Interesting bit I just read related to the Morgan Super Sports, that
falls in with the Lemans Specifications we were talking of a few weeks
ago ie) enlarged fuel tanks twin fillers and dual electric fuel pumps etc
found on a few Super Sports in the early 60's. In the Autocar, 2 August
1963 pg 189 it has a few Very interesting statements.
It is a part of a series of articles by Peter Garnier, called 'that
something extra' No. 5 LawrencTune "in this series of Articles, Peter
Garnier talks to the men behind the performance conversion business. Alot
of very interesting detail of Lawrence's work at Rotax after leaving the
Royal Navy. After some financial troubles with the Deep Sanderson car,
"The first thing was to get on to something steady and, in recognition
of what they had already achieved, Peter Morgan gave them the tuning of
the engines used in the production Morgan Super Sports. Thus
LawrenceTune became in a way the competitions Department of the Morgan
Motor Company. In standard form the Triumph engine gives between 95 and
100 b.h.p. On the standard LawrenceTune form in the Super Sports it
gives 120; in the Le Mans Replica, a stage further in the LawrenceTune
treatment, it gives 131 b.h.p. in full racing tune. Finally with a brand
new head, it gives 156 b.h.p. running up to 7000 r.p.m., an increase of
1000. This head, with hemispherical combustion chambers and flat-top
pistons, has most of the advantages of a double overhead-camshaft without
running to the cost of the conversion. There are two overhead shafts with
rockers operating the inclined valves through pushrods from the normal
camshafts."
This interests me in the mention of a Le Mans Replica, as made by
LawrenceTune, there were a few endurance specification Super Sports made
including Baby Doll V and XRX 1 and this article even shows a nice sketch
with XRX1 in it at 'old world Acton' where Lawrencetune was based. At
the same time, ads by Fergus Motors are showing "Lemans Super Sports"
for sale including 5308 and 5381, both of which are the twin filler Super
Sports with the larger tanks etc.. Baby Doll V and XRX are also twin
filler cars with larger tanks etc.
So were these made as Lemans Super Sports Replicas as Stated by Lawrence?
I can only find 5-6 similar spec cars.
Also, found in Sports Car Illustrated Nov 56 pg 15 is an article on the
Road Test of the Morgan TR3, it mentions "Since many prospective Morgan
owners may have racing in mind, then were particularly fortunate in being
able to test a car that had been prepared at the Morgan works in
Worchestershire. As an entry for Sebring, 1956, the TR3 engine on this
car had been cleaned up, tuned and balanced within stock specifications,
at an additional cost of $270. In Florida it was rolled in practice with
minor consequences which have been rectified, and it is now being used
daily and in competition by Joe Ferguson, Jr. Vice President of the
eastern importers, Fergus Imported Cars, Inc."
Joe Ferguson Loved to race, and had the attitude it sold cars, his father
the opposite, but he is selling the two lemans spec racers in the fall of
63 after racing them both. He is found at Sebring practice events and
sponsored many Sebring entries.
Just for interest, lots of neat history implied here.
Bob Bowie in Maine
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