Retro sports car maker Morgan recently killed off its quirky 3 Wheeler because the S&S V-twin motorcycle engine driving the single rear wheel could no longer meet European emissions requirements. But now the classic trike is on its way back, updated with a new mid-century look inspired by the early jet age and powered by a totally new powertrain.
Sadly, the engine in question isn’t a boxer twin from one of BMW’s motorcycles, which would have helped retain the three-wheeler’s character, and expanded Morgan’s 20-year relationship with the German brand. BMW currently supplies four- and six-cylinder engines for Morgan’s four-wheel cars. Instead, Morgan has teamed up with another long-time partner, Ford. The new 3 Wheeler gets a Ford-sourced three-cylinder engine found in cars like the Fiesta.
While Ford’s three-cylinder lineup in the Fiesta stretches from a naturally-aspirated 1.1 with 74 hp, via various 1.0-liter turbo versions making between 94 and 153 hp, and tops out with the 197 hp ST hot hatch, Morgan says that they are going to use a naturally aspirated version for the new 3 Wheeler. The old 3 Wheeler made just 82 hp so maybe that’s no surprise. Morgan is still testing the 3 Wheeler and has only released a handful of pictures of a heavily disguised development car. But it’s clear that the power source isn’t the only thing that’s changed.
The company claims the revised styling is inspired by the early jet age, and we can see the prototype is running conventional wheels rather than wires and obviously has no engine exposed. Comparing old with new, it’s also evident from the position of the steering rack and angle of the coilover shocks that the suspension is all new.
We wouldn’t be surprised if the final car bears more than a passing resemblance to the EV3 electric 3 Wheeler Morgan revealed in 2016 and planned to put in production. That never happened due to supplier issues, but Morgan’s announcement that the Three-Wheeler will be powered by an internal combustion engine ‘at launch’ is a big hint that it will happen soon. Morgan started out making three-wheeled cars, only adding a four-wheel model in the late 1930s. The trike made a comeback in 2011 and proved a massive boost for the company, suddenly making it cool again, bringing the Morgan name to a new, much younger audience, and allowing sales to restart in the U.S. for the first time in years.
