Canyon Carving In Morgan Super 3 – Jay Leno’s Garage

This week in the garage, Jay is joined by Jonathan Wells, Chief Design Officer from the Morgan Motor Company to take an up-close look at the stunning 2023 Morgan Super 3. This isn’t just any car—it’s a modern twist on a classic design that you’ve got to see to believe. Jonathan and Jay dive into the unique features of this three-wheeler and then hit the road, taking it for a thrilling drive through the beautiful Tujunga hills. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this episode! So, buckle up and join us for an unforgettable ride. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more incredible car adventures!

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Morgan only exists because of British law right the fact that in the British Arles anything with less than three wheels was not considered an automobile so you didn’t pay the automobile tax they a cycle car yeah yeah cuz there really is no logical reason for having a three-wheel car other than to avoid paying a road tax or welcome to episode of Jay Leno’s Garage the car we’re featuring today the new Morgan three-wheeler that’s my last generation Morgan that’s my first generation Morgan we’ll discuss those briefly and then tell you what’s different about the new one it is a modern totally redesigned automobile that’s actually legal here in the United States uh let’s meet Jonathan Wells he’s the chief design officer is that correct that’s right good morning Jay well good to see you you know I I love this company it’s so quirky my mother’s from Scotland so anything British Isles I I I I I I’m a sucker for Motorcycles Cars just you know it always makes me smile I visited the Morgan Factory just fascinating that this I believe it is the oldest automobile company in uh still in existence in Great Britain isn’t it correct and continuous production continuous production since 1903 1909 and that guy’s still waiting for his car yeah yeah no but yeah it’s just when you go to the factory there there’s a there’s a Kettle Brewing here here and everybody just kind of goes they know their jobs they’re Craftsman they really do beautiful work you just kind of have to wait a little while you have to be patient and that’s I mean it’s just so it’s so typical it’s the most British of British automobiles in that sense that every quirky sort of character is in the factory and it just I I it’s just such a wonderful place I I got to drive in around the streets around M mvin yeah yeah it’s just wonderful and imagine people in the area have generations of families that have worked at the factory is yeah that that’s right um you know there’s there’s quite often Father and Son Duos working together sometimes father son and grandfather will be together as well actually so yeah it’s a family business in I mean that’s what I I I was friends with Sir Charles Mr Morgan yeah Morgan and yeah he he’s the one that convinced me to buy that one would have to convince me I see I I I got this one almost 40 years ago uh this has the matchless vwin 990 CC’s hairpin valve springs all kind water cooled this is the engine is in the Bruff superior motorcycle so sort of a legendary motor the jaap which stands for JA presswick that’s right it does say people think you’re making an ethnic reference or something no no not Japanese no not Japanese no you mean ja Presswood and just a fascinating fun thing to drive this one has the optional reverse gear oo so back up so it it makes it kind of cool it is just the most fun because 60 MPH feels like 150 I always tell the story when I I was on the road one day and I come flying around the corner and I see the cop with a r radar gun he’s got it aimed right at me I got I go you I go flying past them out so I go about a half a mile just pull over and I wait you know okay he doesn’t come so I turn around I go back I go hey how you doing he goes hey how are you I I’m okay what was I going too fast he goes no speeding was 40 you’re going 37 you’re right 37 I thought I was doing like 70 miles an hour goes no you’re only doing 37 I said oh all right well thank you thank you officer but that it I was having a lot of fun you know the noise the bang not much has changed you still feel like a fighter pilot that’s what’s really cool about it the other thing about this one that the spare wheel is on the back and I’m on Benedict Canyon which a windy area and a guy put he goes hey buddy you lost the wheel I said yeah okay thanks appreciate it go yeah that’s like the big joke then I come to the light another guy goes hey you lost the wheel I go how’s everybody and then when I got to where I was going I realized oh I did lose a wheel the spare had fallen off somewhere in the road I know where it went I went I searched for like a week because it was a hilly area I I was down I never found it again but just Adventure Morgan Adventures that’s what’s fun about these car that one was the latest