Morgan 3-Wheeler design sketches preview next cyclecar

In preparation for the release of its new 3-Wheeler, Morgan has released a cornucopia of design sketches. All of them vary wildly from each another, showing possible directions for the cyclecar's next iteration. One thing's for sure, though: you won't mistake them for anything other than a Morgan.

The designs do reveal that the 3-Wheeler is evolving with the times. The outgoing car could easily be confused with something from the early 1920s (or a Richard Scarry book, for that matter), but the next iteration will be a leap forward in design. For Morgan, that means something inspired by the early Jet Age. Sure, that era might be 90 years behind us, but for Morgan, a company that still uses wood as a key structural material in body construction, that jump to late-1930s styling will be downright futuristic.

Various sketches show a more streamlined body, possibly made of polished aluminum for that jet fuselage look. Some ideas even show very aeronautic vertical and horizontal stabilizers. Many show an enclosed nose, some cone-shaped like that of a plane, some more like a streamliner-era locomotive. Others have a teardrop shape to the rear, evoking the lakesters that American hot rodders built out of airplane fuel tanks in the 1950s.

Amusingly, some sketches call out "touring options," which include such niceties as a windshield or two leather straps on the side of the car just big enough to hold a duffel bag. Others have an enclosed compartment that looks to be just large enough for a briefcase.

Both exposed and enclosed suspension options make the rounds, as do single- and double-headlight designs. Some illustrations even show a canopy-esque enclosed cockpit — progress!

Regardless of what it looks like, the next Morgan will ditch its V-twin engine for a Ford-sourced three-cylinder. If it's the European Fiesta's mill, that should translate to at least 85 horsepower, 80 pound-feet of torque even if Morgan doesn't do its own tuning.

Even with this shift in design, the Morgan 3-Wheeler will remain decidedly old school. It's refreshing to see a company stick so staunchly to its guns, making cars of the same basic layout since H.F.S. Morgan designed his personal cyclecar in 1908. The next Morgan 3-Wheeler will debut sometime in 2022.

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