the modern ones look too spacey for my taste .
-Nate