• Year of manufacture 
    1938
  • Chassis number 
    D1856
  • Lot number 
    606
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Number of seats 
    2
  • Location
    United Kingdom
  • Exterior colour 
    Other
  • Drivetrain 
    2wd
  • Fuel type 
    Petrol

Description

1938 Morgan Super Sports
Registration no. FKF 525
Chassis no. D1856

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 technological 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 2½" lower than its predecessor and undoubtedly helped Morgans trounce the opposition at the New Cyclecar Club's meeting at Brooklands later that year.

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.

Representing the 1930s Morgan three-wheeler in its ultimate specification - powered by the water-cooled, overhead-valve, Matchless MX4 engine - this 'matching numbers' Super Sports comes with a letter from the factory stating that it was supplied new via one of its dealers – Colmer Depot in Manchester – in November 1938.

The preceding owner's late husband purchased the Morgan from Brian Verrall in 1994 and went on to restore the car. 'FKF 525' was extensively rallied over the succeeding 20 years, attending events in France, Germany and Belgium. In June 1999 the car took part in the Brooklands Glorious Day Out meeting and later that year was featured in the Morgan Sports Car Club's magazine, Miscellany. The current owner purchased the Morgan at Bonhams' sale at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu in September 2014 (Lot 342), since when the engine has been rebuilt by NP Engineering, the vehicle has been used sparingly since then.

There are numerous bills on file for servicing and maintenance, and the car also comes with old/current V5/V5C documents, assorted correspondence, a quantity of old tax discs, expired MoT (June 2013), an original handbook, Matchless handbook, and copy 'Book of the Morgan'.


Bonhams 1793
101 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
Contact Person Kontaktperson
First name 
Bonhams Collectors’ Car department

Phone 
+44-2074685801
Fax 
+44-2074477401