1935 Morgan Super Sports

• Overhead-valve Matchless engine
• Present ownership since 1999
• An older restoration
• Last used in 2024
• Well known in Morgan Club circles

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 and the model name abbreviated to simply 'Super Sports', the old two-speed transmission disappearing soon after. Morgan used a variety of proprietary engines over the years, though its favoured supplier was usually J A Prestwich (JAP) of Tottenham, North London. From the mid-1930s onwards, though, Morgan three-wheelers, like George Brough's superlative motorcycles, were fitted with Matchless v-twin engines in preference to those from JAP.

Despatched on 9th February 1935 to Coventry Motor Mart and acquired by one Geoffrey Higgleton in 1945, this Morgan three-wheeler is finished in red with black interior and has one of the most desirable engines: the overhead-valve Matchless v-twin. The Morgan was purchased by the late owner in 1999, but previous ownership history somewhat sparse; it was restored in 1976 but there are no supporting bills.

Well known in Morgan Club circles, 'FDD 460' was in use up to 2024 and is said to be in good condition; only relatively minor recommissioning should be required before the car returns to the road. Offered with an old-style logbook and a V5C Registration Certificate.