Morgan

GB, 1905 – 1906

Morgan and Co Ltd, Leighton Buzzard, Beds.

Made by a well-known firm of coachbuilders, the Morgan car was a conventional shaft-driven car with 5.8-litre T-head 4-cylinder Mutel engine, distinguished only by the Sparks-Boothby hydraulic clutch on the Morgan car, soon abandoned in favour of an ordinary leather cone. Only about five Morgan cars were made and their lack of success resulted in Morgan cars becoming Adler concessionaires in 1907, and abandoning motor manufacture.

GB, 1910 to date

Morgan Motor Co Ltd, Malvern Link, Worcs.

This Morgan car was the best-known, and best, of the British 3-wheelers that were popular while the horsepower tax gave the Morgan cars an advantage. H.F.S. Morgan’s tricycle was also the first of its type, this Morgan car going into production in 1910. At the front of a tubular chassis frame was an sv, air-cooled V-twin motor-cycle engine of 1.100cc by JAP, transversely mounted. Transmission of the Morgan car was by dog clutches and chains, providing two forward speeds. The steering was direct. The front wheels of the Morgan car, had independent front suspension, by sliding pillars and coil springs. There were two seats. A reasonable amount of power plus light weight meant an excellent performance of the Morgan cars. The Morgan car was safer than most 3-wheelers because its road-holding was above average. This recipe made the Morgan car popular with sportsmen, for whom the Morgan Grand Prix model was produced in 1914: the first catalogued competition Morgan car. Soon afterwards, an exiguous four-seater Morgan car, the forerunner of the Morgan Family model of the 1920s, was listed.

After World War 1, Morgan carscontinued to cater for all markets. Names changed, but the Morgan Sports or Morgan Standard model was the normal two-seater, also available in De Luxe form; the Morgan Family model was the more capacious type Morgan car, and the long-tailed Morgan Aero, later the Morgan Super Sports, was the Morgan car intended for serious speed work. Engines of Morgan cars were water- or air-cooled to choice, most being supplied by JAP, or by Blackburne in the case of the competition Morgan cars. From 1925 all the latter’s power units had overhead valves. By 1927 the Super Sports Morgan car could attain 80mph in standard trim, while the less sporting Morgan cars now had internal expanding front wheel brakes and electric starting. Geared-down steering and (if required) three forward speeds followed on Morgan cars in 1929. Even so, Morgan cars were losing customers to new, cheap sports cars such as the M-type MG. Three speeds and reverse in a normal gearbox (though still with chain final drive) were available from 1931 and standard on the Morgan car after 1932, and a modified 8hp Ford 4-cylinder engine could later be had in the Morgan car instead of the twin. Four years later the first 4-wheeled Morgan car was introduced, the excellent little Morgan 4/4. This Morgan car used an 1.122cc 4-cylinder Coventry-Climax engine with overhead inlet valves, developing 34bhp. The Morgan car was still light in weight, and retained the Morgan independent front suspension, so the performance and handling qualities of Morgan cars were well up to form. The Morgan car could attain 75mph. The twins were last catalogued in 1939.

Just before World War 2, a 1.267cc Standard 10hp engine with ohv head was substituted in the Morgan 4/4. When this was no longer available, from 1950, Morgan fitted a tuned Standard Vanguard unit in the Morgan car giving 70bhp. In this Morgan Plus Four, as the Morgan car was renamed, performance became still more lively, and when the 90bhp Triumph TR2 engine became available in 1954, maximum speed of the Morgan car rose to 100mph for the first time. With the advent of the Morgan Plus Four, there was no longer a small Morgan car, but this gap was made good in 1955, when the Morgan Series 2 4/4 arrived. This Morgan car used the very hard-wearing 1.172cc sv Ford Ten engine which had powered F4 Morgan. (The latter was the last 3-wheeler Morgan car, which had been made until 1950.) The result was a cheap, pleasant and reliable sports Morgan car of the old school. Later, the ohv Ford 105E engine was substituted. The latest version Morgan car had a 1.599cc 98bhp engine, a 4-speed all-synchromesh gearbox, front disc brakes, and the traditional Morgan suspension. The Morgan Plus Four kept pace with Triumph’s TR engine development, also acquiring disc brakes and, eventually, the 2.138cc 105bhp TR4 unit. A streamlined coupé, the Morgan Plus Four Plus of 1964, was a brief deviation from the classical Morgan car line which met with little approval and was discontinued after only 50 of these Morgan cars had been sold. When Triumph changed to a six during 1968, Morgan cars adopted a new engine for their bigger Morgan cars, and the Morgan Plus Four became the Morgan Plus Eight, powered by Rover’s 3 ½-litre 160bhp V8 and capable of 125mph. The 1973 versions of the Morgan car use the 4-speed all-synchromesh Rover gearbox in place of the Moss box previously fitted.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS, TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Steyr

