1934 Morgan Sports

Registration no. AHW 77 Chassis no. N119 Engine no. MX192

Footnotes

Its superior power-to-weight ratio enabled H F S Morgan's humble, three-wheeled cyclecar to outperform many a larger engined four-wheeler, and its maker was not slow to capitalise on his creation's competition potential. A Gold Medal in the 1911 London-Exeter-London Reliability Trial with Morgan himself driving was followed by victory in the inaugural cyclecar race at Brooklands the following year, Harry Martin taking the chequered flag three minutes ahead of the field. Racetrack successes led directly to road-going spin-off in the form of the Grand Prix model, introduced for 1914. The first Aero sports model, inspired by the Grand Prix, followed immediately after WWI. Subsequent technological developments included the fitting of front brakes, operated by hand lever, from 1924 and the adoption of a new chassis - the M-type - on the new Super Sports model in 1928. This new chassis was some 2½" lower than its predecessor and undoubtedly helped Morgans trounce the opposition at the New Cyclecar Club's meeting at Brooklands later that year.

Competition from small sports cars forced the adoption of a conventional three-speeds-and-reverse gearbox in 1931, the last two-speed model leaving the factory within a couple of years. A more refined version - the F4, with 8hp Ford Model Y four-cylinder power unit - appeared soon after, later forming the basis of the first four-wheeled Morgan. From the mid-1930s onwards, Morgan three-wheelers, like George Brough's superlative motorcycles, were fitted with Matchless v-twin engines in preference to those from JAP.

This three-speed Morgan Sports has the 990cc sidevalve water-cooled engine, supplied exclusively to Morgan by Matchless. 'AHW 77' was purchased by the current vendor in 1960 and used with much enjoyment for several years before being restored in the 1990s. The engine was rebuilt and the crankcase rear main bearing modified for clutch thrust, while the braking system was up-rated by adopting Morris Minor hydraulic brakes at the front, operated via a Morris Marina master cylinder. Much bodywork was renewed, the interior re-upholstered and the electrics converted to 12 volts. The ignition uses a Citroën coil. We are advised that 'AHW 77' starts and runs but has not been used for ten years; careful re-commissioning is advised before returning it to the road. Accompanying paperwork consists of an old-style logbook and V5 registration document.