Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) 3 lire Roadster variants

This is a call to 3.0 litre Roadster experts. What are the distinguishing visual features of the S1, S2 and S3? A car registered in 2007 – 08 could be either an S1 or S2. Similarly, a car registered in 2010 – 11 might be an S2 or S3. I see that the dash design changed in 2007 and I notice several versions of the engine air intake parts. Is either of these features definitive? Does a Getrag gearbox signify only S1 or might a rolling production change have produced S1s with MT-75 boxes or S2s with Getrags? Perhaps the engine numbers are from different series or there is something in the VIN.

As you might gather, I am looking at 3 litre Roadsters and would like to be confident in assessing any car. Thanks in advance for any comments.

John McL.

The S1 has the cream gauges with speedo & revcounter ahead of the driver, and the Getrag box. The S1 also has the tombstone head restraints.

The S2 goes back to the traditional dash with speedo and revcounter in the centre of the dash. The intake system looks very different to the S1!

The S3 has the wider front frame so wider front track, and so is less of a lozenge shape.

My Roadster 100, with a CoC dated March 2010, has only the rev counter ahead of the driver. S2 or S3?

The S1 has more than enough power (and more than the 205 bhp S2), the best looking dash of all Morgans IMO, no rev hang, the better gearbox, and if it is an early S1 most likely a brass (not plastic) rad. That said, the S2 and S3 are excellent too, but the S1 might be the top, all considered. It is schizofrenic in the aspect that you can drive it like a diesel with very low revs if you want to cruise, but it changes to a true beast if you give it some food. Slight bump steer due to the steering geometry, don't know about that regarding the S2 and S3. What it doesn't have is sound - more like an ordinary sedan. I guess that is the same for all Roadsters.

A pair of sports silencers on the S1 roadster does make it sound a good bit better…

The S3 has a new engine map. It is recognizable by lifting the front covers. The exhaust manifold tubes meet under the fender while on the S2 the exhaust manifold tubes meet in the engine compartment.

Oh yes, I forgot that the S2 (&S3) dash had the revcounter in front of the driver, and the speedo and tri gauge in the centre! I must have blotted that from my memory because its not my favourite layout...

Gastons note above is a good way to split the S2 and S3, in addition to the wider front track of the S3.

My S3 was a Roadster Sport and therefore one of the first S3s that I picked up at M. Rutter in August 2010. I seem to remember that the Roadster 100s were still S2 models, earlier months in 2010. Also, the first S3s (Roadster Sport only) had no spare wheel, only two interior colours (saddle and black) and only a handful of exterior colours (blue, red, black, green, (ivory?) and later sand and teal as well). Only later one could order S3 as a customised car with a spare wheel, all colours etc.

Thank you to everyone for the information. Very helpful.

If you have a shortlisted car to inspect & pop the details on here, someone from TM may well know it's history