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.

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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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S&S Cycle acquires majority of Crane Cams assets

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Motorcycle

S&S Cycle, a well-known manufacturer of American-made V-twin engines often used to power Harley-based custom motorcycles, has reportedly acquired a large portion of assets from the now-defunct Crane Cams organization. S&S says it plans to maintain the Crane Cams dealer and distribution chain intact while it moves the manufacturing services to its home factoryin Viola, Wisconsin.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a team made up of S&S Cycle representatives and former Crane Cams CEO Lance Harris put in a bid of $1.2 million for the Crane Cams name, 16 patents and 3 trademarks, plus an additional $215,000 for the company's leftover inventory.

This deal will likely keep Crane's old and reportedly very outdated manufacturing facility in Florida shuttered, so we're not yet sure what this news will mean for the 280 employees left jobless after the parts company went bankrupt.

[Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal via Dealernews]

S&S Cycle acquires majority of Crane Cams assets originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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