1937 Morgan Super Sport

H.F.S. Morgan's three-wheeled cyclecar had an excellent power-to-weight ratio, which enabled it to outperform its larger four-wheeled counterparts. Morgan drove an example in the 1911 London-Exeter-London Reliability Trial where he was rewarded with a Gold Medal, followed by victory in the inaugural cycle car race at Brooklands the following year, with Harry Martin taking the checkered flag three minutes ahead of the field. Following this competition success, a road-going spin-off Grand Prix model followed in 1914. Immediately following World War I came the first Aero sports model, inspired by the Grand Prix. Additional technological developments followed, including the fitting of front brakes (operated by hand lever) from 1924 and the adoption of a new chassis – the M-type – on the new Super Sports model in 1928. This new chassis was 2.5-inches lower than its predecessor and in this guise, helped Morgans gain success at the New Cycle car Club's meeting at Brooklands later that year.

In 1931, rising competition from small sports cars forced the adoption of a conventional three-speed-and-reverse gearbox. A more refined version called the F4 followed, with 8 horsepower Ford Model y four-cylinder power units appearing soon after, later forming the basis of the first four-wheeled Morgan.

From the mid-1930s forward, Morgan's three-wheelers were powered by Matchless V-twin engines in preference to those from JAP.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019