So after posting here for a month...I finally drove a M3W at Brighton Motors in Scotsdale, AZ.
Their "official" demo car was out of the shop as Shane had driven it to a Morgan meet today, but Eric in sales and Shane (owner) were nice enough to arrange to have a customer loan his car out for my test drive (Black and Mulberry car with custom stripes - a beautiful car, and I'd like to thank the owner for his generosity if he's a TMer!) - I promise I was gentle
My impressions...
The torque is amazing - the ability to spin the rear wheel at will - from a stop - or even in first gear in motion is a unique experience in this day of traction control...
I was driving on pristine Scotsdale roads, so I had no experience of the bump steer that so many complain about - but I have no doubt that it exists. The car was a joy between 30mph and 55mph, but my confidence in the car drops precipitously at speed. There is no doubt that this is a car for cruising at moderate/low speeds, around town or in back country roads. The M3W was more fun at 45mph than my 997 is at 110mph. Anyone who complains about the car's poor handling at speed totally misses the point of what this car is about...frankly the car is a touch scary above 70mph. If you plan on spending a fair amount of time over 55mph this is not the car for you.
The roar of the S&S X-wedge is sublime, and is surely one of the highlights of driving this car, you certainly don't miss having a stereo! There is so much torque on hand, that shifting is a bit optional, I did my entire ride around town in second and third. I agree with other who recommend keeping the revs up over 3000 - which is really easy to do.
However...the entire drivetrain makes some very interesting sounds, and those sounds do not inspire confidence...There was some clunking when shifting. There were also various rattles and groans that really detract from the driving experience and give the impression, dare I say it, that this is more of a kit car than a finely engineered machine. I noticed some bevel box whine - but it was quite tolerable. I plan on driving the demo car tomorrow, and according to Shane, it has a pronounced bevel box whine that will need to be serviced, I look forward to the comparison.
Fit and finish were fine, though the speedometer position and indicator stalk position on LHD cars take some getting used to. In the loaner car I drove, the shift knob had come loose and needed to be tightened. Morgan really needs to move to a knob that screws directly to the shaft, and abandon the fiddly set screws. In addition, the cheapo steering wheel is a TOTAL letdown an upgrade to a Simmonds or Moto-lita is the first change I would make.
The car really makes a statement. On my 30 minute drive, no less than 3 people rolled down their windows at stoplights to ask me about the car - that has never happened to me before.
In the end, I love the car, but the drivetrain needs work. I wonder if things won't be better in a few years once the factory gets around to fettling this important issue, it's a bit of a letdown in what is otherwise a sublime car.
And that's the rub, at around $51,000 USD, this is an expensive toy. At $35,000 I imagine I could overlook the drivetrain issues... I'm hoping that the demo I drive tomorrow is better, but as I'm located three states away, I worry that I won't have access to knowledgeable mechanics who can tweek the car if it goes awry...that's a worry.
Lets see what tomorrow's drive brings...
Cheers!