and greatest when I got it in 2014 that has the uh the V2 engine from um SNS SNS SNS yeah 2 L yeah when we when we built a motorcycle from scratch frame we used that we got the very first SNS uh production motor and it’s a wonderful motor and puts out about 90 horsepower something like that but that it’s got a Miata gearbox it’s got proper disc brakes so it’s wonderful to drive and a lot of fun and this is the latest version now they’ve that’s right they’re no longer using motorcycle engines this one has a Ford engine three-cylinder eh that’s right that’s right yeah an in line three um not the first time we’ve used a Ford engine in a three-wheeler right um and so it was oh sure they had the little Flathead that’s it the fs series was that about 18 horsepower something like that probably yeah something like that yeah and the super Arrow you know the name super comes from those those decades as well but that’s exactly where we started so you know we had to look towards the Next Generation wheer um you know emissions regulations SNS no longer build these engines either which was a big driver and the first place we looked was motorcycle engines obviously so we talk to you know BMW you could imagine a boxer on the front or Triumph or other British Brands the challenge we faced was a lot of modern motorbike engines have an integrated gearbox sequential gears no reverse as you mentioned it was a luxury back then and that was the big challenge overcoming that for us so we started to look towards the the Ford Catal log a long working history with Ford on the four-wheelers as well as the three-wheelers and they had this deadin line three it’s a tiny engine you know it almost sits under the nose cone more so than under the B how many cc it’s about 1500 CC so 1.5 L yeah 1.5 ler right um it’s about 120 brake horsepower oh that’s well that’s more than this it’s certainly a b it’s quite a bit more and you do notice it all of the all of the powers towards the top of the Rev range as well so you find yourself sort of chasing through the gears to really to keep engine is at you what Ford product not one they sell here in the states I’m not sure is featured in anything in the states in Europe I think there’s a small people carrier and maybe a fiesta right right okay various engines it’s naturally aspirated which is key we didn’t want you know a lot of modern efficient engines a turbocharge you don’t want an efficient engine that would be that would be so un Morgan likee to have an efficient engine oh God the idea of having a turbo coming in mid corner on the three-wheeler didn’t really appeal we wanted something quite linear it’s a great little engine it’s called a dragon engine which is sounds cool too and what is it is it a two valve four valve what it’s a it’s a four valve engine I believe um Cam and then we we partner that with the same Miata gearbox that’s intial okay so you got the same five-speed mechanical short shift feels great paired with the same Miata drivet train and on the back we have a a new bevel box which turns the drive 90° and then it’s a belt for the final drive as well but we also do a chain option too and what do most people get the belt or the chain um to be honest the belt has less service intervals um but is a little bit noisier um and the belt is noisier interestingly sort of has a belt yeah it has a sort of hum to it you can barely hear it over the engine on this one yeah I don’t find it to be yeah no I mean I you know I prefer the belt for it’s worth um the chain is a little quieter so it’s it’s preference really it’s a no cost option okay Unique Style so the end so is this this is a structural member here that does that hold the engine as well yeah you know that’s right so we kind of started with this engine the engine wanted to sit directly behind the center line of the front wheels one for dynamic reasons it’s the best place for the center of mass right but two for for aesthetic reasons as well I believe a Morgan always should be towed by its front wheels visually a bit like a horse and Chariot and we didn’t want all of the weight over the front wheels there’s other three wheelers like a a Vander Hall and things that have that proportion we wanted something a little bit more behind the wheels I remember car called The try Hawk a number years ago used Harley-Davidson sold it it really wasn’t a Harley like but had a Citroen French engine same sort of thing engine was right up here in front so it’s actually pulling you it’s like you’re on a rope and you’re being pulled through corners you know it’s actually pretty cool yeah um well we did everything we can to tuck it right behind that in fact to the point there’s a little pulley that’s unused that would drive an air conditioning motor which we’ve got no use for and we wanted to paint a spiral on it and just embrace it spinning out the front but the uh the amation guys weren’t too keen on that so we’ve covered it up but you can see it’s