MORGAN SUPER 3
THE LEGENDARY CRAFT OF THREE-WHEELED MOTORING
Since its foundation 113 years ago, Morgan Motor Company has based its car manufacturing ethos on three principles – character, thrill and adventure. Unveiled earlier this year, and succeeding the 3 Wheeler (produced between 2011 and 2021), the new Super 3 honours that design language while also drawing inspiration from the jet age. Built upon the company’s new three-part aluminium platform, it is the first Morgan with a monocoque structure and – powered by a 1.5-litre Ford three-cylinder engine – it significantly exceeds the power and performance figures of previous three-wheeled Morgan models Described by Morgan as “one of the most intriguing and distinctive vehicles the company has ever built”, the Super 3’s character is at the heart of its driver engagement. “Primarily,” notes the company, “a three-wheeled Morgan is a vehicle that entices you to get behind the wheel, offering a unique combination of me chanical feel, connection to the environment and visual differentiation from anything else on the road. Few vehicles will engage their occupants like Su
per 3, which encourages owners to feel present in the craft of motoring and entices them to embark on incredible adventures. “As the company’s most configurable model to date, Super 3 offers an exten sive list of options and accessories that allow owners to tailor their own ex perience. From adventure touring accessories to race-inspired liveries, Super 3 adopts multiple personalities to reflect the individuality of its owner.” The same as every Morgan before it, the Super 3 will be built in Malvern (Worcestershire) at the company’s Pickersleigh Road factory, where crafts people have been handcrafting cars since 1914 – five years after HFS Morgan invented the first Morgan, known as “The Runabout”. The Super 3 represents a new design philosophy from Morgan. “In compari son with the outgoing 3 Wheeler, which was created in the style of the 1920s V-twin-engined three-wheelers, Super 3’s designers and engineers have drawn influences from the mid to late century. The jet age was an era in which there was a logical relationship between function and form, as the horizons of imagination were broadened.”
To that end, aerodynamic and mechanical requirements have heavily influ enced the form and proportions of Super 3, highlighted by cast aluminium structures that provide the face of the vehicle, brace the engine and control the corner packages and direct air into the side-mounted cooling packs. Two rectangular “diffuser plates” (or “sideblades”) manage cooling require ments while also presenting a platform for panniers, luggage racks and liv eries. As Morgan’s first clean-sheet design since the launch of the Aero 8 in 2000, and the company’s “biggest visual departure” since the 1962 Plus 4 Plus, the Super 3 challenges the typical perceptions of Morgan design but still remains true to the company’s underlying principles and heritage. A choice of seat materials includes vinyl, water-resistant leather, saddle leather with enhanced durability, and a technical fabric that combines a high level of water resistance, UV resistance and ease of maintenance. Available for the first time is a footwell heater, and comfort is further en hanced by a reach and rake-adjustable steering wheel and a quick-release
adjustable pedal box. A universal fixing is mounted under the dashboard that allows for a cup holder or Quad Lock phone mount to be fitted, bungee cords can be fitted to the chassis impressions in the outer cockpit to provide a storage solution for coats, maps and small bags, and a discreet lockable underseat compartment allows for more valuable items to be stored. “Morgan 3 Wheeler owners are individual, relish doing things in their own way, and actively seek adventure,” says Morgan Motor Company head of de sign Jonathan Wells. “With Super 3, we aimed to exaggerate these qualities through design. Super 3 stands out as something different. It looks towards our past, is relevant in the present, and reinstates a firm vision of Morgan’s design future. “Super 3 gives you a deep mechanical connection to the car and your sur roundings. It takes the idea of adventure and escapism beyond just a ro mantic notion, whilst presenting a blank canvas for self-expression. Life is rarely more complicated after a drive in a Super 3.”
