Morgan returns to three wheels

The Morgan Threewheeler, the model on which the company was founded in 1909, will make a comeback next year, debuting at the Geneva Motor Show.

Billed as a weekend fun car, the Threewheeler is powered by a 1.8-litre Harley-Davidson Screaming Eagle V-twin engine, power going to the single rear wheel via Mazda-sourced five speed manual transmission.

Morgan predicts that the car will complete the 0-100mph sprint in 4.5 seconds and max out at about 180km/h. It features an aircraft-style cockpit, complete with a bomb-release starter button.

Morgan Australia's Chris Van Wyk says "we first have to achieve Australian compliance to determine if can be sold here", which hinges largely on its weight rather than its lack of a fourth wheel. In Australia such vehicles must "weigh 450kg and at the moment we have not received an official weight."

Something of a minor flood of new Morgans is on the way, the company's local operation resolving a three year tussle with ADRs to once more allow the supply of the Classic Morgan range.

Van Wyk says existing orders, some dating from 2006, "have now received priority in the Morgan production queue and as a result seven cars will be produced for Australia before the end of this year. Due to the strength of the Australian Dollar, it has been possible to reduce prices by approximately $20,000 compared to 2006."

The local line-up of Ford engine powered Classic Morgans is: the Roadster Sport 3.0 V6 165kW at $132,910; Roadster 3.0 V6 165 kW ($122,900); Plus 4 2.0 Inline 4 106 kW ($89,910); 4/4 Sport 1.6 Inline 4 82 kW ($78,500).

While the $375,000 Aero SuperSports  with its 4.8-litre BMW V8  remains the flagship, five local orders have been made for the SuperSport Junior pedal car -- a $7260 two meter long pedal car for kids.

The 101-year-old car maker will this year produce a record 800 cars in its Worcestershire factory. The next new model, due in 2012, is the EvaGT 4-seater coupe, powered by BMW's 3.0-litre twin scroll turbo inline six.