right there right so our next challenge was you know a car engine is not designed to be seen it’s not a pretty object right so we had to embrace this engine picking up off the engine mounts we also then needed to carry the corners um the suspension the wishbones um and thirdly we needed to guide air into the cooling pack of course this is water cooled unlike your air cooled previous generation so we found ourselves having to do a lot of jobs with this front end so we thought why not Embrace that visually and these are solid cast aluminium as they come out of the mold right they’re cold to the touch they’re doing a lot of technical purpose and I believe you can kind of read the car with your eyes an engineer or not you can kind of work out what everything’s doing and you’re you’re this has got to be the widest Morgan ever produced isn’t it it is it is and you know starting from there we work outboard with these very thin castings we’ve got the radiators either side which are obviously Square had we put a lot more shape into the side of the car we’d have then been compromising our turning Circle right so we started to think what can we do with the sides of this of this car to embrace the flat nature that that we wanted to create and we started looking at diffuser plates on the sides of Jets and the way they manage the air down the side of the fuselage so we started looking at the way we can create these ducks and vents to pull air through the front of the car and then we looked at how a lot of guys use their three-wheelers a bit like motorcyclists they go on adventures and tours and they get ready for trips and experiences but they’re compromised in terms of luggage space right so we started looking at Classic Overland vehicles and daar cars and imagined maybe we can start strapping some paniers and racks oh so you put Embrace these areas suitcases or bags whatever that’s why this is here that’s right so you can strap all sorts to the side you can also change the color of these and match the nose cone or put graphics on them and they’ve become quite a quite a centerpiece really in lie of having the the exhaust running down the side right right okay and you got some bags we can put on this see what yeah we do we do we’ll try that in a little bit can we open it up a little bit to see what the engine is under here we can okay just undo these just undo these quarter turns they’re a little bit fiddly that’s it oh you got it there we go I’ve got it this the overflow tank here for the radiator that’s right um then you’ve got the engine sat directly underneath the nose cone the air filters here and actually the duct is on the underside of the Bonnet so when you pop the Bonnet on it guides the air through the nostrils and into that and you can see here aluminium bonded riveted uh tub oh so there’s no wood this not wood 100 years later they said you maybe wood isn’t the best thing for the true story we actually had a meeting and the title of the meeting was where are we going to put the wood cled it after 20 minutes you know the wood’s got a lot of purpose in most morans but here it just didn’t have a place they just weren’t sure metal we don’t know metal as a tool just yet that’s go with W but rest assured all handcrafted in the same Morgan Factory alongside these you know just as we always have done um bonded riveted in fact the whole structure is aluminium the body is actually structural so I guess you could say this is Morgan’s first ever monok probably the safest strongest Morgan they’ve ever build I think it’d be fair to say because it doesn’t look like you’d have any Flex in you’ve got a much wider rear tire as well don’t you that’s right it’s very stiff much wider rear tire much larger front wheels we actually designed these tires ourself cuz nothing was off the shelf available what side wheels are those so they’re a 20in wheel we’ve got a lot of side wall with a lot of balloon profile to it as well okay and a very sort of vintage tread pattern um but a modern compliant rubber yeah this is one of those Vehicles you either get it or you don’t right you know that’s the fun thing about it it’s nowadays most vehicles are meant to appeal to everybody nobody hates it but they don’t love it it’s okay I’ll settle for it I mean this is a car love it or hate it I always quote my friend Bob Lutz when when they did the Viper some people so what do you say to people who hate it say it’s cartoonish looking goes don’t buy it but the other half loves it oh they think it’s the greatest thing ever so you sell it to them and it’s the same thing here you either get three- Wheeling or you don’t I mean it’s a lot of fun it’s amazingly how stable it is you think it wouldn’t be yeah the fun thing about this is when there’s a PO hole you cannot not hit it if you don’t hit it with either wheel you hit it with Center wheel yeah so if you enjoy the pothole experience fantastic fantastic but I mean that’s what’s fun and you