Austria, 1920 – 1940, 1953 to date

(1) Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft AG, Steyr, 1920 – 1926

(2) Steyr-Werke AG, Steyr, 1926 – 1935

(3) Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Steyr, 1935 – 1940

(4) Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Graz, 1953 to date

As an arms factory Steyr had to look for new employment after World War 1 and put into effect an earlier plan for starting Steyr car production. In 1920 their first Steyr car model appeared under the name of Waffenauto, designed by the famous Hans Ledwinka. This Steyr car had a 6-cylinder 12/40PS ohc engine of 3.325cc capcity. This first model Steyr car laid the foundation fot the excellent reputation of Steyr cars. Ledwinka left the Steyr car company in 1921, but subsequent Steyr car models were based on his designs. The Steyr Type IV was a 4-cylinder 7/23PS 1.814cc. The Type VI Sports was very successful both as a touring and as a sports car; this Steyr car had a 6-cylinder 15/90PS 4.014cc engine, while the VI Klausen sports and racing version Steyr car was powered by a 19/145PS 4.890cc unit. A third place in the 1923 Targa Florio was one of the successes of these Steyr cars. A range of other 6-cylinder models Steyr cars followed, of which the 6/30PS, 1.560cc Type XII Steyr car was notable for its independent rear suspension, though it retained semi-elliptics at the front. In 1929 Ferdinand Porsche, who had returned to Austria after working with Mercedes, was engaged as chief engineer for Steyr cars. His first Steyr car design was the 6-cylinder, 8/40PS, 2.078cc Type XXX. However, Porsche stayed only for one year with the Steyr car company. His last design for Steyr cars was the Steyr Austria, a big 8-cylinder model of 100bhp and 5.3-litres, but this Steyr car only appeared in prototype form. The same bank was giving Steyr cars and Austro-Daimler cars financial backing and they did not want both companies to build large cars. A community of interests was formed between Steyr and Austro-Daimler in 1929, and this led to a merger in 1935. About 500 1.2-litre Opels were made under licence by Steyr cars in 1932, followed by a range of popular models of Steyr car design: the Steyr 100 (4-cylinder, 32bhp, 1.385cc), the Steyr 120 (6-cylinder, 50bhp, 1.990cc), the Steyr 200 (4-cylinder, 35bhp, 1.498cc) and the Steyr 220 (6-cylinder, 55bhp, 2.260cc), now with all wheels independently sprung. In 1936 the Type 50 Steyr car appeared with a 4-cylinder, opposed engine of 22bhp and 984cc. This Steyr car was developed into the 25bhp, 1.158cc Type 55 Steyr car in 1938. These Steyr cars were very popular and economical cars with aerodynamic integral construction, but production of Steyr cars had to cease in 1940 as a result of World War 2, after about 13.000 Steyr cars of the two types had been built.

Production of Steyr cars was not resumed after the war, but from 1949 Fiats were assembled for the Austrian market. In 1953 there was a special version of the 1900 powered by a Steyr-designed 1.997cc engine, available in 65bhp and 85bhp forms, and with a 4-speed gearbox as an alternative to the 5-speed Fiat type. In 1957 the Steyr car company started to make Fiat’s Nuova 500, with revised rear suspension and their own 493cc engine. This evolved into the hotter 650cc 650T and 650TR; the latter Steyr car was good for 85bhp and became amajor force in rallies, gaining the Pole Sobieslaw Zasada the 1966 European Championship. This exciting little Steyr car was not, however, catalogued after 1968, and 1973’s staple offering was the standard Steyr-Puch 500 in 20bhp form.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HON

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com