All new trike, all the same thrills.
When the Morgan Three Wheeler launched in 2012, it caused something of a stir. It had a big engine up front, and looked like a Spitfire’s cockpit (sort of). It made silly noises while looking ridiculous, and made people smile. It was also deeply, deeply flawed. Morgan learned lessons over the Three Wheeler’s run, and has applied them to its first fresh sheet design in years, the Super 3.
The Super 3 has the same layout as the Three Wheeler – two big wheels and an engine up front, and a single driven wheel at the back. Its front end doesn’t come with a gleaming V-Twin on full display, instead a slick aero-inspired cowl hiding a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter Ford triple packing 118bhp and 110 lb-ft hooked up to a five-speed stick. Morgan says it’ll crack 0-62 mph in 7.0 seconds, and do 130 mph, which is brisk. It also says it’ll manage 33mpg.
Morgan’s lineup traditionally looks as though it’s been plucked from the 1950s, the Super 3 does not. There’s more than a touch of a jet age, mixed with some Eighties’s cool in its digital dials. For the first time, there’s no ash frame in a Morgan, though buyers can spec a wooden dash. Its dials are big and bold, its switches few and chunky. Thankfully Morgan decided to keep its starter button underneath a flip switch for some drama.
The steering wheel has adjustable tilt and telescope, and the pedal box moves on a lever. Previously the former was fixed, and the latter required bolts to be fiddled with to adjust. It still has no roof or doors, so you have to climb over the side to get in, and if it rains you get wet. The old one’s the same, though its optional heated seats only had one setting – ‘wait ‘til it burns’ – while the Super 3 gets ‘gentle warm’ and ‘sterilization this way comes,’ and a heater to keep your legs warm. Progress!
The Super 3 is wider than the predecessor by four inches, giving it a few key advantages. The first is that there’s actual space in the cabin. You can change gear, stretch out, and generally exist in there without worrying that you’re going to end up stroking your passenger. It also means the front wheels can move a little more – a good thing.
Despite having a wheel-eating trunk space, there’s a surprising amount of room under its rear deck. You can get a couple of small bags in there for a weekend away, and throw important things in locked compartments under the seats. Though Morgan has a fancy exoskeleton-esque luggage rack for the trunk lid, bungee… things and a patented clip system for attaching luggage to the side blades. This, says, Morgan, means you can go touring in it.
The Three Wheeler was a challenging thing to get around in, and this is coming from an owner. Noisy, wobbly, prone to losing pieces, reluctant to steer, and with a turning circle to give a Clio V6 a run for its money, its charming V-Twin burble and general ridiculousness made you almost forget its many faults. The Super 3 doesn’t burble, but it also doesn’t provide as many challenges to hustle. Its wider front track means there’s more space for its deliciously dished wheels to move, so you can do a three-point turn without looking like Austin Powers. Its tires aren’t tubed, instead custom made Avons for the car, so when you do pitch into a corner you don’t worry they’ll peel themselves from the rims. The steering provides actual feedback, so you can feel what the front is doing – which is actually turning in and gripping. The Super 3 appears to be able to go round bends rather well. It’s not on par with, say, any Porsche… or a Miata, but it goes way better than a car with three wheels should. The rear’s got some decent grip to it as well. In the (unsurprisingly) damp conditions it stuck itself down rather well. Though if you give it a bootful from standstill it’s neatly slithery. Same goes for leaving a junction – should your foot slip you’ll find yourself doing Formula Drift angles at 3mph. It’s most amusing. In the corners, with gentle provocation it’s pleasingly mobile. Never snappy, never unexpected, the Super 3 is a playful thing that enjoys being pushed. Its suspension is on the softer side, meaning it rides wonderfully over the terrible road surfaces that litter the British countryside.
Its motor needs to be revved hard to get the best out of. The power is in the upper reaches of the rev range, and while it’s most pleasant at a steady clip, you’ll want to muck around with it for two reasons: 1) It’s really quick 2) it sounds awesome. Every stab on the gas is accompanied by a raspy, farty, excitable pop from its single tailpipe which, if the ‘wheel is on the right side, is just behind your right ear.
Something carried over from its predecessor, clutch and gas are brilliantly spaced, and the motor’s easy to rev match, so you can feel like a heel’n’toe hero easily. It’s Mazda-sourced stick shift is a joy to use as well. The brakes, unlike the old car, actually work. Where once preplanning was necessary, here it is not. Though there isn’t all that much feel in the pedal. Stab and stop ‘til you get it right.
It’s not all beer and skittles though. Aside from the obvious ‘if it rains you get wet,’ and ‘there isn’t the right number of wheels’ deal, a couple of things stood out. The Super 3 doesn’t come with a windshield as standard, but you can spec one of a few depending on preference. The test car I played with came with a clear Perspex fly screen that did a good job of keeping the wind out of my eyes, but the way it was molded meant that it distorted the view ahead something rotten. There’s a new version coming for proper production cars that goes some way to resolving the issue, apparently. Going without and sticking with goggles is cooler though. The pedal box, though wonderfully spaced, has some strange linkages that, every now and then, got in the way of using my braking foot. It didn’t hinder controlling the car in any way, but it was annoying. It may well be the way my foot sits, making it a ‘me’ problem, but it happened more than once. Oh, and while the new car’s fancy monocoque construction means the death of the tubular chassis, it also means there’s nowhere to put your clutch foot when you’re not using it. In the old car you could rest it on a tube. Obviously, getting in and out is art. Treading on the suitably weatherproof seats is an option, but to do so without requires some gymnastics – the extra space in the cabin is great when you’re in there, but you need some wingspan to get in. Or practice.
At the end of the day the Super 3 is a toy. An expensive toy at that – they start at $54,000 plus destination and taxes. But it’s a damn fun one. It feels more grown-up than the car it replaces, and not quite as raw. Fewer compromises doesn’t mean less fun. Just different fun.
Will it rock the boat as hard as the Three Wheeler did ten years ago? Not quite as hard, because it’s a follow-up to something truly bizarre. But so far Morgan’s had over 450 orders, and it built fewer than 3000 Three Wheelers. Wear goggles, and a waterproof in the rain.
Keyword: The Morgan Super 3 Is a Riot