know sliding one of these and imagine with this stiffer chass you really can slide this one you know it’s a lot more Dynam like sliding this was hey but but yeah it just it well I guess it’s progress isn’t it yeah what do we have here what is that so you’ll notice these around the car this actually would you believe after 115 years is Morgan’s first paintting these clips an Innovative protection an IP protective that you can protect for inventive inventions um and they essentially enable us to fit lots of different accessories to the car everyone has a little camera mount too so you can pop a GoPro anywhere um but these little Clips they enable different wind so you could have no windshield if You’ prefer a pair of goggles oh I see these low screens in different colors or you could have a tall wind screen for touring and on the sides you will also see these clips and they carry a luggage rack or a wax cotton bag or a hard is there a top available too there’s a tono cover oh but not a top you not a roof so you’re always in the elements you’re always in the elements yeah everything’s you know and England it never rains there so don’t worry about that yeah no rain or shine this one it’s also got a heater you know so you can have a footwell heater in here which is a real luxury for us boy that that’s great is that the first Morgan with a heater first Morgan with the heater no perhaps not certainly the first three wheeler with the first three wheer with the heat yeah the idea that you know maybe heat is good let’s yeah okay so heated seats a heater well that that’s got to be really great and you know what when you have the the tono cover on and you zip it down the middle and you got the heated seats on and a warm jacket heated seats heated seats as well it’s quite nice place to be you know okay well that’s something is it um and then inside we also have a pretty well a fully adjustable cockpit so we do lots of different wheel sizes you can have a wood Rim steering wheel 13 in or 14 in this is a classic British Motor liter right um and this has got reach and rake adjustment the pedal box can also slide forward and backward okay so the seat is fixed seat is totally fixed that’s right that’s right and that’s important for keeping the occupant and the center of mass for the people always in the same place and this oh does this open in the back it does yeah okay in the rear we’ve got a small stoage space so a lot of the area is obviously compromised by the rear wheel travel but you still have a you know a couple of weekend bags or right a shoe or something either side there you’ve got a bit of space there yeah a shoe just have an extra shoe I tend to put the your Tano cover in there you know when I’m not using that and maybe just one one small bag yeah very nice boy it’s so funny you can’t even really see the rear wheel no it’s tucked quite far forward actually how does one get air on that tire well you uh you have to get quite low to the ground um roll it forward and backward until you can see the valve very good and it got proper roll bar and everything here and these uh these little lugs here carry a further luggage rack for the rear I I say they plug in here they plugs in there and then if you wanted additional storage on the top we’ve got that and is there more storage in here yeah we’ve a few bits and pieces uh we’ve got a little bunge net area here to stuff your um gloves or your driving scarf and actually there’s a another small cubby hole just hiding beneath the seats look another bit of wood and it’s got wood there you go so inside there you can put all your accessories your foam mounts and uh actually Morgan’s first ever Saab as well that fix this just above the steering wheel there how does that fit in how does that so it’s a it’s just a small alen key that’s the satellite navigation right there yeah very good I think we normally call that a compass compass yeah a digital compass yeah very good fuel tanks under the seats in this car what are you about seven gallons something like that five yeah about seven Gall okay well that’s and you’re probably getting what 35 40 m per gallon yeah it’s pretty efficient you know modern engine it weighs um 600 kg what’s that you know 1300b that’s the whole vehicle yeah the whole vehicle that’s not bad at all so it’s very lightweight 120 brake horsepower roughly I’d like to put the luggage bag and you have your actual Luggage in your bag don’t you so let’s let’s put it on here let’s do yeah okay very good I love the heat that’s a cuz today it’s actually quite cool today here in California it’s nice slow traffic to have a bit of warmth around your but I’ll let you fit it I don’t want to force it no that’s fine I’ll gra cool let’s get your bag let’s put your bag on here show just how practical a vehicle this is so we pop these off that one away all right here we have our handmade wax cotton paniers oh I see I thought it CED on that while it was oh I see all