Autoblog

Morgan 3 Wheeler vs. Caterham Seven in a battle of Brit flyweights

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, UK, MISC

What's the word auto journos are looking for when they talk about what's missing in modern supercars? "Thrill." In general, modern motoring marvels are a lot more driveable, a lot more comfortable, a lot more reliable and a lot better at what they do than they used to be. But they're less thrilling than they used to be, and that's the sensation Chris Harris sets out to experience in a rolling test of the Morgan 3 Wheeler and the Caterham Seven Supersport.

The Morgan has a 2.0-liter motorcycle engine with about 115 horsepower, but with - according to Chris - "hilarious handling" and a "lovely geabox," it is "an event" that is "more alive at 34 miles per hour than a 911 Turbo at 120 mph." And Harris believes the Caterham, with just 182 hp and a five-speed gearbox, should be driven by any automaker trying to make a sports car or even inject more sportiness into one of its offerings.

Harris will be happy to personally explain where and how each roadster delivers its thrills in the video below.

Continue reading Morgan 3 Wheeler vs. Caterham Seven in a battle of Brit flyweights

Morgan 3 Wheeler vs. Caterham Seven in a battle of Brit flyweights originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 May 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Morgan 3 Wheeler and driving fun, with Charles Morgan

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Motorcycle

Charles Morgan has a pretty great job. The scion of Morgan's founder, and current managing director of the company clearly enjoys himself while driving the fruits of his enterprise. In another brief interview with Mr. Morgan, we get to hear and see a the tantalizing 3 Wheeler and Plus 8 on the road, overlaid with the man himself telling us just why his cars are so different, and so good.

When your priorities are brand history, great design, and, above all, building riotously fun-to-drive machines, you can be sure your cars will develop a following. So says Morgan, and so we believe. Scroll down below to see and hear, for yourself.

Continue reading Morgan 3 Wheeler and driving fun, with Charles Morgan

Morgan 3 Wheeler and driving fun, with Charles Morgan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polaris patent reveals three-wheeled side-by-side "Slingshot"

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Motorcycle

It seems as though recreational vehicle maker Polaris is taking steps toward the production of quite an interesting, three-wheeled vehicle. Documents filed with the US Patent Office have revealed schematics for a Polaris "reverse trike" - that's two wheels in front and one in back - with seating for a driver and a passenger. According to the logo dug up by The Kneeslider, this buddy bike might eventually be called the Polaris Slingshot.

When the patent plans are broken down, it appears as though Polaris may have a legitimately scary competitor for other players in this recreational niche, including the Campagnia T-Rex, Can-Am Spyder (which is admittedly not a side-by-side) and the Morgan 3 Wheeler.

The Slingshot plans call out a longitudinally oriented, 2.4-liter General Motors-sourced powerplant with a manual transmision, though we're told both hybrid and fully electric power could work as well. The single rear wheel will be the driven one, powered via a belt drive rather than a shaft. Steering is by way of a wheel, rather than handlebars.

The Kneeslider doesn't have any information regarding the timing, or even absolute production intent, for the Slingshot, but seems to believe that Polaris is more likely than not to carry the project forward from here. Our fingers are crossed.

Polaris patent reveals three-wheeled side-by-side "Slingshot" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Morgan launches 3 Wheeler in Gulf livery

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Motorcycle, Specialty, Design/Style, MISC

We love the classic baby blue and orange Gulf livery as much as anyone, but when everything from the Tata Nano to a DeLorean and even a racing-grade semi truck (okay, the semi is pretty cool...) is painted in the scheme, it might be time to give it a rest. With perhaps one notable exception: this Gulf Edition Morgan 3 Wheeler.

Not only does Morgan have a legitimate racing relationship with Gulf Oil in Le Mans-class racing, we just so happen to love the Morgan 3 Wheeler more than almost anything else on wheels... no matter what hue it's painted. Combine the two and you've got us drooling.

Morgan will build 100 commemorative Gulf Edition 3 Wheeler models, with a starting price of 29,162.50 pounds (plus Value Added Tax) in the UK - that's around $46,700 US. We're not sure how many examples will make it Stateside, but if we happened to be in the market for an in-your-face adrenaline rush on three wheels, we'd have our friendly neighborhood US distributor on speed dial.

Check out the high-res image gallery above, and don't forget the press release below.

Continue reading Morgan launches 3 Wheeler in Gulf livery

Morgan launches 3 Wheeler in Gulf livery originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autocar finds pure joy behind the wheel of Morgan Three-Wheeler

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, UK, Specialty, MISC

Curious what it would be like to pilot a Morgan 3 Wheeler? You're not alone. We've had just one encounter with the crazy contraption that involved actual driving, but we've been smitten with the machine ever since laying eyes on it at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

As you may be aware, the Morgan 3 Wheeler is headed to the United States, but it's sure to be available in very limited quantities, and it'll be pretty pricey for what amounts to a grown-up toy. All of that means most of us will never have the pleasure of strapping ourselves behind the mini windscreens and hitting the road in a 3 Wheeler.

