When Morgan’s designers were working on the somewhat steampunk Super 3 they seemingly snatched ideas from all manner of places.
They looked to the stars, to pop art, to land-speed machines and military machines, to Japanese technology, and even science fiction to sculpt the distinctive shape of the eccentric three-wheeler.
Now, Morgan is showing its homework with a limited series of nine designs, called the Super 3 Origins Collection. “The Super 3’s aesthetic is derived from its mechanical function and the very broad outlook adopted by the creative team at Morgan,” explains chief design officer Jonathan Wells. “We drew inspiration from other industries, artistic and industrial movements, and sampled the ‘best bits’ from multiple decades of design. This is the story we wanted to tell with the Super 3 Origins collection.”
Mechanically there are no changes to the quirky Super 3, which still gets a little Ford three-cylinder motor up front, driving a single rear wheel via a Mazda MX-5 transmission. Each of the nine micro machines has a completely different theme, exemplifying the eclectic inspiration behind it.
Bluebird is a tribute to Sir Donald Campbell’s gas turbine–powered CN7, matching the land-speed-record-breaker’s blue paintwork and sold with the Campbell family’s seal of approval. Also featured are a turned aluminium dashboard, Bluebird logos, and Union flags.
The Boulevard Cruiser gets its inspo from a slower source – 1950s Americana. Aluminium side strips, ivory leather trim, and art deco badging are the highlights. Belly-tank racers of a similar era led Morgan’s designers to create the Pickersleigh Speedshop, with its racy hand-painted silver-and-red livery. The Space Race, meanwhile, is a nod to NASA with a rocket-like white-and-black paint job and red fuselage numbering.
It’s a switch from science fact to science fiction for Warp Speed, a yellow-and-chrome creation that wouldn’t look out of place in a scene from Star Wars.
Two military motifs have also been developed. Charlie Mike takes its cues from lightweight reconnaissance vehicles, wears a desert camouflage scheme, and comes equipped with rugged luggage racks. For Scramble the Jets, the designers focused on early jet-engine combat aircraft. There’s a two-tone gray colourway with a yellow nosecone, while inside the start switch is red.
Popular culture frames the final two Super 3 Origins models (below). Fast Forward uses an ’80s graphic theme over bright white paintwork and a polished aluminium nose, and Whoosh Bang Pop is a clear reference to the work of Roy Lichtenstein, with comic bookstyle graphics on the grey/blue bodywork and on the dashboard.
All nine Origins models can be ordered now with prices starting at £47,995.
