The Morgan Three-Wheeler: A Unique and Fascinating Vehicle

I'm here with one of the oddest and most fun cars that I've had the pleasure of working on, and that's this Morgan three-wheeler. Technically, it's a 1932 model, but it was assembled in 1946 during the war. As you can see, nine cars were sent to Australia using the MX4 engine, which had a little bit more horsepower than the MX2 engine. This motor is known as the Matchless Motor, and it's water-cooled - there's no fan, just a thermos siphon that circulates hot water through the radiator, keeping the engine cool.

The engine itself is 990 CCs, producing 42.1 horsepower, which may not sound like much but considering this car doesn't weigh a whole lot, it makes for quite a responsive ride. The transmission is a four-speed unit, with a foot brake controlling the front wheel and a hand brake controlling the rear wheel. Brakes are not the best on this vehicle; people often think they have a sliding pillar suspension or a wood chassis, but actually, it's more like a sliding axle.

One of the unique aspects of this car is that if you want to check your engine, all you need to do is pull up next to another car and look at your reflection in their headlights - it's a clever trick. The Morgan Club is fantastic; every part is available for these cars because they believe in keeping them on the road. This means that owners can easily maintain and repair their vehicles, ensuring they remain functional and reliable.

The Hand Crank: A Test of Endurance

As I mentioned earlier, this car uses a hand crank to start it. I'll be using this method for demonstration purposes, as it's an interesting way to showcase the capabilities of this vehicle. The first step is to turn the ignition on - if you don't, you risk breaking your arm because the engine won't move until it's started. Once the ignition is on, give a little bit of throttle and make sure the transmission is in neutral.

As I crank the hand crank, I can feel the tension building up inside the engine. The sound of the two cylinders firing is similar to that of a machine gun - people often have no idea what this thing is, but it's actually quite wonderful. The feeling of speed you get from driving this car is almost like flying an old World War I biplane; nothing compares to the thrill of putting your foot down on the gas and feeling the acceleration.

A Test Drive: Experiencing the Thrill

I'm now going to take this thing out for a spin, so grab a seat and enjoy the ride. As I hit the road, you can feel the rear end dancing around - it's actually quite comfortable in there. There's all sorts of leg room, considering the car is only three wheels. The gas pedal is right at your feet, making it easy to reach without having to stretch.

Driving on the freeway, this car holds its own at speeds of 70-75 miles per hour with ease. I've done it several times before and still get a rush from it - there's nothing quite like the feeling of cruising down the highway in such an unusual yet exhilarating vehicle. The only thing to watch out for is when you come up against an SUV; they tend to frown upon this sort of driving, but with the Morgan, you can hold your own.

The Smart Car vs. The Morgan: Speed and Performance

Now, I know what you're thinking - why compare a smart car to a Morgan? It's because both vehicles have their unique strengths and weaknesses. The Smart car is often described as "dumb" because it doesn't give the driver any real sense of speed; once you hit cruising speed, there's no feeling of acceleration or power. On the other hand, this Morgan gives you a tremendous amount of speed when you put your foot down - it's almost like flying.

While both cars are unique in their own ways, the Morgan is undoubtedly more exciting to drive. It sounds amazing with its two cylinders firing and has a certain charm that's hard to deny. The Smart car may be faster in a straight line, but when it comes to overall performance and driving experience, this Morgan takes the cake.

The Waiting Period: Why Morgan Cars Are Worth Waiting For

So why do people wait so long for an American customer to get their hands on one of these vehicles? Well, it's because there's a two-year waiting period between England and America. English people just can't seem to get enough of Morgans - they're the oldest continuing automobile company in England during the 80s and '90s.

The waiting period is due to the fact that Americans often demand immediate delivery, whereas English people are willing to wait for the right Morgan. This two-year wait may be long for some, but trust me when I say it's worth it. The Morgan Club makes every part available for these cars because they believe in keeping them on the road - and once you get your hands on one, you'll understand why.