Good news, then, that the blokes and blokettes from Britain's Autocar magazine have produced the video you'll see below. You'll get a good sense of what it's like to experience the Morgan 3 Wheeler from the video, and you'll also see just how difficult it is to actually capture audio and video from the driver's seat of this open-air runabout.

So, join us in watching the video - and in pondering why Morgan feels the need to paste fake bullet holes on all the 3 Wheeler's we've seen so far - by scrolling down below. As is said in the clip, "If you don't understand what the appeal is, then you don't get cars."

Continue reading Autocar finds pure joy behind the wheel of Morgan Three-Wheeler

Autocar finds pure joy behind the wheel of Morgan Three-Wheeler originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Morgan 3 Wheeler coming to three dealers in the States

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorcycle, Specialty, MISC

We knew the Morgan 3 Wheeler was coming to America, we just didn't know when or how. The skinny, according to a report on Inside Line, is that the 3 Wheeler will be sold through three U.S. dealerships beginning later this year. One of those dealers will be Liberty, the Seattle company that got this whole thing started by designing the prototype - Morgan then bought Liberty and used it to develop the production model.

The other two locations haven't been divulged, but one on each coast is the early betting line. We'll probably know after Morgan scion Charles has finished running his 3 Wheeler in next month's Gumball 3000 rally, and by then the company might have settled on an official U.S. price. Even if you do plan to make it yours, though, don't expect on soon: Morgan only plans to make 500 per year, and that exact number was already pre-sold eight months ago.

Morgan 3 Wheeler coming to three dealers in the States originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch (and hear) one whole minute of Morgan 3 Wheeler goodness

Zach Bowman — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Videos, Luxury

There have been plenty of excellent debuts over the past year, but few capture our imagination like the Morgan 3 Wheeler. The V-twin-powered creation looks just like its forebears with its open cockpit, classic metalwork and three-wheel design. Being in love with any vehicle that looks as if it might kill us at any second, the 3 Wheeler is right up our alley.

The videos below haven't dulled that passion. We've amassed a smattering of clips, including a new showcasing the 3 Wheeler as it motors through the countryside.

Of course, should you find backwoods sprints too boring, we've also included a few videos that demonstrate just how much fun you can have vaporizing the back tire. (The 3 Wheeler lends itself to donuts like few other machines on the planet.) Keep scrolling to take in the goodness for yourself.

Continue reading Watch (and hear) one whole minute of Morgan 3 Wheeler goodness

Watch (and hear) one whole minute of Morgan 3 Wheeler goodness originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 1M, Fisker Karma and BAC Mono are Top Gear stars' Car of the Year winners

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, BMW, Specialty, Fisker, Luxury

Top Gear magazine and Jeremy Clarkson have already let us in on their 2011 care of the year, the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque taking the cake from both of them (although Clarkson made the distinction that the best car of 2011 was the BMW 535d M-Sport Touring). A few more TG stars have clocked in to make their assessments, with Hammond choosing the BMW 1 Series M, May selecting the Fisker Karma, The Stig pointing to the BAC Mono, and mag writer Tom Ford laying money on the Morgan 3Wheeler.

Hammond found the 1 Series M perfectly "boisterous," May was smitten with the Karma's future-forward-vegan ethose, namely the fact that it has no animal products, and The Stig's stenographer wrote that the F3-racer-cum-street-legal-maniac BAC Mono is, well, just that. As for the Morgan 3Wheeler, after recounting all the ways it misses the mark as a car, Ford gives those very reasons for it being an awesome experience. You can have a look at each in our high-res gallery of photos and click the links to read all the details.

BMW 1M, Fisker Karma and BAC Mono are Top Gear stars' Car of the Year winners originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fifth Gear tackles the Morgan 3 Wheeler

Zach Bowman — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, UK, Specialty, MISC

We'll be the first to admit that we'd perform all kinds of unseemly acts for the chance to own the new Morgan 3 Wheeler. The resurrected interpretation of the British manufacturer's very first vehicle calls to us in a way that's difficult to explain. Maybe it's the sound of that big American V-twin out front or our unexplainable propensity for vehicles with less than four wheels. Maybe we just admire the insanity of a manufacturer willing to produce a machine that looks like its sole intent is to cause you physical harm. Whatever it is, we want one, and watching the guys from Fifth Gear play with the machine has only stoked that desire.

Morgan let the Fifth Gear crew into the English countryside with the topless machine for a spell, and, despite the fact that the beast is loud, uncomfortable, hot and a little on the squirrely side, it looks like they enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Hit the jump for a look at the video for yourself.

Continue reading Fifth Gear tackles the Morgan 3 Wheeler

Fifth Gear tackles the Morgan 3 Wheeler originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler [w/video]

Matt Davis — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, First Drives, Motorcycle

America Helps Britain Bring Back The Trike

2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler - Click above for high-res image gallery

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 $50,000 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 $50,000 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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