Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Test drive questions...

Cheers, gents!

Finally had my test drive, and am happy to go into detail for those who are interested. I did have a few questions, though:

1) I found the pedals to be entirely too close together, easy to nail the accelerator with going for the brake...this is not 'heel and toeing' and rather frightful. I wore my driving mocs, so it's not b/c my feet were too big.

2) LHD car..the speedo is closest to the driver...and largely blocked by the steering wheel.

Any one else have these concerns?

...but did you enjoy it??

Not sure re pedals, but others I recall from reading on here have switched over the speedo to the other side easily.

Speedo is blocked but rev counter is more important anyway... Changing to a Brooklands wheel fixes this so that you can see both

Go on - give us the details

Gladly! I'm not one of those pushy Yanks, so I tend to not bother others...

First, it looks far better in person than in print or on line. It has a rightness of proportion and a balance, and the black wire wheels and mud guards...which I previously thought had an 'unfinished' look are downright sexy, the way they hug the tread, the proportion of them to the wheel as a whole. I love cars with curves, and this whole car is just one big, accentuated curve. I love proportion and balance, very few cars today have either, nevertheless both.

Ok, the drive. As a disclaimer, my frame of reference is the '89 Alfa Spider I've loved and modified over the past 26 years. So, 'Being out in the open' and "Noise" aren't so novel for me, but merely an expectation, not to be distracted by.

The first thing is the motor. Speaking of frames of reference, unless your garage also houses a motorbike, there's nothing that can prepare for the experience of sitting in a close cockpit with a MX 5 5 speed box and a round steering wheel, and being thrown down the road by a V Twin. It is instantaneously torquey and remains so throughout the range and gives off an absolutely intoxicating bark....not like our Harley's which are loud but crude, but rather refined. Some have spoken about modifying the exhaust for more growl, but not at the expense of hearing that glorious sound from the front! And, it pulls into the the ne'er reaches of RPM's, I don't think I got it out of third gear. Not that I needed to, the enjoyment factor began as soon as we were underway, I had more fun at 40mph than I've had lapping Nurburgring in a Turbo Porsche at 150.

Lots have talked about the vibration, which wasn't such an issue for me, the ride was surprisingly compliant, the steering light, direct and positive. The fit and finish was excellent, and it had that undefinable yet clearly recognizable expensive feel. It had a heft and substance that belies it's weight and size.

A thoroughly exhilarating experience. The most unique and the purest motoring experience I think I've ever had. The Ultimate Driving Machine.

The down side to all this is that the as delivered price here in the Colonies is about GBP 5000 higher (including the absurd 1500 Rest of World charge), which given the current occupants of both my garage and home make it just a bit of a reach right now.

Unless someone wants my extra fine '84 XJ6...

A great review and it sounds like you're hooked

You forgot to say that the leather smells sooo good.

Actually, no, I didn't find the leather to be particularly aromatic...or soft to the touch...generally I find most modern leathers to be processed to within an inch of their natural lives. I think a good dose of "Leather Honey"...my absolute favourite leather preservative on the planet...would help.

I had the same impression about the pedals on my first ride, but it depends largely on the shoes: avoid thick rubber sole, it does not give the necessary feedback on the brakes and it is generally wide, go for a thin sole as the ones used on racing boots (OMP, Sparco, etc.). You will see that actually the pedals are well spaced.

Exactly right. You have to wear proper racing shoes - moccasins are fine in normal cars but no good in Morgans, especially the M3W. My shoes are size 49 Euro, so towards the Coco the Clown end of the scale, and - provided I was wearing the right shoes - I found the pedal box of my M3W perfect in every respect, except of course the absence of resting space for the left foot. A steering wheel spacer improves that but does not fully solve the problem.