In 2012, the Morgan Motor Company re-introduced a three-wheeler to its lineup for the fist time in over seven decades. Originally intended as a more affordable alternative to a traditional four-wheeled automobile, three-wheelers added a bit of fun into the mix, at a time when “driving enjoyment” was the lowest priority on a vehicle shopping list.
Need proof? Leno calls his Morgan Three-Wheeler “one of the oddest and most fun cars I have,” and coming from a guy with Leno’s car collection, that says a lot. He also equates it with flying a World War I biplane, which is all the selling we need to know we’d have a blast behind the wheel.
Leno’s Morgan was designed in 1932, but assembled in 1946. Equipped with a 990cc Matchless motorcycle engine rated at just 42.1 horsepower, acceleration is hardly up to supercar standards. Still, the Three-Wheeler’s light weight helps with performance, and its top speed of 80 mph “feels like 180 mph” according to Leno.
Are there drawbacks to a Three-Wheeler? Yes, and plenty of them. Missing a pothole with the front wheels ensures you’ll hit it with the single rear wheel, and the car’s awkward cloth top doesn’t exactly make the Morgan weather-proof (or even weather-resistant, as far as we can tell). While the design may have been a utilitarian compromise for 1930s British families seeking economical motorized transportation, the Morgan Three-Wheeler (even in its modern incarnation) is best reserved for sunny-day amusement.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
