Malvern car maker Morgan is already eyeing up the highly lucrative US market after notching up soaring sales of its new 3 Wheeler model.
Even for a company like Morgan, which launches new models with a fair measure of frequency, the fanfare for the company’s newest and highly distinctive offering has seen excitement levels running high.
The vehicle was launched at the recent Goodwood Festival in Sussex and is already shaping up as one of the company’s best-selling models.
More than 500 orders have been taken, meaning the company will be increasing production volumes next year to help cope with demand.
It might always have been part of the Morgan experience to have to go on a waiting list but with the 3 Wheeler the company is keen to ensure people are not kept waiting for more than 12 months.
But another reason to get production into full swing is to ensure the company is in a good position to cater for demand in the US when the car is launched there.
Chief designer Matthew Humphries said the bulging order book is “way more than we expected” but all eyes now are on its US launch in November.
“We expect the same number of sales in the US that we’ve had already elsewhere,” he said. “There’s been a huge amount of interest there already but now we’re at the point where people want to be able to see it and sit in it. In the US people tend to wait to see it before putting their money down.”
Ordinarily regulations mean launching a new car in the US can be a difficult and long-winded process but the 3 Wheeler has rather conveniently managed to circumnavigate some of the US’s notoriously complex regulatory red tape.
“It’s always tricky trying to get into the US,” added Mr Humphries, “but the 3 Wheeler is classed as a tricycle so motorcycle regulations apply, which makes it a lot easier for us.”
And he is confident that once those potential customers do get to see the 3 Wheeler the orders will come flooding in.
“Once they see it, they will see it for what the product is – a bespoke British sports car that’s taking a lot of influence from the original on which it is based – aircraft from that time and indeed anything from the 30s or 40s.”
The original he refers to is the Morgan Three-Wheeler, a cyclecar originally launched in 1910 which proved to be the foundation of the Morgan Motor Company.
Although the 3 Wheeler is, in many ways, a reinvention of that iconic vehicle, which was built by current boss Charles Morgan’s grandfather Harry, it is also making a statement of its own.
Mr Humphries said: “We are trying to get quirky humour into it too, with elements like the starter button being the bomb release button from a Eurofighter jet.
"At the end of the day a three-wheel car is a product of humour. All great British products have an element of humour about them.”
Despite that humorous element – buyers can even opt for paintwork in the style of a Spitfire, a hot-rod or retro pin-ups in the style of a B-52 bomber – the new Morgan boasts strong performance statistics with a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of more than 120mph.
But the real thrill, according to Mr Humphries, comes courtesy of its diminutive stature and compact dimensions.
“It is certainly a fast, fun car but the great thing about it is that because you are so low and close to the ground you feel quite cocooned,” he said.
“With a lot of supercars these days you don’t really feel the speed – you don’t have excitement from it – but with this you can cruise along at 50mph and it feels like you are doing 100mph.”
There was speculation about Morgan reinventing the 3 Wheeler for some time, though the company at times seemed reluctant.
But for Mr Humphries it was always something he had in mind.
“It is going back to the simple principles of what Morgan is about, making simple, lightweight, hand-crafted, bespoke products,” he added.
“The 3 Wheeler does make sense in terms of getting right back to our roots. People like the simplicity of it and the honesty of its design.”
The new 3 Wheeler costs £25,000, meaning it will set buyers back around £30,000 with VAT.
The general quirkiness of three wheels remains a strong selling point too.
It might not be the only three-wheeler and the genre might span everything from the naffness of Del Trotter’s Robin Reliant to the 60s cool of the Bond Bug but there’s no doubting their distinctiveness.
“I don’t know what it is – I think it’s because it’s less threatening and has that quirky feeling where three wheels seem more fun than four – that giggle factor is exactly what it’s all about,” said Mr Humphries.
Despite this the 3 Wheeler offers a car-like driving experience.
“It’s easy to drive, you get in and you forget you’ve got three wheels because the third wheel is behind you but it’s very nimble, lightweight and great fun, particularly when you’re out in the countryside flinging it around corners.”
The company remains confident it can take off globally as well as in the US and also takes a degree of satisfaction that this return to its roots is in line with a drive in the global automotive industry to make cars that are cleaner and greener too.
“It’s almost like the world has come back around to our way of thinking,” said Mr Humphries. “The 3 Wheeler will do 50mpg and has low CO2 emissions because it is lightweight and simple.
"There’s a lot of modern technology but it also harks back to the days of vintage motoring.”
