Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection, c.1934 Morgan MX2 Super Sports Roadster

Registration no. OSU 688 Frame no. D927 (see text) Engine no. MX2/517

• Ultimate v-twin Morgan
• Purchased by the Museum in 1989
• Restored by The Light Car and Cyclecar Restoration Co of Birmingham
• Believed unused since restoration

Its superior power-to-weight ratio enabled H F S Morgan's humble, three-wheeled cyclecar to outperform many a larger-engined four-wheeler, and its maker was not slow to capitalise on his creation's competition potential. A Gold Medal in the 1911 London-Exeter-London Reliability Trial with Morgan himself driving was followed by victory in the inaugural cyclecar race at Brooklands the following year, Harry Martin taking the chequered flag three minutes ahead of the field. Racetrack successes led directly to road-going spin-off in the form of the Grand Prix model, introduced for 1914. The first Aero sports model, inspired by the Grand Prix, followed immediately after WWI. Subsequent technological developments included the fitting of front brakes, operated by hand lever, from 1924 and the adoption of a new chassis - the M-type - on the new Super Sports model in 1928. This new chassis was some 2½" lower than its predecessor and undoubtedly helped Morgans trounce the opposition at the New Cyclecar Club's meeting at Brooklands later that year. In 1931 a conventional three-speeds-plus-reverse gearbox was introduced, the old two-speed transmission disappearing soon after. A more refined model ¬- the F4, with 8hp Ford Model Y four-cylinder power unit – appeared in 1934, later forming the basis of the first four-wheeled Morgan.

From the mid-1930s onwards, Morgan three-wheelers, like George Brough's superlative motorcycles, were fitted with Matchless v-twin engines in preference to those from JAP, and for the three-wheeler enthusiast for whom high performance remained top priority, the Matchless-powered Super Sports was the model of choice.

This Matchless-engined Morgan Super Sports was purchased by the Museum from Brian Verrall in April 1989 and comes with a copy of the purchase receipt. The machine has been restored by The Light Car and Cyclecar Restoration Co of Birmingham (see dashboard plaque) and is believed unused since restoration. It should be noted that the chassis number has been taken from the aforementioned receipt and accompanying V5C document. The Morgan's mechanical condition is not known; accordingly, prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves with regard to its condition, completeness, correctness, or otherwise prior to bidding.