Lot 555: 1934 Morgan Super Sports Roadster

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 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 2.5” 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. 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-powered Super Sports was bought new in October 1934 by Samuel Arthur Joseph Hunting, proprietor of Queensgate Garages, Peterborough where the Deceased was employed from 1946. The latter was thus well acquainted with the car and its maintenance long before he came to own it in 1984. Interestingly, there is a letter to Mr Hunting on file dated September 12th 1938 from one W Seaman, recalling their recent meeting at Brooklands and discussing the details of a brake conversion, which raises the possibility that this Morgan may have raced at the Surrey track in the late 1930s. The car’s current mechanical condition is unknown, although items obviously missing include the speedometer and one exhaust manifold. Sold strictly as viewed, it is offered with 1935 tax disc, old-style logbook and Swansea V5 document. No reserve.