right and that’s us is that locked in now we’re good to go put my jacket on let’s go could it be more practical let’s see let’s go Morgan [Music] iting T A Little M a Lusty Little Engine yeah it’s fun isn’t it it’s got a nice noise the higher it goes too yeah 7,200 RPM I think all the power’s at about six well structurally much more rigid [Music] yeah you got a lot more articulation as well and there’s more right more control than the [Music] [Music] suspension I do find the seats quite comfortable though they’re they are very com quite a nice place to be well it feels like a British spots car that’s for sure can you imagine 200 horsepower oh yeah yeah I think horsepower cures a lot of problems of course California the perfect climate for this car yeah you could drive it year round you can plug your electric vest into the thing that’s right yeah heated gear yeah they do a six-speed box as well for this engine but I don’t think it needs it I like the length of the gears yeah yeah sits nicely in fifth on the highway with a helmet on you just duck down and get on with it I love doing distance in them the fenders a lot more secure than they were on mine yeah yeah quite a bit more power than mine yeah well the heater really works yeah it’s not isn’t it oh it really makes AED yeah well it is totally different but it still has enough Morgan in it it does you know yeah I mean it’s stiffer it’s faster it’s more powerful yeah I don’t think it’s as pretty as the early cars but that’s okay I do like the uh I do like the new tires and wheels I think they look great yeah and the wider rear tire in the back really helps really makes a big difference yeah yeah you know and it is it’s come from the same factory made by the same people the same design team it’s it’s every bit of Morgan we think well it’s probably your last chance of really getting a handbuilt automobile well that’s right and you know it appeals to a lot of motorcyclists as well because it’s like a bike you know you’re Outdoors it’s when the wife says you can’t have a bike anymore exactly or you get too old you get to be older I always think I have one good last crash left you know and I thought my last crash well that’s it well I can probably crash one more time so you know that’s one way looking at it yeah it’s a bit more sociable than a bike isn’t it yeah you can have a conversation in it and no I I they’re really wonderful to drive you but I mean you either get it or you don’t that’s right and if you get it it’s really a much better vehicle than the last generation and it’s just about the same price yeah so I you know it’s it’s I think they’re wonderful I think I mean I love my 14 yeah just because it hearkens back to the 1932 that’s right yeah well it did it was inspired by the 1930s um AO Super Sport three wheeler but this thing really is uh I mean you’re just using modern techniques modern building techniques yeah it’s really quite fun you can go to the factory meet the people that built your car if that’s important to you to a lot of people cars an appliance but if you see it as kind of a living breathing thing then a lot every car is so different of Morgan as well I love seeing all the different colors coming through and trim combinations and graphics and but if you can’t have your car built a Goodwood where they make Rolls-Royce you go to Wales you get there that’s right well you really get a sensation of speed when you’re driving is NI and it feels very stable much more stable than the earlier car the nice thing about that you can take it on the freeway with confidence that’s right you can cruise at 65 780 M hour no problem oh yeah and this wind screen is actually quite effective not so much for you so much for me but for me it’s all going over my over my head you du behind it and it’s fine you know the car will do 130 M hour yeah and during the development we had to put the miles on the car and we were sat on the highspeed bowl all day long just at 130 M hour and even at that speed it feels stable yeah is there Valentino baloni at uh at um H Morgan you know one guy who’s like a lead test driver oh yeah it’s uh just celebrated his 90th birthday 90th birthday we such a small team you all have to for the miles on the well Morgan Morgan only exists because of British law right the fact that in the British Isles anything with less than three wheels was not considered an automobile so you didn’t pay the automobile tax is that still true there were cycle car yeah yeah cuz there really is no logical reason for having a three-wheel car other than to avoid paying a road tax or some Jonathan thanks for bringing this a lot of fun thank you my friend really enjoy it absolute pleasure thank you seemed like the perfect modern version of a a Morgan employee I hope you enjoyed the little trip down Morgan Lane if you’re interested one of these is needles across the United States and they’re they’re for 508 legal so have fun I did see you guys next week