Morgan

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Morgan, together with the G.N., really started the light sports-car movement. Whereas the latter was always built in four-wheeled form, the Morgan was made continually as a three-wheeler until the 4/4 range was added in 1936. No other concern in the world can claim to have turned out three-wheelers for so long a period, and possibly only Rolls-Royce and Jowett have had so few modifications to an original design. Actually, the two-speeder Morgans remained basically the same for twenty years.

Morgan No. 1

Even Morgan No. 1 featured the helical-spring independent front-wheel springing that was still retained on three and four-wheeled products of the Malvern concern even after the war. It was indeed a tribute to H. F. S. Morgan that his machine was the sole example of a three-wheeler on the British market by the late 1940s. As far back as 1912 H. F. S. Morgan had already put nearly 60 miles into the hour, an amazing performance for what was virtually a cycle-car runabout. "H.F.S.," incidentally, always drove his own products, and had probably driven in competitions far longer than any other man. With the rise of cycle-car racing in popularity, the Morgan virtually entered the sports-car market with the Grand Prix model. This little car was extremely successful, and with an o.h.v. engine was capable of really high speeds for such a small machine. The purchaser actually had the choice of J.A.P., Precision or M.A.G. engine, and later the big-twin Anzani was also available.

The specification of the G.P. Morgan is well worth giving, for it is equally applicable to practically every Morgan made up until the "M" chassis was introduced. Tubular steel was used for the frame and for the front assembly, the engine being mounted on the main frame tubes at the front. The normal sports engine was of 961-c.c. (85 x 85-mm.), and the much faster o.h.v. unit had a bore and stroke of 90 x 77.5-mm. The G.P. models all had water-cooled engines and mostly Amac carburetters; lubrication was by a hand pump usually found on the dashboard.Throttle controls were mounted on the steering wheel, only two pedals being fitted, i.e., footbrake and clutch. Steering was direct (1 to 1), and suspension was by coil springs and sliding axles on the front (independent) and quarter-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. External expanding band brakes were fitted on the rear wheel only, a feature that was retained right up to the Aero models of 1926.

Transmission was via a leather-faced, cone-type clutch and an enclosed prop, shaft to a bevel box. A cross-shaft in the bevel box carried on each side of it a dog-clutch and a chain sprocket. Twin chains drove the rear wheel, each one supplying a gear. The gear-change dogs were retained by phosphor-bronze selector forks, and a central gear lever was fitted in the cockpit. Wheel- base was 7-ft., track 3-ft. 9-in„ and ground clearance a mere 6-in. The weight of the complete vehicle was 41-cwt., which seems incredible to-day, and was the main contributory factor to the startling acceleration possessed by these old G.P. Morgans.

The Morgan Aero

The G.P. was continued until 1924, when it was at first supplemented and finally supplanted by the Aero series. The Aero achieved immense popularity, and was a genuine 70-m.p.h. car. The power unit was either J.A.P., Anzani or Blackburne. The racing Blackburne (85 x 96.8-mm.) was undoubtedly the fastest engine of the three, developing over 40 b.h.p. at 4,000 r.p.m. with a standard compression ratio of 5+ to 1. The special K.M.C. type was capable of pushing out some 50 b.h.p.

The later-type J.A.P., also a pushrod o.h.v. unit, equalled this output, and when the Blackburne concern ceased making cyclecar engines the J.A.P. became the engine wear for all Aero models. The standard o.h.v. Anzani-Vulpine unit was not quite so powerful, whilst the ultra-rapid eight-valve and o.h.c. Anzani productions were featured mainly on purely racing machines. It is interesting to recall that H. Beart took international records in 1924 at Brooklands with his Aero-Blackburne. In doing so he covered a flying kilometre at 96-m.p.h - a fantastic speed for a virtually same-as-you-can-buy model.

As Morgans tended to become more and more used for highspeed, long-distance touring, steering reduction was adopted. A super-Aero model made a sensational debut at the 1927 motorcycle show, and, with its ultra-low build, "wicked-looking" lines and 80 m.p.h. guarantee it became the sportsman's dream. Early examples had K.M.C. Blackburne engines, but the "super" is generally identified with tne i0/40 J.A.P., one of the finest engines ever turned out by J. A. Prestwich, Ltd. Although water-cooled engines were standardised, many people managed to have air-cooled units fitted somewhat similar to those fitted in the magnificent Brough-Superior motor-cycles. All super-sports Morgans had three-wheel brakes.

A further development was the "M" chassis, which gave a much lower centre of gravity, improved stability and road- holding. A three-speed (and reverse) gearbox was adopted, and a single chain took the place of the dual arrangement. A knockout spindle made rear wheel removal not quite the task it had been, whilst the old side-mounted starting dogs had long since been scrapped in favour of a front mounting. The car also grew a self-starter which was not, however, always an aid to easier starting. In its final form the Super-Sports Morgan was fitted with a Matchless power unit, either air or water-cooled. Although the performance of the cars was good, they were scarcely as fast as the older versions. After the war, and since the Matchless engine was no longer available, the three-wheelers were fitted with four-cylinder engines of Ford manufacture, of 8-h.p. and 10-h.p. The post-war cars also possessed a sporting performance, but enthusiasts lusted for the return of the big-twins, maintaining that the Morgan was tending to become more and more a small car instead of the sparkling three-wheeler of former days.

However, the four-wheeler, or 4/4 as it was known, had won for itself a useful following. A high power-to-weight ratio, good road-holding, and a lively performance made it a fine little fast road car. It was rather on the low side for trials, unfortunately. It was first produced with the overhead-inlet-valve Coventry-Climax power unit, but this has given way to a 1267-c.c. (63.5 x 100-mm.) o.h.v. (pushrod) engine of Standard origin, which was admittedly considerably smoother than the older unit. This engine was first fitted to the drop-head coupe in 1939, but very few cars reached the public with it.

The 4/4 weighed around 14.5-cwt., had Girling brakes, semi-elliptic rear springs, and the familiar independent front suspension assisted by Newton-Bennet shock absorbers. Gear ratios were 5, 7.1,12.1 and 17.1 to 1. Maximum speed was about 80 m.p.h., and, owing to the light weight, the car possessed exceptionally good acceleration. A 90-m.p.h. T.T. replica was made in 1939 with the Coventry-Climax, but was not reissued with the Standard engine. The cars performed remarkably well in competitions, especially in the big rallies, driven mainly by H. F. S. Morgan, and the Goodalls, pere et fils. It is also worth mentioning that the highest speed ever attained on a three-wheeler prior to the war went to the honour of a woman driver, Mrs. W. D. Hawkes (Gwenda Stewart). She covered the flying kilometre at an average speed of nearly 116 m.p.h. at Arpajon. Famous names associated with Morgan three-wheelers were E. B. Ware, G. N. Norris, H. C. Lones, W. D. Hawkes, R. R. Jackson, Eric Fernihough, R. T. Horton, T. A. Rhodes, G. C. Harris, and many others.