► Why the Morgan 3 Wheeler is a gem
► A uniquely British chariot
► Five reasons it rocks our world
1) The way it feels
Comparing the Morgan to any other car currently on sale is pointless – to drive it’s more like pushing a petrol mower, flying a wing-less biplane, sitting in the bath and riding an old motorcycle. It’ll leave you exhausted and gritty-eyed but a drive in the Three Wheeler – even a brief one – will also more effectively calm your mind and lift your mood than six months in the Maldives.
2) The grunt from that twin-cylinder
The fastest of the original three-wheeled Morgans used British-built JAP engines, as fitted to Brough Superiors and beloved of Lawrence of Arabia. American specialists S&S provide the big twin in today’s car, a charming confection of chunky castings and bucket-sized pistons. Rubber-mounting keeps the really big vibrations from your skeleton while the power curve is skewed towards torque – wheelspin in lower gears is part of the fun.
3) It sounds like nothing else on sale!
The silencing on standard cars is nicely judged; engaging and suitably vintage in tone without being sociopathically loud. On this example, fitted with a few choice parts by specialists Krazy Horse, the straight-through exhausts trade all of those manners for oodles of noise. Perfect for broadcasting every move you make with the slick and easy Mazda MX-5 gearbox…
4) The view out
Uncluttered, framed by those two skinny front tyres and likely to consist of blurred hedges and country pubs if you’ve any sense – the Morgan pre-dates motorways in spirit if not in reality. The cockpit looks cramped but feels like a Phantom compared to a Caterham, with squashy seats and perches for your elbows. Instruments are minimalist and aviation inspired, the nicest touch being a bomb-release toggle switch for a start button.
5) Welcome to the house of fun
On the move the Morgan feeds your brain with an endless stream of vivid stimuli. Colour, smells, noise, sensation, vibration – all the stuff that most cars have carefully evolved to lock out – are welcomed in with open arms. The steering’s the antithesis of a darty Caterham’s but that suits the car. Instead of charging about you simply indulge in the primal joy of motion.
The specs
Produced: 2012-onwards (current model)
Price at launch: £30,270
Price now: £25,950
Engine: 1983cc air-cooled V-twin, 82bhp, 103lb ft
Performance: 6sec 0-62mph, 170mph