Morgan Cars
The young Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan, born in 1884 and son of the vicar George Morgan, was not attracted to the study of the Bible, it was his technique. After completing his studies at the school of Malborough and after a brief stay in an art school, Harry (so he called his family) were enrolled in the Crystal Palace Engineering College. His father, a very open person, helped him get his first job as a mechanic in the factories draughtsman Great Western Railway in the town of Swindon.
In 1906 Morgan rode his own workshop in Malvern Link. The young entrepreneur has suffered a sharp economic downturn when it left the road on a slope between Bromyard and Hereford with a 3.5 HP leased Benz and smashed. If I wanted to remain a conveyance itself had to build a car. In 1909 there could be no thinking about buying.
A 7-hp twin cylinder engine of the Peugeot, initially planned to be mounted on a motorcycle, the power plant would be the first single-Threewheeler Morgan. The address was provided by a bar and the body was made up solely of protective plates for the wheels. This limitation to the most essential brought with the vehicle still weigh very little, less than 100 kg, which incidentally resulted in a power / weight ratio amazingly supportive. The first of the Morgan already was, in terms of temperament, an entire sport.
At first, H.F.S. Not thought in a series production. The idea came from his father, the priest, who financed his son the elements needed to build some models shows.
It was exhibited for the first time in 1910 at an exhibition of bicycles and motorcycles in the courtroom Olympia London and drew attention powerfully. The magazine The Motor Cycle clearly recognized the importance of Morgan Runabout 4 HP Model of Malvern: “The Morgan Hall secondary Olympia is a three-wheeled vehicle that should not be overlooked by any of the attendees at this show” .
In truth the young Morgan was a very lucid and creative ideas, as the approach of its autociclo was not only original but also highly effective and advanced to the point that it would be in force for a quarter century. That effectiveness was based mainly on the concepts of simplicity. For example, the chassis consists of two tubes made of straight beams; simple, but lightweight enough.
Another strength is the independent suspension. The front axle was firmly fixed on the chassis, but at the ends of the tubes had some manguetas that can be moved up and down, held back by two springs. It was based on the Decauville system, and was at one time the same principle as Lancia discovered many years later in his revolutionary model Lambda. Meanwhile the suspension of the single rear wheel ran by two semiballestas cantilever. The wide track width, combined with the low height of the package and that independent suspension, as a result gave a wonderful stability, is unthinkable in view of the rudimentary device.
Despite all the volume of orders was not as expected. Possibly due to the limited transport capacity to a single person interested in the car hesitated, because there was a model of two places. Another cause might lie in the Morgan No. 1 had not been tested in competition. But Harry Morgan found the solution to this: the first series of Morgan, presented at the exhibition of motorcycles at the Olympia in 1911, had two seats, windshield and hood. And during the months preceding Harry participated with great success in various sports competitions.
In late 1911, H.F.S. Was imposed and orders of his vehicle, which could gain from 65 pounds, was crowded. This rain of orders increased confidence of the banks in this young entrepreneur who, with the help of loans, was able to expand. In 1912, 28 years old, founded the Morgan Motor Company.
From the beginning, the advertising slogan of the Morgan Motor Company was: “The first of the real sports cars.” It sounded a little pretentious, but as a statement of intent.
Morgan never come to manufacture engines, and was limited to select the most suitable market. So the customer had an option to choose the most appropriate to use propellant to give thought to their car, or sport utility. Bicilindricos engines were at the beginning cooled air, but later joined others also cooled by water, thermosyphon, for which there was need to attach a small radiator behind the same engine. Engines were mounted with side valves, or head, which were most common brands Peugeot, MAG, JAP, Anzani, Blackburne or Matchless.
Two very important victories Morgan in competition rounded the year 1912: Harry Martin won with a Morgan JAP engine with the first race Cyclecars in Brooklands circuit at an average speed higher than 90 km / h. And at the same H.F.S. Lacked the singing of a penny to overcome in the same circuit the “sound barrier” of 60 miles (60 km / h).
However these two sensational events of 1912 1913: the victory of WG McMinnies with Morgan-JAP ahead of 37 rivals in the Grand Prix Cyclecar in Amiens (France), in July. The commentary on the pilot after three hours, 53 minutes and 9 seconds that lasted the race over a distance of 162.9 miles (average speed of 41.9 mph) was as follows: “I would have liked my car would have been the twice as fast. ” The evolution that Threewheeler would then be much closer to the wishes of McMinnies.
In 1914, for example, H.F.S. Built for the international career of Cyclecars in the Isle of Man a version of racing, single-seater, with a four-valve engine MAG, battle longer and driving position reduced. This aerodynamic bodywork could reach 80 miles per hour (nearly 130 mph).
However, the First World War was to prevent further escalation of success for Morgan. On November 15, 1916 the British ministry of munitions banned the manufacture of motor vehicles without a license, except for export.
Until November 1918, which ended the Great War, Morgan was unable to resume normal production. Already in the spring of 1919 were built 15 Threewheeler a week at the workshop Morgan. During that year the facilities were transferred to ships with a capacity to manufacture no less than 2,500 copies annually.
In 1919, parents could also be given a taste of professional Threewheeler Morgan, as it was introduced the first four-seater Morgan and had been baptized, in allusion logic, under the name Family.
