morgans
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: 1931 Super Sport Aero for sale

To: Daniel Thompson <dthompson@gbc.ca>
Subject: Re: 1931 Super Sport Aero for sale
From: Colin Cobb <cobmeister@zianet.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 17:26:06 -0600
On July 20 Daniel Thompson wrote:

> I have a few questions since I would be interested in acquiring a 
>three-wheeler for restoration, fun, and vintage racing:
> 
> - is $9850 a reasonable price for such a project?
> - how difficult would it be to find parts (we all know that "basket case" 
>means "missing critical parts")
> - has anyone seen this particular car? (it is located in Carrboro, North 
>Carolina)
> - is there any majot disadvantage to the 1931 models as opposed to the later 
>(engined) models?
> 



Hey Daniel,

Boy, this is a deeeep subject. The kind of stuff that can kindle hours 
of argu... "discussion" down at the local. To dispose of the easy 
stuff first:

< is $9850 a reasonable price? > 
That is almost certainly too much money for what will turn out to be a 
pile o' parts. For that kind of money the car should be fully 
assembled though in need of restoration and not necessarily running . 
The fully restored, really nice car will only fetch about 20-25K 
though prices are higher in England. Bear in mind that you are taking 
on a 6 to 10 year restoration project. I know of Trikes that have been 
"under restoration" for 50 years!

In short, unless you are a young man with deep pockets you would be 
better off to buy an already together and running Trike and then 
restore it to perfection.

< how difficult would it be to find parts? > 
Many parts are available from the Morgan Three-Wheeler Club in Olde 
Blighty but the parts you need will not be available from anywhere. 
Parts are very scarce on this side of the pond but some are around.

< has anyone seen this particular car? > 
I have not seen this particular car.

< is there any major disadvantage to the 1931 models? > 
Now this is an interesting question! We have to start with the 
assumption that this vehicle is "as represented"... a BIG assumption.  
It may well be a "Bitza," a Trike assembled from the bits and pieces 
of several Trikes. 

The Super Sport Aero is a "beetle backed" model introduced in 1927 and 
the last one was made in 1934 when it was succeeded by the "barrel 
back" model. The car has motorcycle-type fenders and makes no 
provision for carrying a spare tire. Actually, the lack of a spare may 
be a non-issue as you would probably call for help if you had a flat 
since the Dunlop Magna ("EZ Change Wheels") weren't introduced 
until... 1932.

On the brighter side, the three-speed tranny was introduced in... 
1931!  So, you should be getting 3 forward speeds PLUS a reverse gear, 
vice the previous two forward speeds and three innocent bystanders. On 
the darker side, for V-Twin competition purposes, the two speeders 
always seem to be faster than the three speed models. (Go figger...)

As a 1931 model this car would almost undoubtedly come equipped with a 
J.A.P. V-Twin engine, most likely water cooled (it is remotely 
possible it could have had a Blackburne V-Twin, arguably the best and 
fastest engine for a Morgan V-Twin). God alone knows what engines may 
have been fitted in the last 67 years.

It seems to me that in '31 the car had brakes (drums) on all three 
wheels but the brakes were "backwards." That is to say that the rear 
brake was operated by a foot pedal and the front brakes were on a hand 
lever while later cars had the front brakes on the pedal and the rear 
brake on the lever, a much safer--if one can seriously say "safe" and 
"Trike" in the same sentence--and more effective arrangement. (All 
three brakes on the pedal was only tried by the factory for a very 
brief period before a factory bulletin instructed owners to change 
them.) The brakes are cable unless they have been converted to juice, 
a popular mod and arguably a must for competition, at least for 
husbands and fathers as well as those with major credit card debt.

To go Trike racing I would want an F-Type, preferably a 1952 F Super, 
the last one made. To go V-Twin Trike racing I would want a 1947 Super 
Sports, also the last one made. Why the last ones made? To take 
advantage of technological advances--if one can seriously say 
"technological advances" and Trike in the same sentence.

All the above, IMHO, of course. I should also point out that fellow 
lister Bert Varady of St. Louis just competed a six-year restoration 
of a similar Trike and wound up with a work of art (I will post a 
photo soon). He liked the process so much he bought two more basket 
cases!

‹Colin Cobb, Trikeless in Las Cruces, NM
'66 Plus 4 & '65 Sunbeam Tiger

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>