Morgan 3 Wheeler 2015 Review

It's been four years since the Morgan 3 Wheeler was reintroduced to an enthralled audience at the Geneva motor show. A costly and protracted exercise in meeting Australian Design Rules meant the model's arrival here was delayed. It also contributed a fair whack to its price (would you believe over $100K on-road?). But here it is. And we couldn't be happier. In spite of its many compromises and impracticalities the M3W is a vehicle that captivates the child within and stirs the soul with each passing mile. A shame its cost will prevent it from remaining little more than a weekend plaything of the very well-to-do...

When the steam locomotive was first put in to practical use, there were scientists who predicted that "such unnatural swiftness" would result in the suffocation of its passengers. If that were true, I'd surely be writing to you from beyond the grave.

Travelling in the Morgan 3 Wheeler, I feel something like a dog with its head stuck out the window. Slobbering in the breeze, my face exposed to stones and filth from the vehicle ahead, the M3W provides a true sensation of the elements we're sheltered from in our modern cars.

As a motorcyclist I can tell you I felt more vulnerable in that respect than I ever have on two wheels. The added height of a bike and a Perspex visor prevents your face becoming a moving mudflap. The helmet also stops the intense noise and pressure of the passing air from pummelling your ear drums into submission.

In spite of all of this, I didn't at any time feel at risk of asphyxiation...

The M3W is the singularly most enjoyable and entertaining form of carriage I can ever recall experiencing. Yes, it's anachronistic is every respect. Yes, it's at risk of being crushed from every angle by towering SUVs and trucks. And yes, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) quite literally feels like little more than an obsolescent buzz word.

But you know what? None of that matters. As a cousin of mine put it: "the M3W exists for no rational reason, but I'm so glad it does". And I am too.

It's been a long and very expensive road for Morgan to get the 3 Wheeler to the showroom floor in Australia. ADR regulations mean the M3W is recognised as a car Down Under, whereas in most other markets it's considered a motorcycle.

Homologation has therefore contributed rather a hefty addendum to the local sticker price, which now includes not only a portion of the recoupment of those costs, but also a 33 per cent luxury car tax and five per cent vehicle import tax.

In short, that makes the M3W around $50,000 dearer than in its home market (UK) and Australia the dearest place in the world to buy one.

Yes, this little 'trike' retails for $97,500 (plus ORCs), or around $105,755 drive-away. Add a few choice items of personalisation (and who wouldn't?), and you'll very quickly find yourself paying BMW M3 money for an impractical toy you'll likely only use on the occasional 'nice weekend'.

I'm sure many will find the price hard to excuse. Let's face it: $100K is an indulgence for 550kg of metal, wood and leather. It's even harder to fathom when you consider there are no electronic driver aids, no infotainment features, no heater and no cup-holders (though we admit sipping a latte with a 100km/h headwind might be something of a challenge).

That said, the Australian-delivered M3W is arguably the best-equipped anywhere. ADR inclusions such as repositioned front indicators and side repeaters, a collapsible steering column, a high-level brake light and a back-up light, exhaust lagging tape, roll-over hoops, central rear-view mirror, and seatbelt and brake failure warning lights make it the relatively well endowed.

Mind you, there is no anti-lock braking system, no stability control and no airbags.

Absolve the expenditure and the M3W is an experience like no other. It's certainly like nothing I've ridden or driven before. I compare it more closely with a Gypsy Moth I once flew. It's a vehicle equally as susceptible to its surroundings, flinching at disturbances beneath it and progressing onward with little concern for comfort. That said, the ride isn't as bad as you'd assume, and the controls provide accuracy usually the reserve of purpose-built race cars.

It's a car you feel to drive. The tapered tail of the M3W means your peripheral vision can't be trusted to align yourself within a lane. Initially you find yourself tacking slightly from one side to the other, the low-slung driving position and lack of reference only adding to the disconcerting feel of the Mog's diminutive stature.

Couple this to the buzzing of the vee-twin though the seat and wheel, and the rousting of the breeze about your ears, and you soon discover to trust the feedback of the controls.

The steering talks of the Morgan's position in the lane. You feel the indents left by heavy vehicles and know when you're ascending the asphalt's 'valley walls'. All that feedback is accompanied by a propensity to hit every bump, the triangular footprint meaning the potholes you miss with the front wheels are almost surely collected by the rear.

The steering wheel isn't assisted, and doesn't need to be. The skinny spoked (front) wheels are easily deflected, presenting only a hint of resistance in hard cornering. The Mog's light weight means it's nimble in the corners, while the wide front track makes it surprisingly stable.

Push a little harder and the M3W will progress to understeer. There's a howl from the four-inch Avons as the front wheels begin to lose purchase, the situation resolved by throttle steering and twitching the steering wheel to recover direction. It all happens quite instinctively, the little three-wheeler never feeling unruly. It really is a sweet little thing once you 'learn' it.

It's very characterful and certainly involving, though it's not the sort of car that needs to be driven hard to enjoy. Even within the speed limit the Morgan feels brisk, the proximity to the road heightening the sensation of speed to a point where you're unaware of travelling 10km/h under the limit.

Highway speeds feel rather quick, and when you couple this to the lively chassis and a face full of bugs, the exaggeration of pace almost discourages the need to 'have a crack'.

But as well as 'learning' the chassis, you also need to be mindful that the engine is not a free-revving four. The X-Wedge 56-degree air-cooled V-twin (manufactured by Wisconsin-based S&S) displaces 1983cc and is happiest to moping along at around 3250rpm – where maximum torque of 140Nm is developed.

It will rev out to around 5500rpm, and is stated to develop maximum power (of 60kW) at 5250. However, it's unnecessary to ascend the dizzying heights of the aviation-styled tacho, with short gear changes at 3500rpm adequate for most scenarios.

The M3W drives the 15-inch (175/65) rear wheel via a Mazda-sourced five-speed manual (think NB-series MX-5) and toothed-belt drive. Morgan says the M3W will hit 100km/h in six seconds, and though we didn't run the test, I reckon the figure is about right.

There's a set of solid 278mm discs up front with coil-over-spring dampers and double wishbones. The rear is suspended by a double trailing arm set-up with dual coil-over-spring damper units, while the rear wheel is arrested by a 244mm drum brake.

The turning circle is atrocious considering the car's 3260mm length, and most car parks will take careful judgement, or a second attempt.

The Morgan's front cowl covers the reservoir for the engine's dry sump, the air intake and filter and battery. At the rear, the small 'boot' allows storage for the jack and spare tube in channels parallel to the rear wheel cover. A 42-litre fuel tank sits ahead of the boot and behind the front seats.

The M3W's front seats are fixed and in the case of our test car optioned with electric heating elements ($720). The pedals are adjustable, though this is done at the dealership, and takes a couple of hours.

You'll also visit the dealer every 5000km for a service. The warranty is a two-year/100,000km affair.

If the idea of flipping the Panavia Tornado GR4 starter cover and hearing the stereo pipes of a V-twin spit to life is something you wish to embrace – or if you're just keen to grin from ear to ear as you duck and weave around airborne bugs and pebbles – chances are Morgan has your car.

It's a truly a unique look and experience, and I mean that with the very most positive connotation possible. Such a shame bureaucracy has placed such exorbitant limits on its accessibility.

 Also consider:
>> Can-Am Spyder (from $24,590 plus ORCs)
>> Mazda MX-5 (from $31,990 plus ORCs)