The following years were marked by small changes, which were always intended to facilitate the handling of this impetuous racing car. Remove the rear wheel, if punctured, it was easier. Other examples were the dynamo was attached directly to the gearbox and the front wheels wore braces! Undoubtedly H.F.S. Morgan had established a competent car: until 1923 had been manufactured in England (and in the factory French Darmont licensed) no less than 40,000 Threewheelers.
However, it still had not produced the model most coveted among addicted to Morgan: it was the Super Sports Aero frame with longer and lower, wider track front, shock absorbers and a twin cylinder engine in V to 60 degrees with JAP water cooling, a cylinder capacity of 1,096 cc and 40 PS. This supermorgan was announced in 1927, and in 1928 began their manufacture at a price of 150 pounds. It achieved a top speed in excess of dreamy 80 mph (about 130 km / h), in an era in which, for example, a large 4.5-liter Bentley was just the 95 mph. At the time of accelerating, the voluminous Bentley had nothing to do against this tiny tricycles, at least until the 100 km / h.
Under these circumstances and with these premises was not surprising that Morgan remained rivals to beat in the races Cyclecar of time. In the Grand Prix Cyclecar Club in Brooklands, in August 1928 the Morgan “tresruedas” won four of the five races. The rivals had names like Amilcar, Salmson, Austin Riley, Jowett…
The audience appreciated the welcome that apparently was not a pleasure too risky to pull Morgan launched a competition to about 100 miles per hour, as no tricycles had an accident. And yet even during 1924/25 there had been attempts to exclude Morgan tricycles of the circuits for security reasons.
Already at that time it was feared the danger they could pose punctures. Surely also played an important role by the fact that at the beginning a three-wheeled prove puzzling to the inexperienced. In 1930, he was able to read a commentary on the subject in the magazine The Motor Cycle: “When it comes to driving a three-wheeled motorists will find it more difficult to motorcyclists. These apañarán to first. But those from cars, first must get accustomed to the absence of a pedal to accelerate and management relatively straightforward. ”
Even after a few years, in 1944, the magazine Motor Cycling gave the following advice: “Although it is known to drive a car, can not be expected to carry a Morgan smoothly at 60 mph in line. At first there is a perception and the belief that there never will learn. A Morgan needs to be treated like a horse race: gently but insistently. The location is very straightforward, so you should not be trying to turn the wheel, just hold it and press slightly in the direction you want to go. Once it has caught the tranquillo, Morgan does everything that is asked… less… get up and pray. ”
What would have been able to prove this theory that the best records of a former pilot motorcycles, Gwenda Stewart, in 1929? In Montlhéry (Brooklands women were not allowed at the wheel) Gwenda joined with a Super Sport modifying Aero, inter alia, the following records: 350 cc class of 5 miles with the departure launched, at an average speed of 119.11 km / h in the class of 1,000 cc departing one hour stop at an average speed of 163438 km / h.
The following year, Gwenda Stewart continued its escalation of records and demonstrating sufficient cite his average speed mile launched in the class of 1,300 cc achieved in Ardajon: 184.80 km / h.
In view of all these successes it is not surprising that Morgan sold very well, even when the early thirties England is affected by the global economic crisis.
The production capacity of Morgan remained at full capacity thanks to the repasos depth and new models, as well as reductions in prices. In 1930 H.F.S. Lowered prices on ten pounds. In 1931 he introduced a new chassis and another gearbox with three marches forward, and finally a reverse. The transmission ran now run by a single chain. Besides the models of three marches were equipped with wipers, electric starter and speedometer. The supplier of the engines, JAP, the angle between cylinders ranged from 50 to 60 degrees in order to improve the roundness of operation.
At the beginning of 1932 was replaced by the Aero Sport Twoseater. Since then the Morgan Threewheeler characterized also by a number of spare wheel at the rear (with the exception of Beetleback). Now, the spare wheel had its reason for being, because for the first time used wheels Dunlop Magna, interchangeable and replaceable. Besides a small revolution in the clutch was being prepared, instead of the clutch by talons, usually during the 21 preceding years, starting in 1932 would be used a clutch monodisco dry.
In March 1933 came to the market first Matchless-Morgan, a twin V-50 degrees and cooled with a cylinder capacity of 990 cc. In November of that same year H.F.S. Shocked the world with the first of Threewheeler Morgan leading the four-cylinder engine of 933 cc Ford Y. The completely new and greater chassis built Rubery Owen-Ltd.
Since 1935 Morgan and employ only two brands of engines: Matchless bicilíndricos for models and Ford for the four-cylinder versions. However, in 1935 when they came to Threewheelers. Changes in the law prevented the owners of a Threewheeler enjoy significant reductions in taxes.
But Morgan reacted swiftly, two days after Christmas in 1935 presented its first Fourwheeler series, the 4 / 4 and was just in time. It is unimaginable as the company would have been able to survive the year 1936 but had been for the excellent 4 / 4. While in 1934 even 659 Threewheeler were sold in 1935 and only 286 were purchased in 1936 were 137 in 1939 and only 29 were sold.
Anyway H.F.S. Remained faithful to its popular three-wheeled car even after the Second World War. Along with the models 4 / 4 Morgan continued from 1947 to 1952 produced two models Ford Threewheeler practically unchanged, F4 and the F Super. At the end the cessation of production was almost bound ultimately by the lack of understanding of customers abroad. Morgan also had to export if they wanted to ensure the supply of steel in an England badly strained by the war in the early fifties.