Category Archives: Morgan Sports Car Related Posts

It’s technically a motorcycle, and it starts at just under $54,000. (11 July 2023 Road and Track)

You have not been able to buy a new Morgan in the U.S since 2019. In the intervening years, Morgan has refreshed its lineup with a new Plus Four, Plus Six, and a successor to the 3-Wheeler, the Super 3. Now, the Super 3 has arrived on American soil, ending a long drought for Morgan’s loyal fans.

As with the old 3-Wheeler, the Super 3 is technically a motorcycle, surely making it easier to sell here than the four-wheeled Plus Four and Plus Six. The changes made for the U.S. market appear to be very subtle, Morgan saying that most have to do with lighting. The obvious difference between the U.K. and U.S. Super 3 is the headlights, which have moved out from near the fenders to just in front of the grille. The U.S. car also gets unique turn signals, and reflectors.

Otherwise, it’s what you get everywhere else. Neat retro-future styling plus the ability to add all sorts of accessories like panniers and other travel equipment. Under the hood is a 1.5-liter Ford three-cylinder that makes 118 hp and 110 lb-ft of torque and sends power to the rear wheel via a five-speed manual gearbox. If that doesn’t seem like enough power, remember the Super 3 weighs under 1500 pounds.

Morgan has a U.S.-specific Super 3 configurator on its website, and beyond being an A-plus time-waster, it also reveals pricing specifics on the car. It’s unfortunately not cheap. The base price is $53,937.88, and there a lot of available (and tempting) options. Still, there’s nothing like it on the market, so if this is the “car” you want, this is what you’ll have to pay. The British automaker also announced that it’s working on federalizing the new Plus Four, though it tells R&T that only the automatic version will come here. Soon, Morgan fans will have more options here than ever before.

[At this point, it is hard to say how this will effect the future importation of Morgan cars into the U.S. Morgan has been continually involved, as a potential Low-Volume Manufacturer, during this regulation’s evolution. They have commented on draft wording and supported the concepts inherent in the regulation. We shall have to see how this all works out, but, at this point in time, it can only be beneficial for us all. Mark]

After years of lobbying from SEMA, it’s now legal throughout the U.S. for manufacturers to build and sell brand-new replicas of cars over 25 years old.

Replica vehicles and kit cars have long been a way for enthusiasts to get a piece of some of the greatest examples of automotive unobtainium.  Thanks to the efforts of the Specialty Equipment Market Association and their partners lobbying Congress, the replica market is about to get a lot bigger.  Customers in the United States will now be able to legally purchase turn-key, factory-assembled replica vehicles, based on designs more than 25 years old, now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially implemented the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act.

According to this new policy, low-volume vehicle manufacturers will be able to construct up to 325 replica vehicles a year—anything from old-school hot rods to mid-century muscle cars and more modern classics.  These vehicles will still be required to comply with some level of federal oversight, but not at the level of modern mass-produced vehicles.  This should allow small manufacturers that don’t have the resources of a legacy automaker to build limited-production replicas that comply with the new law.

That said, these replica vehicles will still be required to meet current model-year emissions regulations, and as such, all replica manufacturers must register with NHTSA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Air Resource Board in order to build and sell street-legal vehicles.  The process of verification with these entities may take several months, according to SEMA.  That means we still likely have a way to go before we start to see an influx of new pseudo-vintage machines powered by modern emissions-compliant engines. For those who don’t want to wait, we should note that this new policy has no impact on your ability to build a traditional kit car.

It doesn’t feel like automotive enthusiasts catch many breaks these days, especially as our zero-emissions future draws ever-nearer.  This is a win we can all get behind, and one that could help get some seriously cool cars on the road in the near future.  Let us know what vintage vehicles you’d like to see as turn-key replicas in the comment section below.