Lot Ended
Description
From a deceased estate; in the current ownership for 58 years; Ewan
Cameron 'fast road' 1,150cc JAP engine; former concours winner; recent repaint;
a fast and expertly tweaked machine, well-known in Morgan
circles
Launched in
1909, the Morgan 3-wheeler was a common sight on British roads up until the
1930s, its popularity only diminishing when small cars such as the Austin Seven
and Morris Eight became cheap enough to tempt the buying public into these more
comfortable machines.
However, such was the pace
of the flyweight Morgan that it could outperform many a larger engined
four-wheeler and it enjoyed great success on the racetrack. Progressively
developed, the single rear-wheel-driven platform played host to a variety of
JAP, Matchless, Blackburne, Anzani and Ford power plants over the years.
Knowledge gained on the track led directly to a
road-going spin-off in the form of the Grand Prix model, introduced for 1914.
The first Aero sports model followed immediately after WWI. Subsequent
technological developments included the fitting of front brakes from 1924,
operated by a hand lever, and the introduction of a new chassis, the M-Type (to
replace the earlier B-Type) on the new Super Sport model in 1928.
In 1931 a conventional three-speed-plus-reverse
gearbox was introduced and the model name abbreviated to simply 'Super Sport',
the old two-speed transmission disappearing soon after. The
three-wheeler remained in production as late as 1952 although it is the
pre-1932 vee-twin models that are most prized today.
According
to Morgan factory records, chassis 1333A was originally built as a Super Sport
Aero with a water-cooled JAP ohv engine (serial number LTOW/539089), the
original colour being described as 'Grey top; Dark Blue sides'. It was
despatched from the factory on 9th April 1929 to Morgan main dealer Homacs of
243 Lower Clapton Road, London E5.
First registered in London on 11th
April 1929 with the number GU 1629, nothing is known of the car's early history,
but an enamelled plaque on the dash indicates that it was sold by The Light
Car Company of Euston Road fairly early in its life. A buff logbook shows that
by 1959 it was resident in Staffordshire, moving back to Malvern in
1966.
On offer here from a deceased estate, it
was acquired by the current owner in c.1968. We are told that the late-owner was
a gifted engineer and inventor who maintained the Morgan to his own high
standards of engineering, and it remained his pride and joy for the rest of his
life.
The buff logbook indicates that the
original JAP water-cooled engine was replaced in 1966 by a JAP
vee-twin air-cooled J-Series racing engine (serial number J/TOR20025, as is
still recorded on the V5C today). This produced 55bhp rather than the 40bhp of
the standard water-cooled engine.
We are told that the owner
subsequently replaced this with a modified Brough Superior engine which made
the Morgan virtually unbeatable on the track. He was eventually persuaded
to sell this engine to a European gent who needed it for his own Brough
Superior motorcycle. The funds from the sale of the Brough engine
were used to build the engine currently in the car which was specially built at
considerable cost by Morgan 3-wheeler maestro, Ewan Cameron of Cameron
Engineering & Motorsport in Malvern, about 10 or 12 years ago (serial
number J/TOR39089/S).
The engine is a 'fast road' version of Ewan's own
racing JAP J/TOR unit - 86mm x 99mm; 1,150cc capacity; 8:1 compression
ratio suitable for forecourt petrol (the V5C still records the capacity as
1,096cc). Other features include: pressed up nitrided crank assembly with billet
machined flywheels and conrods running loose rollers on a 1.25" crank pin; 50%
balance factor; single spark per cylinder from ML 50' magneto; single plate
clutch; Amal carburettor and Pilgrim oil pump.
Ewan (who rates the
car highly) tells us that the engine was built with a total loss oil
system, however: "The owner was a very talented engineer and he designed an
ingenious system to catch the used oil and return it to the supply tank, a
system that seemed to work well."
Although there is precious little
history with the vehicle, other than a few old photographs and a letter from a
previous owner, we are told that GU 1629 has always been kept in
tip-top running order. We are further told that it was
given a sympathetic ‘tidy up’ about eight years ago, including a full repaint, a
new high level exhaust and rebuilt wheels.
Retaining the correct B-Type chassis and signature
sliding-pillar independent front suspension, it also retains the correct bevel
box to transfer the power to the rear wheel via the twin chains, correct nickel
silver radiator cowl, two-speed gearbox and original-type cable brakes. Supplied
with a full set of weather equipment, it also comes with sundry useful
spares.
Well-known in Morgan circles and
frequently featured in the club magazine, The Bulletin, we are told
that GU 1629 was widely regarded as one of the best-preserved and
fastest three-wheelers out there, a tankard showing that it won a Concours
award at the Morgan 60th Anniversary gathering at Prescott in
1970.
Interest in Morgans of this period has
never waned and the company's inspired decision to re-introduce a modern
three-wheeler in 2011 has brought the early cars to the attention of a new
audience.
This wonderfully patinated and expertly
tweaked 1929 example, from devoted long-term ownership, will continue to draw
crowds of admirers wherever it goes and is no doubt capable of scooping some
more silverware on the show or race circuit, should the new owner feel so
inclined.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970
309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com