We’re grateful that cars like the Morgan Three Wheeler and Caterham Seven still exist, and have only taken from modern technology that which doesn’t detract from what made them so popular over the years. Both are very old in their design and concept, but have been brought up to date with modern brakes, engines, gearboxes and some electronics.
Despite not having driven one, I think the Three Wheeler is one of the best second cars one could have in his or her garage, alongside something comfortable and frugal for the weekdays.
This opinion is shared by Chris Harris who features the two cars in his latest video on Drive. He first gets into the Morgan, and by the end of the drive is completely won over by the experience. The beauty is that it does not need to be pushed hard to be enjoyed, and it is apparently very controllable on corner exit with a bit of extra throttle to get the tail out. This is helped by the 140 Nm (103 lb-ft) of torque most of which is available very low in the rev range of the two-liter V twin engine.
Stepping into the Caterham Seven, the Supersport model with 182 hp from its two-liter Ford-sourced engine, to be specific, Chris explains that the video cannot be a direct comparative of the two cars, because this would win it with much better performance. It offers a more focused drive, along with slightly more protection from the elements, and with the extra power it has over the Morgan which only has 115 hp at the crank, it is a more track-focused machine.
However, there’s a lot more in it than that, probably the main reason why the video itself is over 15 minutes long. Check it out after the virtual jump.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO