Output details

Morgan 3 Wheeler - Three-wheel motor car

Humphries’s research-led design approach has been to analyse the key concepts underpinning the perception of Morgan, maintaining existing markets while expanding the company’s base. Here the design question was how to evoke company achievements from the early 20th century, referencing British eccentricity and humour while avoiding pastiche. The resulting decision was to revisit the three-wheeled design popular from the late 1920s to the Second World War. Design inspirations also included the lightweight, stripped-down aesthetic of early aircraft, aiming for simplicity, honesty to materials, and user engagement. Extensive research in materials and craft and manufacturing processes led to a synthesis of modern engineering design and traditional vehicle characteristics.

Reviews in the Telegraph and Autocar awarded it five stars, with a highly complimentary review by BBC Top Gear (the world's most widely watched factual television programme, estimated to have around 350 million views per week in 170 countries). Reviewer responses aligned with the intentions of the design, including ‘visceral link to the past is very tangible’ (Wired, 2011); ‘But hidden beneath the shapely boattail's removable rear panel lies some distinctly twenty-first-century business’ (Automobile, 2011); ‘this curious step back in time is an old one that’s as amusing to a driving enthusiast as anything Apple ever dreamed up’ (New York Times, 2011); ‘a stylish, all-aluminium body ... that embraces the old and looks to the new’ (Telegraph, 2011). A BBC feature on benefits to the West Midlands supply chain from car exports highlighted Morgan Cars (2011).

Feature articles overseas include those in Aftonbladet (Sweden, 2012), La Repubblica (Italy, 2012 and 2013), Die Zeit (Germany, 2012) and New York Times (USA, 2011).