In conclusion, this Morgan three-wheeler is a unique and fascinating vehicle that offers its owners an unparalleled driving experience. Whether you're cruising down the freeway or just taking it out for a spin around town, this car will put a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel. So if you ever have the chance to drive one of these vehicles, take it - you won't regret it.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome to another episode of Jay lono's garage this is one of the oddest and most fun cars that I have this is a Morgan three-wheeler technically this is a 193 3 2 uh although this car was assembled in 1946 during the war obviously everything stopped there were a lot of parts left over nine cars were sent to Australia using the mx4 engine uh had a little bit more horsepower than the MX2 engine that's a matchless motor water cooled they were sent to Australia nine cars were built in Australia and titled as 46s so I have a title is a 46 but technically it's an early 30s design Morgan didn't change them a whole lot it's It's a Wonderful motor it's water cooled there's no fan it uses a thermos siphon much like the model T4 the water gets hot and just you know the pressure of the hot water circulates forces it through the radiator doesn't overheat runs fine it stays pretty cool all exposed like this it's about 990 CC's it's 42.1 horsepower which doesn't sound like much but this doesn't weigh a whole lot uh see in England anything with less than four wheels was not considered an automobile it was considered a motorcycle so consequently you could save a great deal on road tax cuz there's no logical reason why you'd have a three-wheeler I mean they're a lot of fun to drive one of the main disadvantages is you can't avoid any bumps if you don't hit it with the outer wheel you hit it with the inner wheel so if you see a big pothole you say to yourself they want to get it in the back or they want to get it in the side so go for the side cuz the back not good um pretty sophisticated car uh as I said it's three-speed with uh a reverse gear which sounds pretty normal but most Morgans didn't have that uh the real pure is like two-speed Morgans without reverse but this is sort of the luxury model so it has all the accudent you got your fog lights wire wheels they're all guaranteed to do 80 M an hour and believe me 80 mph in this feels like 180 M hour it's hilarious uh you sit really low to the ground let's walk around the car you've got your oil filter right in here you pull L out there's a wire mesh in there that you clean water goes here for the radiator oil goes here for the engine your gas tank is right here got your obviously rearview mirror something a little unusual there's no foot throttle you have a hand throttle right here that's your choke that's your advance and um you've got a proper dashboard a little Dashboard Light you got speedometer ameter no tack cuz the engine's right there in front of you you can just look out and watch it it has has my favorite hairprint Val Springs uh although coil Val Springs are much better hair prints are much sexier I always like the look of these this is what they call a barrel back the early models the TWP Speeders didn't carry a spare this carries a spare tire right here in fact one day I'm going down the road you know I'm kind of flying down M hulland and this guy comes out to me and goes hey you lost the wheel I go yeah thank you very much thank you very much you know big joke and he goes no no you lost the wheel thank you thank you I get it thanks pilot appreciate it you know I get home and the whole wheel is gone apparently I I hit a bump and the whole rear of this car just fell off and it rolled down a hill and I went back and I never ever found it so whoever that guy was thank you for telling me I just assume you're being a wise guy but I actually lost the wheel but that being said I got another one and we put it back together and this time I loc tighted it always use Loctite as you can see it's dual exhaust two-seater they actually made a four-seater version of these another seat back back here so so you could take the family there's no rearview mirror I just buy these at the 99 cent store and I stick them on they come from Japan they work fantastically well so you can see behind you got a windshield wipe even as a top but you one of these with the top on looks ridiculous here I'll show you a picture see what I mean it looks stupid you actually have to be in the car and then fasten the top around you it doesn't make any sense had this car a little over 20 years uh once took Barbara Walters for a riding this car that was a lot of fun now there are two ways to start this car you can use the electric starter which would be the coward's way or you can actually use the hand crank so for the sake of this video Let's hand crank it first thing you want to do is your ignition because if you don't it'll break your arm uh give it a little bit of throttle make sure you're neutral because if you if you crank it and it starts the car will then run you over I've had people get pinned to garaged wall they go like this B and then the car and then they're stuck so give it a little bit of throttle minimum choke tickle the carburetor here puts a little bit of gas in the cylinder when when whenever you use a hand crank always have your thumb on the inside CU if it kicks back it'll break your thumb so let's see how this works one crank lby you've all seen the Smart car this is the dumb car nothing gives you a feeling of speed like driving this thing it's quite t spy it's like flying a World War I B plane he's two cylinders sound like machine gun people have no idea what this thing is these are wonderful Motors these mx4 matchless these were also used in the Bruff Superior George Bruff chose them because they were the most reliable most powerful English Motors of the day and as you can see it goes quite well your foot brake controls your front wheel and your hand brake controls your rear wheel brakes are are not the best people think this has a uh sliding pillar suspension not really it's more like a sliding axle people think they have a wood chassis don't they have a metal chassis just have a lot of Ash in the body nice thing about this car is if you want to check your engine just look in the headlight and you can see the reflection you know when you pull up next to Hondas they look like Peter Built Trucks gone down the freeway 60 holding on for dear life you look over and there's a girl putting lipstick on next to you and you go oh I guess I'm not going that fast back one time I was up on Mull and driving this thing I come sliding around the corner I think I'm doing about 70 75 I slide sidewards and I coming down the straight there's a cop there with a radar gun I go down oh the radar G so I pull over you know and I wait and nothing happen so I turn around and I go back and I go how you doing he goes good I go uh was I okay he goes he goes yeah the speed limit here is 45 you're only doing 38 I said 38 I thought I was doing 70 no 38 I said that's impossible just feels fast but that being said she still will run at freeway speed I mean I take this on the freeway all the time and she can hold 70 75 no problem you know you don't want to tangle with an SUV we're doing 6570 no problem at all that's all scary you can feel that rear end dancing around it's actually quite comfortable you know there's all kinds of leg room it seems like you'd be cramped but there's nothing there's no gas fed your gas pedal is right here as I said so I'm 6 ft tall and I fit this thing perfectly the nice thing is you have an accident they just bu you in the whole car you take a hole they don't have to take you out of the car they just lower you right in the ground the Morgan Club is fantastic every part is available for these things cuz they believe in keeping them on the road Morgan is the oldest continuing automobile company in England during the 80s and '90s it was as much as an 8-year waiting period to get a Morgan that's there between England and America English people will wait 2 years 3 years Americans don't even want to wait a weekend they have to have it right now that being said they're well worth waiting for so I'm going to take this thing out and exercise a little bit see you next week\n"