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Morgan is not a newcomer to the automotive industry. In 2010 Morgan will celebrate 100 years of producing motor vehicles. In this world of General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Ford and Kia there is not a lot of room for cottage industries left over from the days where there were true Master craftsmen in every village and town. Quaintly quirky small manufacturers who have little interest in assembly lines and mass production have all but disappeared from market save for areas like jewelry, stained glass, portrait painting and the like. The local one-family grocery store has all but vanished, along with the local candy store, ice cream shop. McDonalds can be found near the Great Wall of China.

Toyota produces more cars in one hour than Morgan has built in last 99 years. Yet in spite of their Lilliputian production figures Morgan has achieved a tremendous record in racing having produced a fair number of truly fun vehicles. Almost any historic race series that includes vehicles from the 1920s on will sport Morgan three-wheelers as well as four-wheeled competitors.

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Yes, Three-wheeled contraptions with James A Preston “JAP” motors that
spit, rattle and shake like a World War One machine gun. With two wheels up front and one driven-wheel in the back the three-wheeled Morgans are fun at 20 mph, exciting at 45 mph and an exercise in concentration and sheer fortitude at any higher speeds.

With the exception of the modern Morgan Aero Series, which became unavailable for shipping to North American after August 2008, Morgan’s have always sported sliding pillar front suspension and live rear axles. Sophisticated for the 1930s and a bit behind the times ever since. Morgan has always purchased their drive trains, from Triumph, Rover or other manufacturers. The cars have always been fairly light in weight, ranging from 1,500 to a bit above 2,200 pounds. Traditionally Morgans are light, fast, cheerful, economical, loaded with personality and easy for an owner to maintain.  It is not uncommon to find that an older Morgan has been in someone’s family for 40 or 50 years, often named and treated like a member of the family.