Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, First Drives, Motorcycle
America Helps Britain Bring Back The Trike
It weighs just 1,090 pounds, chuffs out 115 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque, and can launch to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. Oh, and you definitely feel every bit of it.
The 2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler is a decidedly modernized homage to the trike that inspired it. Beginning back in 1909, this British tripod evolved through a succession of V-twin engines, culminating in 1953, when the last of the original Morgan three-wheeled “cyclecars” rolled off the line in Malvern Link. By that time, a four-cylinder Ford engine good for up to 32 hp was also available, but it’s the V-twin’s legacy through 1946 that has always carried the most significance for aficionados of the three-tire flyer.
Words like “fun” don’t even begin to describe what it is that would lead a North American enthusiast to spend north of ,000 to secure a Morgan 3 Wheeler. (Note that whereas the original cars went through some variants in the official writing of the name, the new car is to be written exclusively as “Morgan 3 Wheeler” – so say adamant company spokespeople). People who simply must have this heated runabout are incurably sick with a British disease. They love getting rained on at 70 mph, the persistent smell of dairy cattle cannot deter them from a vigorous country drive and ,000 borders on a small price to pay for the pure handmade exhilaration of a proper trike. Yep, they’re nuts.
That apparently means we’re nuts, too, because after taking this journey into deepest Worcestershire and tearing around the UK’s storybook Malvern Hills, darting through the pelting rain and cruising in the glistening sun between cloudy spells, we desperately want one of these beautifully useless 3 Wheelers.
Continue reading 2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler [w/video]
2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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